New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-18
4 SrRANGE. ETEN7FUL HISTORY.

from The COrhhM.
II a man in France be arrested, or merely sus-
pected, be must say who he -. COncealmcnt is
useless for the police will not release the man
until they have exhausted all means OF ascertain.
ing the truth. lie may give false name. or say
that he Is a foreg ner, but the authorities of the
place where he PROGRESSES TO have beeu born will be
written TO- ami If tue information he have given be
found incorrect he Will be liable To months
prlsonment for being vagabOnd; nor will his
troubles end there for the police will take 1t for
granted that he is only concealng his Identity be-
cause he has committed sOue great crime, and lie
will be placed under surveillance tll his life be-
comes burdensOme that lac Will tell the truth 10
get a little peace. french criminals on the lower
classes scarcely try TO conceal their identity.
In the Of fifty years the Prefecture have had
many cases al EnglinInen and Americans who
gave false names and whose Identity could not be
discovered because the English aud American police
could afford assistance IN the matter, nut lhey
can only quote Que case OF "a lfenchinau VINO
Obstinately resisted all cudeayOrs to ascertain what
ms was. THIS wretched man had been
arrested tor a petty theft, and stated that be was
Italian. THIS proved 10 be false; al least II was
discovered that person bearing his name had
been born in the commune which he described rs
his bIrih-p lace. lie was kept ~ prison bItccn
months and questioned eighty times by a JUICE
dln5trucliOn but TO no purpose, 10 thaJ ho was ~
last tried for being "a thief and Vagab0nd, and
sentenced TO years imprisonment. On hls release
lac treated as Il foreigner that is. he was OK
PEELED The country by order OF the PfcleCt OF Police,
and being conveyed to the frontier between two
gendarmes he was gwen up 10 the Italian authOr-
ties a suspected criminal. The Italian Police
taken 30 Jail and asked to give account OF ham
self. AS lie persisted in telling papable untTuths
abont his birthplace lac was kept FOR several
months in durauce then sentenced TO six months for
yagabOndage aud on the expiration OF ms term be
was sent pack 10 France.
This time the French police did not arrest him,
but they watched him. The unhappy man seeking
Tor work as Il stOnenas0n soon found empioymert
but gave his master a name different TO that under
which he had been sentenced. The police were
down upon him at once Having ascertaincd that
MS HeW name was not his own they got him sen
fenced again to years mDrisOnment pour usu pa
non 70 JGgI h0mS, and upon lis discharge they told
MN plainly That he could expect peace until he
maze an aYowal OF his identity. lie was consigned
10 Depot dc Mendeite" or depot for inc0rrigIble
NagaDOnds, aud there committed suicide. Who he
was has never been ascertained; but tho relentless
pertuacity with which he was hunted to death
shows what grim duel 1t is which the French
police wage against criminals III this unfortunate
man had given himself out as an Engishman and
got himself conveyed to Dover, his troubles would
have ceased when he touched English soil. for the
him Oh TO ship him back TO France.