The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-07-28
EXTRAORDINARY IMposTURE.

Y of Rieux. in France, by a woman Of Fl
g name of Bertrand de Rolls, whose can,
of grievance was of the following n,
i, ture She said that she had at an earl
e age been married to one Martin Gnerr.
!. who, after living with her about te
e years, had deserted her and gone no ON
knew whittier; that at the end of eich
q years man came who had so exactl
!. the features, stature and complexion 4
. Martin Guerre that she had taken hin
: for her true husband, and had unsus
/; pectingly lived with him as such for FIJI
8 space of three years, during which sh,
had two children by him; that to he
| surprise she found out that the man wa,
, not the real Martin Guerre, but one AR
maud de Tilh Of Sagias, commonly called
Pansette, who had artfully taken the ad
vantage of his resemblance to her hus
band to impose himself on her, and. be.
sides usurping the coniugal rights oi
Martin Guerre, had obtained possession
of all the property that belonged to him.
In answer to this strange story. the
man said to be Arnaud du Tilh protested
that the prosecution was nothing more
than wicked conspiracy which his wife
and relations had hatched to get rid of
him; that it he was not the real Martin
| Guerre he did not know who he was:
that he had had his name as far back as
he could remember that it was he who
had married when youth the complain
ant, Bertrand de Rolls, and had lived
with her SO many years; that not only
| she had received him on his return with
! all the warmth of loving and affection
| ate wife, but that all the family of the
Guerres, and among others, four sisters,
had instantly and gladly recognized him
as their own long-lost Martin Guerre.
The judge made both parties undergo
severe personal examination. first
separately, and then in presence of each
other, and the answers Of the man were
on every point, even in the most minute
and private description, such as in all
human belief, none but the real Martin
Guerre could have given.
Witnesses we're then examined to the
number of nearly one hundred and fifty.
Of these, between thirty and forty, in
cludlng the four sisters, swore that he
was the true Martin Guerre; that they
had known him and conversed with him
from his infancy; that they were per-
fectly acquainted with his person, man
ner. and tone of voice, and that they
were, moreover, convinced of the truth
of what they asserted by certain scars
and secret marks, which it was impossi-
bic for time to efface. A great many, on
the contrary, swore as positively that he
was no other than Arnand du Tilh. called
Pansette. and they had known him as
long and been as familiarly acquainted
with him as those who pretended that he
was Martin Guerre. The rest of the wit
nesses declared that there was so strong
a resem blance between the two persons
in question that it was impossible for
them to determine whether the accused
was Martin Guerre or Arnaud du Tilh.
The judge, on weighing the whole |
case, inclined to the belief that the man
was not the real Martin Guerre, but |
Arnaud du Tilh, and condemned him as |
a wretched impostor to suffer the penalty |
of death.
From this sentence the accused ap.
pealed to the parliament of Toulouse,
who ordered an lnquisition to be taken |
as to the principal facts in dispute, with |
this limitation, that none but new wit |
nesses should be examined. But so far |
was this ordinance from eliciting any |
new light, that it served only to render |
the affair still more obscure than it vas |
before. OF thirty new witnesses ex- |
amined, nine or ten were positive that |
he was the true Martin Guerre; seven or |
eight were as positive that he was |
Armand du Tilh; the rest having weighed |
all circumstances, and being afraid of in |
juring their consciences, declared plainly |
that they were not able to say who he |
was.
Among the witnesses who negatived |
most positively his identity with Martin |
Guerre was a shoemaker who used to |
make shoes for Martin. He deposed that |
Martin foot reached to the twelfth mark. |
whereas the foot of the accused reached
no further than the ninth mark upon his |
rule. Another witness swore that Martin |
Guerre was dexterous at wrestling, of |
which this man did not pretend to know |
anything.
But, on the other hand, among those |
who had formerly sworn that he was the |
true Martin Guerre, and still persisted |
IN their depositions, were the four Sis |
ters of Martin, who were brought up |
with him, and who all had the reputa-
tion OF being women of good sense; two |
OF the brothers-in law of Martin and all |
the parties who were present at the nup-
tuals of Martin and Bertrand de Rolls. |
All, or at least the greater part of these |
Witnesses, agreed that Martin Guerre |
hal two scars under his eyebrows; that |
his left eye was bloodshot; the nail of |
his first finger crooked; that he had |
three warts on his left hand and another |
on his little finger, and all these peculi- |
aritles were to be found on the accused. |
The parliament low began to incline |
to the part Of the accused, and had |
thoughts of reversing the Judgment of |
the interior judge, when of sudden. as |
If he had dropped out of the clouds. a |
man calling himself the true Martin |
Gnerre, but with wooden leg. an. |
peared. He said that he had come from
Spain, where he had lost his leg in bat
tie, and that the person who lad as
sumed his name had been his companion |
IN arms, and thus doubtless got so we'll |
acquainted with all the particulars of his
private history.
He was lnterrogated by the court as |
to the same facts on which the .ecuaed |
had been questioned. Ali his answers |
were true yet they were neither SO clear.
SO positive, nor so exact as those given |
by the accused. He was next confronted /
with the supposed Arnaud when.the lat |
ter treated him as an impostor. as fell |
low picked out by his relations to sun.
port this character and take away his |
life. The accused, to make this clearar
asked him number of questions as to |
several family transactions. and to tbase !,
he answered family and with some CON
fusion. The court on this directed A..
maud to withdraw, and then mt aevero1
questions to the Martin with one lae, thot
were new and had never been asked ha
f0r0 and his auauoro vro.