Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1883-08-18
Extraordinary ImpOsture.

| In the year 1880 bill OF complaint
was prepared before the criminal judge
of Rieux, in France by woman of the
name of Bertrand de Rolls, whose cause
of grievance was of the following nature
She said that she had at an early age
been married to one Martin Guerre
who, after living with her about ten
years, had deserted her and gone lie
one knew whittier; that at the end oil
eight years a man came who had SO ex-
actly the features, stature and complex
ion of Martin Guerre that she had taken
him for her true husband, and had I'M
suspectingly lived with HIM as such for
the space of three years, during which
time she had two children by him; that
to her surprise she found out that the
man was not the real Martin Guerre,
but one Armand de Tilh of Tagias, COM
| monty called Pansette, who had artfully
| taken the advantage of his resemblance
| to her husband to impose himself on
her besides usurping the conjugal rights
| of Martin Guerre, had obtained posses
sion of all the property that belonged to
him.
In answer to the strange story, the
| man said to be Arnaud du Tilh prOtes-
| ted that the prosecution was nothing
| more than wicked conspiracy which
| his wife and relations had Matched to
get rid of him; that if 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 conld remember; that it was
| he who haG married when a youth the
complainant, Bertrand de Rolls, and had
lived with her 80 many years; that not
| only she had received him on his return
| with all the warmth of a loving and at
fectionate wife, but that all the family of
the Queries, and among others four Sis
tiers, had instantly and gladly recog-
| niZed him as their own long-lost Martin
Gu IRE.
The Judge made both parties undergo
severe personal examination, first
| sc parately, and then in the 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 were then examined to the
number of nearly one hundred and fifty,
Of these, between thirty and forty, in
Guiding 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 perfect
| ly acquainted with his person, manner
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 impossible
| for him to efface. A great many, on the
contrary, sWore as positively that he was
| no other than Armand du Tilh, called
Pansette, and they had known him as
long and been as familiarity acquainted
with him as those who pretended that
he was Martin Guerre. The rest of the
witnesses declared that there was so
strong a resemblance between the two
persons in question that it was impossi-
BILE for them to determine whether the
accuse was Martin Guerre or Armand
du Tilh.
The Judge, on weighing the whole
case, inclined to the belief tina. the man
was not the real Martin Guerre, but Ar
| maud 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 inQuisition 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
| the affair still more obscure than it was
| before. # 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 oil
injuring their conseiences, declared
| plainly that they were not able to say
| who he was.
Among the witnesses who negatlved
most positively his identity with Martin
| Guerre wa a shoemaker who used to
make shoes for Martin. He deposed
that Martins 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
prt tend 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 dispositions, were the four Sis
ters of Martin, who we're all brought ur
with him, and who all had the reputa
ton of being women of good sense; two
of the brothers-in-law of Martin, anC
all the parties who were present at the
nnptials of Martin and Bertrand de Rol'
All, or at least the greater part of these
witnesses, agreed that Martin Guerrt
had two scars under his eyebrow; that
his left eye was bloodshot; the nail o
his first finger crooked; that he had
three warts ON his right hand and an
other on his little finger, and all of these
peculiarities were to be found on the &C
cused.
The parliment began now to incline u
the part ofthe accused, and had thoughts
of reversing the judgment of the Infer
Tor Judge, when of a sudden, as if ht
had dropped out of the clouds, a mar
calling himself the true Martin Guerre
but with a wooden leg, appeared. He
said that he had come from Spain, where
he had lost his leg in battle, and tina
the person who had assumed his name
had been his companion in arms, ant
had thus doubtless got 80 well acquaint
ed with all the particulars of his private
history.
He was Intercepted by the Court a
to the same facts on which the accused
had been questioned. All his answer
| were CTu6, ycL tuOy "OAO AOisuOt ~
clear, 80 positive, nor 80 exact as those
given by the accused. He was mex
confronted with the supposed Arnaud
when the latter treated him as an i'm
postor, as fellow picked out by his re
lations to support this character an,
take away his life. The accused, b
make this the clearer, asked him mum
Der of questions as to several famil,
transactions, and these he answered
family and with some confusion. TIL
Court on this directed Arnaud to with
draw, and then put several questions Il
the Martin with one leg that were new
and had never been asked before, an,
answers were very full and satisfactory
They then called Arnaud and question:,
him as to the same points, but, to tn
great surprise and confusion of tn
Court, the answers of Arnaud were no
only as full and satisfactory as those o
Martin, but perfectly correspondent wit
him.
The Court, resolving to clear up thii
unaccountable obscnrity, directed that
now both the pretenders being present
the four sisters of Martin Guerre, al
uncle, the brothers of Arnaud du Tilh