Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-10-08
answered some one, ''whom his mother has

answered some one, ''whom his mother has
sold to beggar.'
NOW the procureur, rich and avarici
GUS man, hated his cousins wife and covet
ed her property. He came forward al
once and interrogated the beggar.
Inc latter confused and frightened, con
tradlcted himself, and the procureur order
ed MS arrest. He was examined by q
magistrate, and stumbled worse than ever
prison was terrible place in those days,
and all magistrates bullying tyrants. The
poor medicant was terrified nearly out o.
his wits, but he still swore that the child
was his son.
Inc latter, however. gave him the lie di
rect. He was a precocious and vicious
child, and when his father was arrested had
been tnken charge Of by one of the mosi
violent OF the villagers woman who was
among the first to start the trouble in the
church. Thanks to the lessons instilled
INTO him by this busybody, the urchin
sWore point-blank that he was the son OF
the notary's widow. He professed even to
remember hearing his mother arrange with
the beggar to carry him away.
] Jeanne Vacherot was arrested and
fuIagged like common thief through the
streets before the magistrate 1t was with
difficulty that the now maddened crowd
could be prevented from tearing her to
pieces. Confronted with the young vaga-
| bond she denied that he was her son. He
called her "Mamma' and tried to throw
himself into her arms. When she repulsed
him, the magistrate denounced her in vio-
lent terms as an inhuman mother, worthy
of the gallows
And now commenced burlesque unique
t1yrf hn nf IL. VI, 4
being released after this preliminary exami-
nation fled to Paris. In her absense the
procureur, who saw his chance to seize on
her estate, continued the case against her.
The child was put in charge of the woman
who had coached him in his part; the poor
beggar was kept in Jail. The procureur
got an order of the court to sell the widow S
property for the benefit Of her neglected
son and put the money in his pocket.
| There is no doubt that the county court
would have deprived her of her fortune had
! she not got the Parliament at Paris to take
up her case.
| There it was proved that the beggar's s
child was several years younger than her
own lost son, and that he could neither
read nor write. Many people who had
known the lost boy denied that this was he.
Still the case was languishing, when by one
of those theatrical accidents not uncom-
mon in real life one of the two prodigals
reappeared nearly two years after his disap-
| pearance.
| This was the eldest son, now boy of 10.
The younger, whom the beggar's brat was
said to be- was dead.
| Pierre and Jacques had wandered off,
boy-like, to seek their fortunes. Once they
had been in Vernon, but through fear and
shame did not make themselves known to
their relations, and went on begging as far as
Saint Waast. There gentleman sheltered
and fed them for twelve days. At the end
of this time Jacques died. He was bnried
in the cemetery of the Church of Saint
WAIST by the brothers of charity. Pierre
produced certificates signed by the cure,
by the vicar and many inhabitants Of the
parish and by the brothers who had con-
Quoted the turial. After the death of his
brother he remained some time longer in
the house of M. Montaud; then he took to
wandering through the country begging,
as he had done before. Tired Of this mis-
cradle life at last, he returned to throw
himself into his mothers arms.
There was no doub5 as to the truth OF
his story, but it was not till 1859 that the
case was settled, the poor beggar released
from prison and the procureur forced to
disgorge bis plunder and pay damages.
Justice was very slow as well as blind in
the good old times.