Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-12-05
Revutar, the Spy.

One Of the very strangest features Of
the franco. German war was the part
pls, ed by Rtgnier, whose death at ST.
Lawrence, near Bamsgste, Is an
nounced in the Paris papers this morn
,rg, writes correspondent OF the
London Telegraph, under date of No
yember Sth. lie was generally sup
posed to have expired long since, and /
certainly remembered to have seen his
decesse mentioned some years ago. He
was commonly spoken Of as RegDler
the Spy, and be was condemned by de-
fault as such; but, for my own part.
| have always had considerable doubts
on the subject. often met Regnier
during the progress Of the famous trial
Of Bazsine at the Trianon, and he left
on my mind he impression of being a
vain busybody, who had got into tfon-
BILE by attempting TO perform task
which be had neither the authority to
undertake nor the brain to execute. 1t
is quite possible that be may have
been actua'ed simply by the desire to
bring about peace, and that be may
have mistaken the wish to make HIM
self important for the capability Of be-
coming hero. If he really acted as
spy to the German forces he must have
been scurvily treated by those for
whom be is supposed to have worked,
for be was a rich man before the war
and almost penniless afterward. While
the Bszaine trial was going on be did
not attempt to hide his whereabouts,
and up to tho last moment he loudly
expressed his determination to come
forward as q witness. The day before
that on which be was to appear, how
ever, his courage failed him. He
strolled out with his gun on his shout
der, as though he were going to shoot
some pheasants, and be never went
home again. When he was found guilty
by default he had already crossed the
frontier. Yet his running away is by
no means q conclusive proof Of his
guilt. Party feeling was then still
very high, and everybody who had
been in communication with the imps-
rial family WAS looked upon with sus-
picion. Regnier may well have doubt,
ed the result Of a public investigation.
BE this as it may, the mystery of his
case has never been cleared up. He
once gave me collection Of the pam
phlets he had written on the subject.
and no begged me most earnestly to
have them bound, in order to insure
their being preserved. remember
having been amused at the time by the
great anxiety he manifested that his
writings should be saved from oblivion.
1t betrayed the excessive and inordi-
nate vanity of his character, and this
vanity is enough, ! think, to account
for much that otherwise would be in
explicable in his conduct.
So strange was Regnier's career that
| may we'll remind your readers of
seme episodes Of it. Giving himself
out as a diplomatic envoy to Bazaine,
be made bis way into Metz toward the
end of September, 1870. He had a
long conversation with Bazaine, and
was then driven back to TIE German
line. Unfortunately, be had reckoned
without his host. 1t was night when
he returned, and he was fred upon and
narrowly escaped with his life. Taken
back to Metz, he had another interview
with Bazaine on the following day, af-
ter which he was successful in return
ing to his original starting point with
out further mishap. Many at the time
believed him to have been specially
empowered by the Empress Eugene to
confer with Bszaine; it is far more
probable that he had no mission at all.
Originally wealthy, he had been utter
ly ruined by the war, and laundry
near Ramsgste, where he died, furnish
ed him in his declining years with his
sole means of subsistence.