San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-07-31
ghe Daily Eight.
FRIDAY, JULY 81, 1891.

Don't he afraid QuenfinGau! They have
nothing whatever against you! Here's
what owe your
Desruelles turned quickly, but the man
who had spoken to him was already lost in
the crowd, and Scipion found eight gold
Napoleons in his hand Mechanically he
put the money in his pocket, cursing this
Quentiueau whom everybody persisted in
installing him for.
His baggage proving all right and his
passport not Objectionable, Scpion was
after some delay permitted to start for
Paris, but still under the suspicion of the
authorities that he was not Desruelles, but
Quentineau. At ROuen, in the railroad
restaurant, he changed a Napoleon to buy
bottle of wine and half a chicken. As
soon as he reached Paris he took a fiacre
and drove to numero 70 Rue de Seine His
modest sign was no longer there, but in
stead of it one of:
"Lamballe, hairdresser and perfumer."
Astounded, he rushed into the little shop
mime Desruelles," he said, where is
she?"
The attendant answered, I'm America.
1t is four months since Fne went; at the
summons of her husbandp'
"At the summons of mei' cried Scipion.
sitting down abruptly. "This is all a
dreamr'
Before he could say another word ser
gesnt de vile entered the shop and laid
hands upon him. You are wanted, QUEEN
tineau."
81 am not Quentineau-I am Desruellesl"
shouted the unhappy man, but the officer
of the law was incredulous, and bore Scip-
ion off toprison.
He was examined on a charge of coming
and of passing counterfeit Napoleons upon
the cashier of the railroad restaurant at
Rouen, and fully committed for trial as
Quentineau, alias Desruelles, faussaire.
Desruelles employed an able advocate
and laid all the facts before him. 1T is
mere question of mistaken identity" said
the lawyer land Of course there will be no
difficulty in proving who you really area
boutiouier of the Rue de Seine, of twenty
years standing"
But the advocate reckoned rather too
hastily. One of the most interesting trials
that ever came off in Paris now ensued.
The advocate employed by Desruelles was
thoroughly persuaded of his clients limo
cence and good character. But the Pro
cureur Imperial was Of different opinion.
The case was sent before the court d'assises.
and was tried by the president. A great
number of witnesses were called, and the
whole question turned upon the identity
of the prisoner by the mutual agreement
of parties, for the reason that if the &C
cused were Desruelles his account of how
he received the gold Napoleons admitted
TO be counterfeit) was probable; but if he
were Quentineau no defense was possible.
Quentineau was established to be des
perate character, who had been several
times convicted of minor ofenses, such as
smuggling, and was more than suspected
of being a criminal of much deeper dye-a
counterfeiter and forger.
The testimony of the customs officers at
Havre and Of the dame du compton at
Rouen was first taken, and then mass OF
police testimony to prove that Desruelles
was unquestionably Quentineau. This
was chiefly from the provinces, Quentineau
having apparently operated very little in
the capital. At the outset the defense ex-
perienced an unexpected difficulty. There
were some hundreds of witnesses willing
to swear that they knew Desruelles per
fectly well, but not nearly so many who
were satisfied that the prisoner was that
person. His hardships, his voyages, his
deeply sunburned, his hair was grizzled
his hand was hard, his manner nervous
and excited-as little like as possible to the
placid shopkeeper of the Rue de Seine
Unquestionably the accused resembled
Desruelles remarkably, and knew as much
about that PERSONS antecedents as if he
were really himself, but then In short,
Desruelles neighbors were exceedingly
conscientious ard tho nplina ayraaIinn1N-
positive, and the unfortunate shopkeepeT
was convicted of being not himself at all
but Pierre Quentineau, counterfeiter.
The rebutting testimony adduced by the
advocate general not only convinced the
jury but overwhelmed Desruelles. 1t was
a letter which one of his neighbors, a
woman, testified she had received from
Desruelles' wife, from New York, that she
nd her ScipiOn were happily accOmmo.
dated with shop and a thriving custom
in Broadway in that great cityl Des.
ruelles admitted that the handwriting was
his wife's, but the statement impossible,
for the reason that he was in the Palais de
Justice, and consequently could not be il
New York
Pierre Quentineau, calling himself Sci
plon Desruelies, was sentenced to ten
years close imprisonment.
The unhappy convict was moved by his
sense of injustice to carry himself with un.
expected dignity. He shed no tears, but
said he felt certain that time would re
move the evils that now bore upon him SC
heavily. He was sent to Brest, and set tC
learn the trade of shoemasing. He was
one of the most tractable prisoners evel
confined at the bagnes.
When Scipion had served out three year,
of his sentence an unexpected episode oc
CURED in his history. Visitors were an
nounced to Quentineau. He went to tn,
office of the prison and found his Mar
Unique cousin, Pache, and-his wife H,
attempted to throw himself into the arm