The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-24
DEMON OF DYNAMITE.
r1ENDIsH CAREER OF "TaE MAN
FROM PERU"


nj. Strange Mania for DESTROYING
u,uan Life-A Wizard in Learning,
he Puzzles Experts and Sevans
now He Played the Role of French
Nobleman.
from the Net0 York Morning Journal.
Vreckiug trains with dynamite is the
Sovorite pastime of Aline Louis Barrand.
Il may seem a singular amusement, but
Rarrand enjoys it more than anything else
in life.
He is never so happy as when sitting upon
soma elevation at the edge of a railroad,
Watching an express train coming thunder
ing down the track right upon the dynamite
cartridges he has placed there.
But his JOY knows no bounds when the
engine explodes the cartridges, and the
scene of horror that ensues causes his eyes
70 blaze with pleasure.
This pastime of his is by no means theo-
retical, either. He carries it into effect at
every possible opportunity. Over and over
again has he been caught in the act, and
many year of his life he has spent in
prison.
He is no stranger to the insane asylum
either. It is wonder why he was ever lib
Grated when once securely behind the bars
for his passion is a dangerous one. A man
wno habituelly travels with trunkload OF
dynamite Gua would think ought to be kept
in close confinement. Yet this man has
been liberated from Blackwell's Island, from
FIatbush insane asylum. and from an insane
asylum in France.
He is crazy beyond doubt. His reasons
for blowing up trains are freely given
whenever he is arrested.
Just for fun" is his answer, and he
seems to think the whole affair magnifi-
cent joke.
Barrand is now in jail at Belvidere. N.
J., for wrecking the Lehigh Valley express
near Kennedy on Sept. 8.
He has many aliases. Louis Ramel is
one, but he is best known as 1.-THE man from
Peru. Other names under which be has
travelled are Henry Evans, L. d. Barran
and Henry Decourcelles. His right name
is Aline Louis Barrand.
This men has a wonderful history. 1t
is checkered all over with the most afro
cious crimes, if crimes they can be called,
for there can be no doubt that he is not
responsible for his actions.
HIS STRANGE CAREER
Barraud was born in Switzerland in 1876.
When he was only years old his parents
came to this country and made New York
their home While still boy he showed
dHblOuQO AOl l0dkh duI SODu
picked up not only several languages, but a
thorough knowledge of the details of num-
Der of mechanical trades. This knowledge
has proved Of great use to him in bis fear
full schemes for wholesale slaughter later in
life.
At an early age he developed symptoms
of insanity, aud in 1866 he was sent to
Blackweii's Island. There he stayed for a
year. His parents went to France and took
him with them. On their arrival there
they had him placed in an insane asylum.
He was then 81 years old, and his innate
shrewdness enabled him to effect his es-
cape.
Back to America he came at once and be-
gan a career of crime that has scarcely a
parallel. For ten years he practised his
profession of dead-beat. spending his time
alternately in jail and in clover. For Bar
rand had peculiar faculty for ingratiating
himself with wealthy people and bleeding
them by the cleverest kind of swindles.
Every time he was liberated from jail he
changed his name and began his career
again. Both in New York and in Concord,
n H., he worked his games, posing now as
French nobleman, now as scion of q
noble English family, and now as political
refugee from Russia. The best people re-
ceived him gladly into their houses-and
repented of it. Jail had no terrors for him.
He would spend year there and quickly
soon as he got out.
WHERE DID HE LEARN IT ALLa
Though it cannot be learned that be ever
attended college, he had 60 vast fund of
information upon every conceivable sub
ject that he was able to palm himself off
upon expert machinists as an expert, and
often gave them pointers. To doctor he
showed himself the possessor of knowledge
Of surgery that estonished, 60 a lawyer he
Ii. Al
delicate legal questions. A business man
took to him at once from the keen insight
into commercial and financial affairs that
be showed. In short, he was all things to
all men, and was never anything but an
expert.
After term in prison he reappearod as
henri de Courcelles, introducing himself as
the director of the San Juan mines at Ares
quIpa. Peru. This earned for him the title
of The man from Peru He interested
capitalists in his mines and obtained money
from them simply on his representations of
what there was in them.
One os bis widest escapades was in 1878,
when ne donated IS, 900 to Lafayette College.
This he gave in the form of a check on a
bank in distant city. President Cattell of
the Lafayette College took great fancy to
the wealthy and highly Intelligent scholar
ne seemed. The college conferred upon him
the honorary degree of LID. But the
Check was dishonored and Barrand was ar
rested He was sent to Jail, where he de-
veloped symptoms oflinsanity and was then
transferred to the Flatbush asylum.
He got out of there in some way but his
insanity was not cured. by any means In
fact, association with lunatics seemed to
bave developed it in an extraordinary man.
ner; for it was only then, after leaving the
asylum. that he became fiend. Two DAYS
after escaping from Esston jail, in 1879, he
had what he called fun on the Gamer
Drew. He boarded her at New York and
went UP the Hudson nationally enough.
HOW HIS EYE sHoNE.
There was large crowd of people on
board. among them being many women.
When every one had retired to their state
rooms. and supposedly to sleep. Barrand,
with the hellish hight in his eyes, opened his
stateroom door and exploded largo guam
tity Of gunpowder. The report awakened
every one on board. OF course there was a
panic. The vessel was slowed down and
every one thought she was sinking.
In the midst of it all Barrau6 stalked
around enjoying himself His eyes gilt
tered with joy as he saw the frightened
women and pale-faced men. That was his
Idea OF happiness. He was arrested at once
and put in irons. The captain had hard
work to prevent the enraged passengers