Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-04-14
Monsieur Quentineaui What have you to
declare at this times

Monsieur Quentineaui What have you to
declare at this times"
''Sacre bette de Quentineaur' cried the
exasperated boutiquier. II am Scipion
Desruelles. shop keeper. numero - bis rue
de Seine
''Then. sir, you must be detained" said
the officer
While he was waiting in the customs
Office a man came behind him. slipped
something in his hand and whispered:
Don't be afraid, Quentineaul They have
nothing whatever against youl Here's
what l 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
Quentineau whom everybody persisted in
mistaking him for.
His baggage proving all right and his
passport not Objectionable, Scipion 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 hall chicken. As
soon as he reached Paris he took fiacre
and drove 70 numero - 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
shes"
The attendant answered. ''In America
1t is four months since she went; at the
summons OF her husbandr'
AT the summons of mer' cried Scipion,
sitting down abruptly. ''This is all
dream,'i
Before he could say another word a ser
geant de vile entered the shop aud laid
hands upon him. You are wanted, Quen-
tineau"
Il am not Quentineau-I am Desruellesr'
shouted the unhappy man, but the officer
OF the law was incredulous, and bore Scip-
ion off to prison.
He was examined on 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 a
mere question Of mistaken identity" said
the lawyer, "and of course there will be no
difficulty in proving who you really ara
boutiquier of the Rue de Seine, of twenty
years standing"
But the advocate reckonei rather too
| hastily. One of the most interesting trials
that ever came off in Paris now ensled
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,
aud was tried by the president. 4 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
10 be ceunterfeit) was probable; but il he
| were Quentineau nc defense was possible.
| Quentineau was established to be des-
| perate character, who had been several
times convicted of minor offenses, 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 a 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
| poverty had told upon Desruelles. He was
| deeply sunbuI- ed, his hair was grizzled
his hand WAIST ard, his manner neryou.
| and excited-as little like as possible to the
placid shopkeeper of the Rue de Seine
| UnqueStionably the accused resembled
| Desruelles remarkably, and knew rs much
! about that persons antecedents as if ht
were really himself, but then In short
Desruelles' neighbors were exceedingly
conscientious, aid the police exceedingly
positive, and the unfortunate shopkeepeI
was convicted of being not himself at all
but Pierre Quentineau, counterfeiter.
The rebutting testimony adduced by tn,
advocate general not only convinced the
jury but overwhelmed Desruelles. Ii wa
letter which one of his neighbors,
woman, testified she had received from
Desruelles' wife, from New York, that she
and her Scipion were happily accommo
dated With a shop and a thriving custom
in Broadway in that great city, lies
ruelles admitted that the handwriting wa
his wife's, but the statement impossible
for the reason that he was in the Palais d,
Justice, and consequently could not be il
New York.
Pierre Quentineau, calling himself Sci
pion Desruelles, was sentenced to ter
years close Imprisonment
The unhappy convict was moved by hi
sense of injustice to carry himself with un
expected dignity. He shed no tears, bu
said he felt certain that time would re
move the evils that now bore upon him s.
heavily He was sent to Brest, and set u
learn the trade of shoemaking. He wa
one of the most tractabie prisoners eve
confined at the bagnes.
When Scipion had served out three year
Of MS sentence an unexpected episode oc
CURED in his history. Visitors were an
nounsed to euentineau. He went to tn
Office Of the prison and found his Mar
Unique cousin. Plche, and-his wife, II
attempted to throw himself into the arm
Of the latter, but was repulsed with sever
siignity.
we know you are not QuentIneau, bu