The herald., 1896-07-26
HIS PROFITABLE IMA0INATIoN
A Valet Who Got Money by Weaving Yarns
About Prince Victor Napoleon

About Prince Victor Napoleon
A fraudulent valet has Just been ar
rested for robbing his mistress of various
considerable sums of money under ex-
traordinary circumstances. The old
lady who Is SO years of age, and lived in
rigid seclusion, Is a most ardent I'm
peralist and the dream of her life is to
witness the coming of Prince Victor
Napoleon to seize the reins of govern
n1ent Amongst others in her service
was young man Of 20. of prepossessing
appearance and pleasant manners. who
acted as valet de chambre. He speedily
won his way into his employers favor the
more so as, on ascertatning her political
tendencies. he declared himself to be an
enthusiastic Bonapartist. One day he
rushed into her room with a cock-and-
bull story that Prince Victor had enter
ed France. but had been arrested and
cast into durance vile. The old lady,
who knew nothing of what was passing
in the outside world. readily believed the
tale, and handed over without demur
several hundred dollars which We're to
procure the release of the unfortunate
captive. Having once successfully tap
ped the golden source, the valet did not
scruple when in want of money to come
forward with some extraordinary nara
tive relating to Victor Napoleon and his
supposed wanderings. In fact, even the
young pretender never went through
such series of marvellous adventures
as were credited to the descendant of the
hrst emperor and retailed for the benefit
of the too confiding dame. First the
prince was figuring as a candidate for
the municipal elections. and funds were
needed to placard the fact about town.
On another occasion the bearer of the
famous name was the victim of a dis
tressing accident, and certain sum was
required to pay the surgeons bill. one
day the poor old woman was thrown into
a tremendous Hntthr of pXpithNnnf nv
the announcement that four princesses
would honor her with their presence at
lunch. A quartet of damsels did, in
truth, turn up. but they were not of
royal descent. Toast after toast was
drunk to the princes health and well
fare, with the old lady's champagne, and
the fair visitors, who hailed from the
height of Montmartre. departed having
created by their Imperial" bearing a
profound impression on their credulous
hostess.
But Nemesis at length overlook the
crafty menial and male accomplice.
They were found one evening in the gut
ter quite overpowered by copious liba-
tons or the heat of the sun, as they put
1t, by the police, and taken up into Gus
tody. Although speedily set at liberty,
the large sums of money found in their
possession aroused the suspicious of the
commissary of police, who caused seach-
ing inquiries to be made about the cou-
pie. The truth leaked out and the two
scamps We're re-arrested. The valet
boldly declared that his mistress had
given him large sums of money to send
to the prince. but as he did not know the |
latter's address he kept them He would |
have been fool, the prisoner declared. |
to have given the money back, and no |
one similarly placed would have done so. |
The police officials disagreed with him on |
this point and the two accomplices are |
now at the depot awaiting a further
furn OF events.-From a Paris Letter