The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-21
REAL CHARACTER
OF the Nan Who Figured as Jean
Vatican In Victor Hugo's Master
piece, aLes 1fiserables" = Hard
1.,,nl. Of IN Abandoned boy.

Luck OF an Abandoned Boy
Paris Figaro: n. Moreau-c Christie
phe. the inspector OF prisons under the
Second Empire, knew the man who
served as the prototype Of Jean Vatican,
and whose story haunted the brain Of
Victor Hugo and inspired his famous
Miserable" N. AIoreau- christophe
had passion for reforming convicts.
He gathered many confessions, and
knew many strange secrets. The fol-
lowing story Of the convict Urban Lee
melle Is taken from his notes;
URBAN Lemelle. like Jean Vatican
was the abandoned child of a drunk
en- father. When he was only eight
years old he went from farm to farm to
offer for piece Of bread the work that
his little hands could do. He was first
taken In hand by a kInd-hearted peas
ant named Brlssett, who kept him
mlndlng COWS for three years. Then he
was employed by two nelghboring far
mers. who sent him to tend sheep for
three years more. urbain tired Of the
life of a shepherd and determined to
become sailor, when he reached the
age Of fourteen. He began as cabin
boy on a river boat from Anglers, whose
captain generally spoke to him with the
end Of a rope. Three years passed in
this way, during which Urbaln's only
consolation was in his friendship for
the son of the captain, u young man
named Gervais, who was no less badly
treated than himself. This friendship
was unfortunate for UrbaIn. One WIN
ter's day. when the waters of the Loire
were frozen and navigation was sus-
pended, Gervuls proposed to Urban to
take away the money that was in the
safe of the boat for the pay Of the
hands
"Then," said he, I'VE will go to
Nantes, where We will become real sal
lors,
But that is robbery you propose to
mel" said Urban,
robbery. nonsensel" replied Gervais
Doesn't my father owe you eighty
francs Well you can pay yourself the
eighty francs out of the sack. and then
,,oM v,,l he sonarc
An hour aFterward the money was no
,onaor IN ho,rd the boat Gervals had
80, ., an,ov ana 1IrboIn had hid II in
the trunk Of a willow tree. Next day.
the Imprint of his feet upon the snow
led to the tree, where the treasure was
tounu. Orpah Wus at'eS'eN, 49,
lock Of the safe having been DFoSeh ne
no. condemned TO seven years penal
III ~. ,t.r orIv seven-
seFNltuue' ne W"s ''s'i 'N'
teen.
During his seven years imprisonment
I,,,,ot,, ,,,os roaIVrnd Industrious. relig-
o'N'''t va ~, ,o,,duc,
ious ana exemplary !" mo
| When he left the penitentiarS' where
he had lost seven years, he thought lie
-, ,,..,,,,,, ., A, hut IN return to An
H"u tiOt',l"e ~. =, A.,
gers purihed conPleHely' ~ ""s ~
gers that he committed his crime, ana
l.. ,y,rtod IN prove TINT he was re-
"e ~. -, -. ,,,,.,no,od Tho
torIheu' nus "oPe was N'','' -,
fact that he was an eX-conHlct closed all
doors and all hearts to him. He found
=. ,,.,.o,,,o,,, 1,6,cult IN get work, and
"a 800 - ala ,,,.o,,,ro Some
Wheh' US cNuLee ''s w 80. -.
arduous employment, the other work
WAN refused to associate with him. He
..-,,.,v,od 20 ia,enass beRgary
was E0'lue'''"eN
and theft
One Sunday, while roaming through
! ~ oo,,,,rv ba stoDned fatigued to
S Sme t,irnssIS IN n feI5 where there were
cave b"TSss nj liberty. He thought OF
~ 90" thot wn1 onIv thirty leagues
~ as I,irS ord AZ America that new
Ill. aO.i, ,,,tors No cxnected 10 live as an
1919, ,rorH,IpSnnn The iden turned
liz hn,j u" 3nnDed like n mad man
' 49," one NJ Tho horses and started tie
ePSr,oI along the road. without a sad
Jia ~. hrIdIe lie set out in the evening
owl arrived Mt tho break Of day at In
@rsnGes Nearing that place on the
ST. ~ ,bo rood there was n pratrIe,
SCi!o.o u he 'urnsJ loose the horse ana
d 49, tbc town An unknown person
e si,'.,,,,,1L y bnrss loose was suspected,
III III ', ms to,ioyysd arrested and brought
i,'I.so ~ r,"vor He pnye his name
''1,Ia,,t hoII,otIop huf while they were
SI'.'',.I,.', IT. c1sa Ia t,6nnped 10 ps-
H Ins,n M6 r az, Nantes and tried to
SSfn win so,Me cnntnIn ON a long voy-
o go pHt m pmbnrl; Il was necessary
70 Go,o nnners and I'rbaln didn't have
~ ~ 10 's F''s'''
'" E,o,. same time hc wandered along the
,,i,y, oi,nos; nm the verge of suicide,
,I''So, a biS hand touched his shoulder,
~ honS ~ n bootmnn ~ Anglers. who
' r.c s, him The boatnan wanted
,oIO 90 TIrhaIn went WITH him 10 An
m mer. III had barely arrived when he
~ So o. orro,,oJ and NIT In nrison on the
WIS 1ItEs'SS S 80 -. 81 80 Nyr,,,- n