The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-16
MILLIONAIRE BURGLAR.
HE ROBBED FOR THE MERE LOVE
OF EXCITEMENT.
story of an Army omcer who is Now
In French Prison-WOuId Make
Social Calls on His Victims Before
R0hbfuU Them

rank, who pursued his nefarious profess
sion for the excitement of it and gave
away the proceeds. For years he was at
the head of an organized band OF house
breakers, even while he was in tine army
and al last ne is captured and confesses,
or rather boasts. of his deeds.
The name of the person is August Few
rot. He is a young Frenchman, only 30
in fact, but for eleven years he has been
a master burglar, employing others in
the work and giving away as prizes to
those under him his share OF the pro-
ceeds. to stimulate the labor of his as
sistants.
Fevrots father was a millionaire leather
merchant in France, who died some
years ago, leaving two children-August
and sister. the latter being now like
wise dead.
The sister was known in the social cir
Giles in which the family moved for her
beautiful and highly cultivated voice and
her musical talents generally. August
himself is an excellent singer, and now
he is in Jail his songs delight his jailers
In this mans life no romance seems to
have entered. except the romance of
crime, and crime of a character which
most men would seek to avoid. At the
age of 10, according to his own story he
had not indicated, even to himself, any
disposition to transcend the bound ord
narily fixed by society. Then it happen
ed one night that a band of young ruff
fans, meeting him in the street and mis-
ticking him for one of their own cut,
asked him to accompany them on an
expedition"
The expedition proved to be an attempt
In nf he I@x-
business offices 1t failed-and two of the
band were captured. Fevrot barely man
aging to make his escape. The two cap
tured men were sentenced to long terms
of Imprisonment.
Young Fervot, in the luxurious home of
his father, pondered over the affair and
studied for a week Then, strange to say,
undaunted by the fate of his two COM
panions he took the remaining members
of the gang one night and, under his
leadership, the job was successfully ex-
ecuted. From that time on he became an
Acknowledged master of the Partisan
cracksmen, and from facts now in the
police 1t is evident that he was che mas
ter spirit in several hundred bold rob
berries.
During all this time Fervot never neg
lected the social side of life. Handsome,
wealthy and of captivating manners and
culture, MS FAMILY cOnnec-
tons and repute gave him the entree in
to many a rich mans home and saw him
at many social functions. Now that time
has brought back a recollection of these
events there is noticed to have been a
remarkable coincidence between his So
cial visits and subsequent burglaries on
the very same evening-a coincidence ex-
planned by his recent boast that he took
particular pleasure after dining at house
to supervise its thorough looting.
Master of n "Gang."
Thus things went on, Fevrot soon hav-
ing a gang" of which any master burg
lar might well be proud. Now and then
it happened, of course. that one or more
of the gang were captured, and then
long sentences of imprisonment disagree
able. but unavoidable, incidents of the
! profession, ensued Now and again the
members were forced to kill detective
or police officer but only in "self-de-
fense." as Fevrot put it. An unpleasant
consequence of this necessity was the oc +.
casional guilloting of a workman" But
as Fevrot said, all enterprises have their
drawbacks, and the guillotine is merely
an incident, though a particularly dis
tasteful one
In France military service is obligatory
Upon every male citizen physically quail
fed. Fevrots time to enter the army
found him ready and even anxious to join,
and he soon had a unique and new field
for his efforts. He was already well
known among the members of the pro
fession" before he entered the army, and
he found a considerable number who,
like himself, had been drafted into the
military service. Among these he orean1-
zed special band for military exploits. ."
as he humorously phrased it, to work in
their new SURROUNDINGS
Then came some remarkable incidents
The colonel of the regiment to which Fav-
rot had been assigned was a ponpous
and fatherly old fellow, who spoke of
his soldiers as my children" and who
was rather more than commonly idiotic
even for sprig of the French nobility
His two fads were orchids and dinner
giving. In the exercise of the latter he
was won't to invite the gentlemen and
DANES of the old nobility-the ''hautesse."
as they are termed in France. And as
the hautesse are rather better provided
with ancestral pride than with worldly
pelf. the dinners were invariably we'll
attended. Ancient DANES wearing brooches
and pins that had been owned for gene
rations in their families. and furs that
had done duty in the days of Louis XVII
showed their manners and superiority
over others of more modern breed. The
colonel knew the pedigree of every one
of his guests by heart, and was won't
to make diplomatic illusions to their fam
lily achievements and prowess. And as his
wine was good, and his stories were not
too new to suit their aristocratic tastes
OF his guests, these dinners were voted a
grand success.
Fevrot's wealth had given him a pa rti-
cular standing as soon as he was sent
to barracks. And it happened a few
days thereafter that the old colonel gave
the first of these dinners for that rea-
son. Fevrot utilized his opportunities to
inspect the visitors carefully, and in his
inner mind decided that they would make
excellent subjects for a haul" Inquiry
told him that another dinner would take
place in a month-and he determined to
be ready for it.
The month rolled around. Fevrot had al
ready acquired an excellent reputation
for intelligence and effectiveness to duty
He was smiled on by the colonel in ac-
cordance with the latter's dogma that a
private soldier is always encouraged BY
the approval of his superiors. And he
smiled back-when the colonel was not
looking-and even winked.
Robbed mt Dinner.
The night Of the second dinner arrived.
There was great futtering at the doors of
the coonels official residence, and bang
irg OF coach doors. on which crests of
many designs were painted. Liveried
nunkeys Ia old-fashioned powdered wigs
pulled the rcins over horses that looked