The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-09-13

| ASSOCIATES anu FORMER pupils, anu d u ust-
ed and rising man in the Radical party
which was slowly taking possession Of
| the government. In 1878 Senator Humberi
married off his only son Frederic to Their
csc Daurignac, who was already known
! as an heiress, and two years later his
only daughter to Emile Daurignac, and
later still a nephew TO sister of Their
ese
At the time of the marriages the story
ran that Therese Daurignac was con-
siderable heiress from a godmother. but
! that a life interest in the property held
| by third party prevented the immediate
realization of the inheritance. 1t is GER
tain that Senator Humbert accepted and
propa gated this version.
The young couple, with all the Dauro
gnacs. went up to Paris to live near the
senator who also occupied a high judicial
position. Therese's inheritance grew. and
after a time, the godmother dropped out
of memory, and vague Portuguese of
America, Issuing from the Portugal took
her place as the source Of the inheritance.
1t is certain that Senator Humbert ac-
cepted this version also. and, by his coun-
tenance helped 10 the borrowing of con-
siderable sums on the strength of it.
In the first days of 1872, the young
Humberts suddenly blossomed forth from
their hitherto impecunIous condition. and
began social life in a fine house of fash
ionable quarter. Ten days later Senator
Humbert was made minister of justice in
a new government; his first act was to
crush, by his official Intervention, TIL,
Union Generale-a highly speculative f.
nancial institution whose fall ruined
thousands all over France while it also
brought millions into the pockets of spec
ulators. The youngest Humbert family
-Therese and Frederic-now began Dor
rowing on d large scale and buying real
estate on promises and credit. Here too
the senator's name and fame were of the
greatest help. and he actively interviewed
in their operations. Alarmed creditors
went to law, some even professed doubts
of the Inheritance; but the courts seem
to have accepted the social and political
position of the Humberts as sufficient
guarantee. So far there was no question
of other heirs than Therese. and the name
Crawford had not been pronounced
1t was only at the end of 1885, when mill
lions had already been borrowed and
spent. that the courts were asked to In
terfere in the settlement of the supposed
ed to hold two contesting heirs TO a com
inheritance. Their Intervention was ask
promise. supposed to have been entered
into in 1888, concerning a supposed will
dated in 1917. The will was not disputed,
the compromise was admitted; copies were
tod 70
tered and heavy fees had been paid: the
courts had to take cognizance neither of
the one nor of the other. They were sim
ply asked to hold to the provisions of the
compromise, which was not disputed, GER
tain contesting heirs who were represent
ed in court by lawyers duly empowered.
This was the first public appearance of
the famous CrawfOrds, whom the jury evil
IDENTIFY consider creations of Therese's |
brain. First. the old Crawford. in whom
the Portuguese was merged, left to Their
est by the will millions upon millions of |
French government securities. Secondly, |
just as she was about entering into en-
joyment of her riches, two nephew Craw- |
fords appeared with another will dividing |
up the millions; but they agreed to com
promise on the condition that one of them |
should marry Maria Daurignac. the |
younger sister Of Therese. Meanwhile. |
the whole inheritance-securities to the |
amount of fifty. or sixty, or one hundred /
millions-were to remain sealed up in the |
Humbert's possession.
The courts attended only to the COM
plants before them, sometimes of the I
Crawfords against Madame Humbert, and |
sometimes of Therese against the Craw-
fords. 1t is certain that persons calling
themselves the Crawfords presented them
selves more than once, to engage lawyers
and execute powers of attorney, and they
were served personally with legal process
They appeared also in society interludes
At the Humbert mansion at intervals Of
many years and finally the prospective
of Maria came to be a new
Crawford, son of one of the original claim
ants. In the lawsuits, in the money OPP
arations, in the social history of the Hum
Derts, the Crawfords so seldom and never
really identified. are as real as the Hum
oerts themselves. The jury have not
'ound who impersonated them
1t is certain that Senator Humbert ac-
/
rs he had accepted the Portuguese and
he godmother previously; he accredited
heir existence to all and sundry until his
leath in 1892 The old man Daurignac
lived on until 1886. when the Crawfords
we're fully evolved. and the Humberts
lad reached the height of their social
plendor in their new mansion of the
Avenue de la Grande Armee There the
abulous securities were kept in a fire
'roof safe. and shown cautiously to in
crested parties In his own farmhouse
n the south of France. where Gustave
Iumbert made his acquaintance, Auguste
)aurignac had also a trunk jealousy
guarded, and supposed TO be filled with
mysterious stocks and bonds, which could
lot be realized.
In the last days of the trial. Therese
" half-uttered hints, seemed TO connect
Ter own millions, which she claims still
xist, with the riches of her fathers mys-
erious legend. When accusation and de-
ense had had their full say. she revealed
he true name of the Crawfords to the I !
vearied jury-they are the heirs of Reg
Ter, the infamous go-between of Bis !
narck and Bazaine for the surrender Of
fetz In the year fatal TO France Her
ather all along knew the origin of the
iches. of which so many varying stories. !
iffcult to dovetail had been told: She ,
'herese-had learned il only after the
Regniers had forced her to give
p the millions that they might not fall
ITO the hands Of her interruptions credi-
ors; ii was while she pursued the evanes-
ent Crawfords 70 RordeanN and Snain .