Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-08-24
THE HUMBERT CASE.

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THE HUMBERT CASE.
The celebrated Elumbort case Is over,
All the members have been found guilty
ana have received sentence, Nine. Hum
bert and her husband each to I'VE years
imprisonment, and to one hundred
francs fine. Emile D'Aurignac was
sentenced to two years Imprisonment.
Roman D'Aungnac was sentenced to
three years Imprisonment Nine and
M Humbert win undergo solitary con.
fnemcnt during their term Of imprlson.
ment
The trial was far from being so in.
toresing as was the revelation Of
the gigantic swlndle. one Of the great
est most oudaclous and dazzling in
criminal annals It had all the gla-
mour Of Monte Crlsto and were Dumas
living today he surely would give It a
first place among his Celebrated
Crimes"
The central figure In the case Is
Therese Humbert, nee D'Aurlgnac. She
was born IN 1855. near Toulouse. Her
father was broken down farmer,
much given TO dreaming. This faculty
was inherited by the daughter, who
developed Il, and made dreams come
true. As a child she listened to stories
Of lnherltanoes about to fan to the
family. They fell in fruitful soil and
fIaotihed. When a mere girl she OBJ
tanned credit for a trousseau from the
Toulouse merchants. and ali on the
strength OF an approaching marriage
to an imaginary young man OF Bor-
deaux. When the fraud was discovered
her father was forced to sell his farm TO
satisfy the demands Of the merchants
nom whom the purchases had been
made, Soon after this the family moved
to Toulouse, There Therese began her
wonderful career In the early IO's she
began showing government bonds to
very considerable amounts, thereby
gaining credit for household expenses.
But for some inexplcable reason the
bonds could not at that time be real
i7ed on She said they We're her faith
ers. Whose they We're or whence thev
came no one knew. But people wonder.
ed ana were more or less spellbound by
this display of the evidences OF wealth.
One neighbor Gustave Humbert,
professor in the University of Toulouse,
senator Of France and man who
was Increasing his professional and DO.
litlcal prestige came to believe in old
man D'Aurgnac, In 1873 or there
abouts, the two families united. Fred
eric Humbert, only son Of the senator.
married Therese. while his only daugh.
ter Alice Humbert married Emile
D'Aurlgnac. The destlnles of the two
families were now one. Papa Humbert
believed his daughter-in-l was n
great heiress, and began to tell his
friends so. TO his friend and colleague
Senator Constans, he impaired the IN.
formation.
About this time the young couple
moved to Paris where they lived in a
manner 80 modest as to be almost
mean. On the strength OF her for |
tune that was to come by inheritance |
Therese began to borrow. Senator |
Humbert, completely under the lnhu.
ence Of his wonderful daughter.n-law |
lent countenance to her tales A loan |
of some twenty-five thousand francs
was effected. When the debt became
due and the lender importunate, ne
was put of with tales Of inheritances,
first from some rich Portuguese then
from wealthy American. After much |
trouble and more anxiety he got his
money This was In 1882 and was
preparatory 10 the introduction OF the
Crawfords and their millions. 1t was
In this year that the Humberts moved |
into handsome house in one OF the
best quarters in Paris, The grand ca
reer was opening Many loans were
made, and more shifts to avoid paying
them. Nine, Therese Humbert in the
splendid. for her, year OF 1853 bought
the Chateau de Celyran and the cha
teau des Wives Faux, Her borrowings
and debts this year amounted TO the
very prlncely sum OF nearly two and
a half million dollars Some Of the
loans had been made through the elder
Humbert minister OF justice in the De
Freycinct cabinet
Financial success had come. Now
followed political ambition. Nine. The
reese Through all history she win he
known as Nine. Therese) founded a sa-
Ion. To IT, with the influence Of her
Senator Humbert, came
well known members Of the best soclc-
~ and leaders Of political circles, The
Iiumbert house became a political rem
devious OF the first order. To ma
DANES dinners and luncheons came
statesmen. jurists, artists, lteratl The
debts grew; creditors were pressing
their demands; stll everything went
merry as a marriage bell"
The story of the rich Portuguese hav-
ing been exploded, the story that
brought the FIRST loan Of twenty-five
thousand francs the Crawford tale
was now put forth And what tale
II isl Nowhere is there anything like
Il, not even in the wonderful "Thous-
and and one Nights" tales. It first
october q, 1855. 1t was
thus.
In the early zoe Therese saved by
devoted nursing the life OF a travelling
American millionaire, Robert Henry
Crawford In 1871 he expired at Nice
leaving her IN token Of his gratitude
his whole fortune Of S20.0t0.0o0. In 1885,
appeared Robert Crawford and Henry
Crawford, nephcys Of the deceased