The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-11

i do not say 10 20 uthat the Humberts
will never be arrested On the contrary.
| believe that the hour VIII come when
they viii be arrested. but you are not
masters OF the striking Of the hour. l
cerned, that the Hunbert family will be
arrested or the day when q former Prime
Minister considers the time has come for
him 70 take up again the reins Of power
The former Prime Minister. NJ. Wal
deck-Rousseau. returne din perfect health
from his peregrinations. and presided at
a banquet on the 10th OF December. in
Paris; the previous night the Humbert
family had been arrested in Madrid we
told you so.' says Henri Rochefort- 1T
is q curious ccincidencer' say the Deputy
Gauthier (de C9agny). modestly disciaim-
ing the gift OF prophecy. and Senator
Provost de Launax. who months ago cried
aloud to the Ministers seated on their
bench in Parliament: 1T is known where
the Humberts are"'
A foreigner however, long resident in
France, can have no political animosi-
ties to enlighten his understanding. 1 can
only relate without appreciation or com
ment this curious side OF a most curious
case. cannot even prophesy whether
the case is 70 become an affair under the
influence Of political passion. as happened
IN the Panama and Dreyfus affairs. or
whether the interest viii not now center
IN the disclosure of simple but superb
s@indiing operations, or whether really
va do al
that We are Likely to learn should the
candle of justice be hid by a discreet
tushel.
A plain account OF the present situation
Of the six personases arrested in Madrid
will allow each one to conjecture what
may, possibly, be the next move in this
most complicated game between Therese
Humbert. the Napoleon of ali swindlers.
male or female and of all time. on the
one side. and her Republican friends who
were her dupes. and the professional f.
nanciers who were her victims, on the
other.
Among the prisoners OF Madrid as amid
the social trfumphs Of her Paris mansion,
Tnerese Humbert is the dominating fig
IRE. She is a woman of forty-seven, stout
and OF only medium stature. with fun
cheeks and colorless, lacklustre skin, with
protruding black hair brushed high up
from low and narrow forehead Her
hands are small and dimpled. and con-
stantiy in graceful motion. which lends
almost charm to her otherwise common
person Usually there is an air OF de-
vouring activity and irrepressible energy
about her movements: but the first hours
after the arrest showed a hitherto IN
known Madame Humbert depressed. ne--
vous, weeping hystericaIly over the pros
pect Of q forced separation from her
daughter. She has since recovered her
impervious fTmness. but she has
reason enough for Mysteries. but. as with
Napoleon, one is always tempted to ask
how far she is playing a part Her
entire life seems 10 have been a piece OF
acting, until she no longer distinguishes
her own dramatic inventions from the
reality of things.
When a mere girl Therese Daurignac
learned that she could raise money on
the strength of her stories The Toulouse
merchants gave her credit for troussesu
when she told them OF her approaching
marriage with man named Bordeaux
They soon learned that the young man
had no existence outside OF her magma
ton, and forced her father to sell his
farm to pay for them
The family had long been telling stories
of inheritances that would some day fail
to them; perhaps they had real expecta-
tons One Of the points on which curios-
ity row demands to be satisfied is pre-
oisely this: Was there at the beginning
a foundation for the stories Of Therese
about property coming 10 her?
After her first escapade the Da,rfenacs
came 10 live in the city OF Toulouse. with
Therese in "h"-9e Of the house. her moth
er- being dead. She repeatedly showed gov
eminent ton4s or considerable amounts
TO gain credit fer household expenses; she
had some reason why money could not
be realized directly on the bonds for the
time being. These bonds came from her
father. who was always repeating: I'VE
shall some day be richi7 They crop UP
again and again in her career. and in
later years practiced financial agents ex-
amined what they stin maintain were
valid government bonds for large amounts
safely deposited in the fireproof safe 70
v hich she appealed as security for her
immense loans
Old man Daurignac had already per
sUaded one OF his neighbors that there
vas money coming TO his family This
was Gustave Hum5ert. a Senator OF the
new Republic. This persuasion OF money
sure to come to the Daurignacs is the
only explanation OF the three successive
maria ges Thessse Dsugrignac with
II ederic Humbert. the Senator's only son:
Emile Daugrigrac with Alice Humbert.
the Senator's only daughter: and a
nephew Hunbert. TOW dead. with another
Daurignac girl. \ local tradition OF Tou-
louise. not baseless. but without proof.
assigns the stocks and bonds of Therese
70 the seeuestrstion of an unclaimed in
heritance which Senator Humbert's posi-
ton enabled them 20 make.
ne strange relations existing between
Senator Humbert. a dignified law profess
scr. and Therese Daurignac. the under
educated daughter OF dreaming. broken
down farmer. are vital in the case He
seems TO have been dominated by her
from the beginning. II he was rot her
knowing and wiling accomplice. then he
must have been hypnotized by her out Of
h.s common sense. The Senator's widow
4 country woman with nc ambition ex-
eept 70 serve faithfully her husband. Is
row striving valiantly 10 defend his mem
cry from reproach- To those who object
10 the counteaance which he gave to the
inventions OF 'Therese. she answers firm
ly. You do not know what 4 woman
ny daughter-in-law is And she has the
- ne answer 70 excuse her son Frederic