The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-09-09
HUMBERTSALL CONVICTED
Promised Revelation of Secret
Fails With the Jury.
Madame and Husband Go to Prison Fol
Five Years, Her Brothers For
Two and Three Years.

Paris, France.-Maitre Labori, the
lawyer who conducted the defense Of
Dreyfus. sprang 4 dramatic climax to
the trial of the Humberts. He timed
| it minute or two before the case was
given to the jury. His client, Madame
Therese Humbert, delivered an i'm
passioned speech to the twelve men
| who decided her fate. She closed by
making a theatrical show Of revealing
the true identity of the mysterious
Crawford. the mythical American
whose millions she was supposed to
| have inherited.
"Now, gentlemen Of the jury" she
said. II will give you the name Of the
Crawfords, as they told it to me. They
told me in answer to my insistent queS-
| tons. I cannot guarantee its accuracy,
! as 1 had to rely on their word. NJ.
| Crawford said to me: we are known
as Crawford, but our real name is Reg
nier. My fortune was made during
| the war Of 1870 by speculation in
rentes, which were then very low. and
| a large number were bought here
"Regnier! That is his name! Not
Crawfordr' she declared: "the Regnier
who was intermediary between Mar
shall Bazaine and the Germans"
Then she made long pause, during
which she and her husband, Labort
and Romaine Dauregnac watched the
effect of her revelation on the jury.
The faces of the latter suggested that
it had done little more than kindlc q
half-amused interest.
"You know Of this Regnier," she con-
| tinued. "He intrigued with Bismarck.
He was connected with the treason Of
| Marshal Bazaine. He was condemned
| to death by court-martial. His 1den'
| tity seems to be otherwise unknown.
What I say is true. learned CraW-
ford's real name in the manner l have
stated. I never told my husband. l
swear it on my daughters head. Ills
is the first time my husband has heard
the name"
She paused again and turned to the
presiding judge. What say is true"
She reiterated. "The Crawfords exist,
the fortune exists. I have cheated no
one. I have made no false representa-
tions. shall bring actions against the
Crawfords."
Once again she addressed the jury:
IL will say no more, gentlemen. 1t IS
enough to assure you that the fortune
exists. There you. have the whole
Humbert case and the whole Crawford
case"
Then she pitched her voice to much
higher key. 81 have full confidence"
she declared, complete confidence,
and now await my fate. :,
There was prolonged movement
among the spectators. Their faces, ike
those of the jury, cviaced feeling Oh
disappointment
Maitre Labori arose and delivered a
brief address to the jury. The sub
stance of it was that the twelve men
were now in full possession Of the Sc.
cret of Mime. Humber: that she had
fold them the same as she had told
him. He read from q paper some facts
bearing on the secret history of the
Franco Prussian War. BY these 1t was
shown that q Regnier acted rs inter-
mediary between Prince Bismarck ana
Marshal Bazaine.
The grand climax came little later
when the Jury brought in verdict OF
guilty. From the manner in Whlch II
was received by the people 1t was
decidedly popular verdict.
There was no delay in pronounclns
sentence. Nine Therese and Fred
erick Humbert were each sentenced 10
five years imprisonment. Romano
Dauregnac to three years and Emile
Dauregnac to two years.
Following the announcement or the
verdict Maitre Labori raised tccnnlcal
objections to the proceedings as PROP
able basis of appeal.
The great epoch Of Nine. Humoerts 3
career of fraud dates from the lnven-
tion of the American millionaire, ROD
ert Henry Crawford. The story she
fold was that at Nice, in the South OF
France, she saw a stranger hopeIt
Crawford, suddenly fall as he was get
ting into q train. She went 10 Ills as-
sistance and nursed him back TO llIe.
In gratitude he left to her MS Wnole
fortune. amounting to S2O,OOO,OOo.
The fictitious millions served as Sc
curity on which loans were ralsed lron
all classes of people, bankers, usurers'
small tradespeople and country squlres.
In order to prevent the opening OF the
ste in which she declared the VIII
had been placed. and the inevitable eA.
nosure of the fraud. she instructed
LAWYERS who represented the phantom
nenhews and other lawyers VINO az.
rued her own case. thus putting OIL
from wear to year the opening Of the
safe The whole cumbrous legal ma.
chinery of the French Republic was
turned to her own purpose. but the
crash finally came, and she anu ,ne'
e.. ArrHSIeU.