Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1910-02-24
THE CASE OF GUERRE
One of the oueereSt Stories of
Doubles In History.
AUDAcITY OF THE lMPOSToR.
He Deceived Not Only the Sisters, but
Even the Wife, of the Man Whose
Place He Usurped-The Return Of
the Real Guerre and the Exposure.

Perhaps the most remarkable case
of doubles in all history is that OF
Martin Guerre, a Frenchman, who
was born near Bayonne in the first
half of the sixteenth century. Martin
Guerre was the son of a well to do
farmer and brickmaker, and, as was
the custom of the country at the time,
/ he married at the age of eleven Ber-
trande de Rolls, who had then reached
| the age Of ten. For eight years they
/ lived together.
Unfortunately Martin stole a bushel
of corn from his father. Frightened
| by the Nervousness of his crime, he de-
| serted his wife and fled to Spain.
| There he entered the service of EN-
/ peror Charles V. and after several
years of campaigning seems to have
forgotten his wife, Bertrande, and his
baby boy, Sancho. At any rate, he
ceased to write home, and his family
lost all trace of him. His absence
stretched on to eight years.
Then one evening a stranger arrived
at the inn of the village where the de-
serted wife was still living. He at
once told his host that he was Martin
Guerre and recounted the adventures
and hardships that had kept him from
home so long. The rumor of Martin
Queries return soon spread, and his
four sisters FASTENED to the hosiery
to welcome him home They found
him much changed. He had gone =.
eight years before, scarcely more thar
a boy Now he was a mature man,
bronzed and bearded. Nevertheless
they welcomed him, embraced him
and carried the news to his wife
Bertrande fastened to him at once.
When she saw him first she started
back with misgiving. But he address .
ed her tenderly, repeated word for
word their parting conversation and
mentioned details that only a husband
could have known. He even spoke Of (
the clothing he bad left behind and
where it could be found. Berrande ]
was convinced. she begged forgive /
ness for her doubts and threw herself
into his arms. Az uncle arrived. He,
too, hesitated, but the newcomer de- /
tailed to him all the minutiae of their
business transactions eight years be .
fore, and he also was convinced.
The upshot of the matter was that T
this newly arrived Martin Guerre re-
turned home with his wife and lived
happily and without suspicion with
her for four years. During this time
they had two children, and Martins
father at his death bequeathed him
farm.
However, a soldier passing through /.
the village declared that he had seeh
Martin at the siege of ST. Quentin,
that he had lost a leg there, but that
he was still alive, and the soldier left
a written deposition to that effect
The rumor spread that the man living
as Martin Guerre was an impostor.
Bertrande at this fled a criminal
information against the man to whom
for four years she had granted the
rights Of husband He was describ-
ed in the accusation as Arnault du
Iilh and was committed to prison.
The prisoner said that the uncle had
influenced his wife and that the whole
charge was a conspiracy TO deprive
him Of his fortune of 5000 livres. He
submitted to a searching interrogatory,
after the French fashion, and an
iwered all questions satisfactorily. He
old of his campaigns and revealed the :
most intimate details of the family his s
DRY. He relied for his defense. too. on
he four sisters who still called him
BROTHER, on his four years life with
3ertrande with her consent, and press
d her in the presence Of the judges to
wear that be was not her real hus-
and, declaring that if she so swore he
vas ready to forfeit his head Ber-
rande refused TO take this oath She 1
vas confused by his confident manner 4
In the trial 100 witnesses were exam
ned. OF this number forty deposed
bat the man was the real Martin
iuerre, fifty depOsed that he was Ar
ault du Tilh, and sixty declined to
ronouuce any opinion, owing to the
resemblance. In spite
the conflicting evidence the judge
him guilty He at once
ppealed TO the parliament Of lou
,use.
On this appeal thirty witnesses were
a-examined. Ten deposed that be was
Tartin Guerre, eight that he was an
npostor, and the remainder confessed
nat they were too bewildered to have
ny opinion. The judges were sorely
erplexed and leaned to the side Of the
risoner.
By a curious coincidence just at this
Incture the real Martin Guerre made
IS appearance on the scene. He show
the same marks on his face as those
)rne by the prisoner. The men were
'nfronted with each other in court.
ven the four sisters, who till now had
ung to their belief in the prisoneF.
MESSED their mistake. The prisoner
st his nerve, confessed his crime and
,gged forgiveness. He was condemn
TO death and executed. The real
artin was restored to his rights
,nra6 Oak in New York Tribune. Ei
Originality. sy
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