New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1910-11-09
THE CASE OF GUERRE
One of the Queerest Stories OF
Doubles In History.
AUDACITY OF THE IMPosToR.


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, Frenchman, who
was born near Baycnne in the first
half Of the sixteenth century Martin
Guerre was the son of we'll 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 bushel
of corn from his father Frightened
by the Nervousness Of his crime, he de.
serted his wife and fed to Spain
There be 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 hostelry
to welcome him home. They found
him much changed. He had gone
eight years before, scarcely more than
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 husband
could have known. He even spoke of
the clothing he had left behind and
where it could be found Bertrande
was convinced. She begged forgive
ness for her doubts and threw herself
into his arms. An 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.
no of
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 a
farm
However, a soldier passing through
the village declared that he had seen
Marlin at the siege of ST. Quentin,
that he had lost leg there, but that
he was still alive, and the soldier left
written deposition to that effect
The rumor spread that the man living
as Martin Guerre was an impostor
Bertrande at this filed a criminal
information against the man to whom
for four years she had granted the
rights of a husband. He was descrlb-
ed in the accusation as Arnault lu
Tilh and was committed to prison.
The prisoner said that the uncle had
Influenced his wife and that the whole
charge was Il conspiracy to deprive
him of his fortune Of 5000 livres He
submitted to a searching interrogatory,
after the French fashion. aud an
! swered all questions satisfactorily. He
told Of his campaigns and revealed the
most intimate details of the family his
tory. He relied for his defense. too, on
+! the four sisters who still called him
brother. Oh his four years life with
Rertrande with her consent, and press
Ell her in thespresence OF the judges to
! swear that he was not her real hus-
band, declaring that if she so swore he
! Ws,s ready to forfeit his head Ber-
trande refused to take this oath. She
was confused by his confident manner
/ In the trial $50 witnesses were evan.