The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-06-09

eo%paulon. cpDnS" a. and 5G'as at 6.D
length invited the CARTOUCHE
rich man home to dine with him.
The latter accepted. They came to
house the guest had never before Wis
tied But The moment he entered the
place something about 1t seemed odd
ly familiar TO him.
II was not until they sat down to an
elaborate meal that the visitor under
stood the cause OF this feeling. The
gold dishes on the ia BILE bore his own
monogram So did the table linen
and the costly hangings Of the room.
A second amazed glance showed him
that The furniture, too, was his. He
started up in bewilderment.
"Sit down, beg" urged the strang-
er 81 robbed your ho~se today OF
everything Of value and used the
plumber to furnish this little home OF
mine. That Is why ] asked you to
dine with me. II seemed only fair
that you should have a chance TO say
farewell to your treasures"
The guest whipped out his sword
and rushed in fury at his host. The
stranger made no effort to defend
himself Leaning lazily back in his
chair, he remarked:
81 am Cartouche.'
At these simple words the guests
| rage turned to terror Dropping his
sword, he ran from the house in panic
dred, leaving Cartouche in the undis-
puted possession of the stolen valua-
bles.
This is but one Of hundred anec
dotes that show the skill and impu'
dence of Frances most picturesque
BLACKBOARD and the fear in which his
very name was held. Louis Dominique
! Cartouche was born in Paris about
1893. He had not only a positive
, genius for crime, but an equal genius
| as leader and organizer. He gath
cred about him. as mere lad, banC
| of crooks whom he ruled with crue
! discipline and who were taught tt
obey his slightest wish as though i
were divine law.
He mapped Paris and It's suburbs
into regular districts, appointing
superintendent and regular staff o.
/ rufiians to each. He then evolved un
cannily clever methods of theft anc
! highway robbery for each OF these dis
tricts until no mans life or posses
sions were safe. BY Cartouche's per
! feet System" the most daring crimes
were committed in open daylight ant
went unpunished.
The rich" CartouChe once declared
"live that they may be robbed. THAI
is their one excuse for existence"
He spent his wealth as rapidly al
he won it. Living in magnificent style
wearing clothes and jewels such as
most noblemen could not afford, hf
made love to women Of royal birth
entertained duchesses at wonderful
banquets and continued to make him
self more dreaded by the public al
large than was the plague itself.
TT was recorded" writes chron
icler, that the cry Here comes Car
touche,' would empty the fulles
street"
But, like all others of his sort, Car
! touche at last was captured. He showed
no fear, when. after countless hair
breadth escapes, he found himsel
fast in the net Of the law. He laughed
at Judge and jury, mercilessly taunt
ing them goading them to madness
with stinging wit When his deatl
warrant was read aloud to him h'
halted the proceedings to point out
grammatical error in the legal paper
For years he had baff1ed the police
His arrest. in 1921. was accomplished
by mere chance as he sat drinking II
a cafe. So shrewdly had he laid hi
plans that before a conviction coult
be secured his trial dragged on fol
many months and was the sensation
Of the whole country. He was finally
condemned 10 a horrible death-to bt
broken alive upon the wheel"
To the very last nobody believed
that the wonderful Cartouche would
permit himself TO be executed. 1t wa'
expected that, b. some trick of his
strange brain or by rescue on tht
part of his followers, he would ge'
away.