True Stories of Crime From the District Attorney's Office

uc de

gives to

emper, unders

into life, an

che he was ord

Task"-

my desk a note finely wri

S PR

SIE

he courtesy of a private interview in your office? I have

ectf

IUS FRANCIS

ng with their arms dangling and their chins resting upon their chests. When one of them failed to keep up with the rest, a keeper, who stood in the shade by a bit of ivy in a corner of the wall, got after him. Somehow the note on the desk did not seem to fit any one of the gentry whom I could see so distinctly from my window. The name, too, did not h

es, a prosecutor might as well run an intelligence office and be done with it. But as I re-read the note I began to have a sneaking feeling of curiosity to see what Charles Julius Francis de Nevers looked like, so I departed from the usual rule of my office, rang for a messenger and directed him to asc

standing behind his keeper a tall and distinguished-looking man in fashionably cut garments, whose well shaped head and narrow face, thin aquiline nose, and carefully trimmed pointed beard seemed to bespeak somewhat different antecedents from those

're talking to his nibs I'll step o

be rid of him, "I will be res

nto the upper right-hand drawer of my desk, produced two of what are commonly known

ntary and, in the event for your trial for-er-any crime with which you may be charged, may be used against you." I had a certain feeling of embarrassment in making this customary declaration since the whole idea of this person being a criminal was so incongruous as to put a heavy strain on one's

courtesy in responding so quickly to my request. I am aware," he added, "that it is unusual for prisoners to seek interviews with the-w

the box reserved for judges, prominent members of the bar, borough presidents, commissioners of departments and dist

ps has a cigarette? M'sieu' will pardon me if I say that this is the first act o

olding it between fingers which I noticed were singularly white and delicate

the humiliation to which I, an officer and

st and curiosity inquired if his name was Charles Julius Francis de Nevers. I wish it were p

m of Nevers. May I speak confidentially? Were my family to be aware of my present sit

h you wish to be kept confidential I will treat as such,

aid simply and with great dignity, "I am by direct inheritance today the Duc d

sement, but that the gentleman sitting before me should declar

ble to think of any m

is d'Aremberg, situated at the corner of the Rue de Regence near the Palais de Justice. My sister Louise, the Countess of Kilkenny, is living in Ireland. My sister Camille married the Marquis of Londonderry and is residing in London at the present time. My sister Evelyn married the Earl of Dudley and is living in Dublin. I have one other sister, Marie, who is with my mother. My brother, Count André de Nevers is at present Naval Attaché at Berlin. My brother Fernand is an officer of artillery stationed in Madagascar, and my youngest brother Marcel is also an officer of artillery attached to the 8th Regiment in Nancy. I make this statement by way of introduction

and exhaled the

l for only in that way will he be convince

at you tell me is true your c

oss of the Legion of Honor therefor. I was immediately furloughed back to France, where I entered the Superior School of War and took my Staff Major brevet. At the same time I seized the opportunity to follow the course of the Sorbonne and secured the additional degree of Doctor of Science. I had received an excellent education in my you

nder Colonel Quinivet. Here I pursued my studies and was then ordered to the Soudan, whence, after being wounded, I was sent to Senegal. Here I acted as Governor of the City of St. Louis. As you are doubtless aware, the climate of Senegal is exceedingly unhealthy. I fell ill with a fever and was obliged to return to France where I was assigned to the office of the General Staff Major in Paris. At the opening of the war with Dahomey in 1892, I was sent in command of the Engineers of the Corps Exp

s. My life up to that time had been uniformly happy; I was the eldest son and beloved both of my father and mother. My social position gave me the entrée to the best of society wherever I happened to be. As yet, however, I had never been in love. At this time o

he seemed to lose perfect control of himself. I busied myself w

oposed marriage excited the utmost antipathy on the part of my family; my fiancée was dismissed from my sister's household, and I returned to Paris with the intention of endeavoring by every means in my power to induce my father to permit me to wed the woman I loved. It is doubtless difficult for M'sieu' to appreciate the position of a French officer. In

er's request, refused me permission to marry. There was no choice left for me but to resign my commission, an

ime lived happily. A boy, Oscar, named after my father, was born to us while we were living in the town of Winchester near Boston. Another son was born a year later in the same place, and still a third in Pittsburgh, where I had gone to assume the position of general foreman of the Homestead Steel Works and assistant master m

and it was some momen

rance. I liked America and had attained distinction in my profession. I therefore expressed my intention of returning to continue my career as an engi

sky of the Russian Engineers, who at the same time shot and murdered my assistant, Thomas D. McDonald, for refusing to allow him to remove pig iron from the storehouse without giving a receipt for it. Ambassador McCormick secured our immediate release, and we returned to the States. M'sieu' has no idea of the power of these Russian officers. The mu

ed my parents in Paris at their home at 148 Champs Elysée. You have doubtless seen the mansion with its two gates and black

from which he produced a sheet of heavy stationery with a deep border of mo

tain the Count Fernand of Nevers; the Earl and Countess of Kilkenny; the Marquis and Marchioness of Londonderry; the Earl and Countess of Dudley; the Countess Marie of Nevers; Lieutenant the Count Marcel of Nevers have the sor

e place at Nevers on Tue

February

S

d and was of an expensive character, a

ng a photograph of a gentleman and lady and a group of children, "is m

hotographer, exhibited a distinguished looking man su

, "are my father and my

the real object of the interview, which, ostensibly, was to explain the reason for his incarceration. His straightforward narrative carried absolute conviction w

extraordinary car

ay say of suffering. Permit me to show you the certifica

a document, bearing a seal of the Frenc

IQUE F

RE DE L

T DU M

.

ctober 2

It May

y that the Lieutenant Colonel Charles Jules Comte Fran?ois de Nevers, is connected with the Frenc

s the 10th o

d of Letters, from the Lycée, Loui

of the National Polytechnic School of

istinction from the above sch

ngineers at Fontainebleau as Second Lieutenant,

distinction, the 1st of August, 1881, and sent t

the 1st day o

ang (Tonkin) the 7t

ook of the French Army th

egion of Honor the 1

Sing the 4th o

was graduated at the Zurich Polytechnic

of January, 1

d ther

Engineers the 3r

on in Belgium, where he was graduated as Electrical Engineer fr

1887. Wounded twice. Construc

e 6th of July, 1888, to organiz

t to Germany the 7t

d assigned to the Creusot a

ovember, 1892, at Dahomey. Made Major of Engineers on the battle

the name of Commandant Charles Jules Comte Fran?ois de Nevers is embr

t to Algeria, the 3

President Carnot, the

t the 1st of July,

2nd of April, 1894, in

th of July, 18

Engineers the 12th of July,

r of the Legion of H

icer of the General in Chief in Comma

al mission to the Klondi

rs Cadre on his demand t

National Defences. Commissio

ission on Railroads, Canals, and

Commission on Bridges and Hi

of the Academy of Scienc

Legion of Honor the

wishes of the government and of all his fellow officers, and is considered by everybody as a great worker and a thoroughly honest man. I personally will be pleased to do anything

. A

ter o

ea

ded it back to him satisfied of its correctness. But public business is public business, and if the D

to address him, "do you desire to communicate anything to

the papers? Ah, yes, I see they are on his desk. M'sieu' will observe that I am accused of the crime

Jury of the County of New York accused one Charles d

speeding] he, the said Charles de Nevers, had then and there offered himself to go bail for the said Douglas, and did sign a certain written undertaking called a bond for the appearance of the said Douglas before the Magist

and lot which did not then and there stand in the name of him the said Charles de Neve

, knowingly, wilfully, corruptly, and falsely committing the crime of perjury against the form of the statute

signature of William Traver

es. "Was it a fact that you made this false statement to th

answer when a messenger entered the room

have much to thank you for. If M'sieu' will give me ano

per. De Nevers bowed and of

o thank you fo

room I encountered the

a 'con' was he throwin' into

out of my window towards the courtyard in the Tombs wh

you mean?

his nibs tel

e Nevers,"

g around his heels, just like Boni de Castellane, and says he, 'Officer,' says he, 'may I inquire what for you're apprehending this gentleman and lady?' says he. With that me friend hands him out some strong language for buttin' in, and Charley is so much shocked at the insult to himself and the lady that he steps in before the Sergeant and offers to go bond for Douglas, just to go the cop one better, givin' the Sergeant the same line of drip that he h

Toole," said I. "But we c

was something historic about it, some flavor of the days of kings and courtiers. Smoking my cigar in the library I fell into a reverie in which the Tombs, with its towers and grated windows, figured as a gray chateau of old Tourraine, and Charles Julius Francis in hunting costume as a mediaeval monseigneur with a hooded falcon on his wrist. I awoke to find directly in my line of vision upon the shelf of the alcove in front of me the solid phalanx of the ten volumes of Larousse's "Grand Dictionaire Universe du XIX Siècle," and I reached forward and pulled down the letter "N." "Nevers"-there it was-"Capitol of the Department of Nievre. Ducal palace built in 1475. Charles III de Gonzagne, petit-fils de Charles II," had sold the duchy of N

er of St. John of Jerusalem, youngest daughter of Charles Henry Gurney." I closed the book and began to think, and the more I thought the more I wondered. There really didn't seem particular need of going further. If the fellow was a fraud, he was a frau

Nevers-in France, you know. And she had believed him. He had had letters to everybody in Montreal, her home, and plenty of money and beautiful clothes. He had dazzled her completely. The wedding had been quite an affair and presents had come from the Duke and Duchess of Nevers, from the Marchioness of Londonderry and from the Countess of Dudley. There were also letters from the Prince and Princess of Aremberg (in Belgium) and the Counts André and Fernand of Nevers. It had all been so wonderful and romantic! Then they had gone on their wedding journey and had been ecstatically happy. In Chicago, they had been received with open arms. Th

TY THE DUPE O

FRIENDS FILLED WITH REG

l. The Count came to the French Consul, M. Henri Meron, amply supplied with credentials. He posed as Consulting Engineer of the United States

he honors showered upon them and the adulation paid by s

nments. The Count borrowed

he Olympic Games, said

hief difficulty of which was that it accumulated energy so fast that it could not b

e was led back to a cell. He has been a week

s is me," sh

t to prison

eally couldn't tell whether he was a Co

to be hung

u see it is quite embarrassing, because lega

ying like a gentleman. "Time

arently somewhat encouraged, "that his

, "he told me

a knock at my door

well, av all the pious frauds! Say, Counsellor, ain't he the cute feller

This

.

B

ntral

of Dete

ent of the Cit

lberry

..............

..............

rest......

t.............

t.............

t...........

..............

onment........

London under pretense that he was Charles Du

ex-convict!"

at!" cried O'Toole

e Nevers or whoeve

ffer to go on the bail bond of a perfect stranger?

the afternoon he signed the bond he came home and told me how the police had been troubling a gentleman who had a lady with him in an automob

you suppos

ggested O'Toole, "and in that way get in

you know?" I

e vaguest ide

o change in the dignity of his bearing or the impassiveness of his general appearance, and he received the sentence

rancis," said the Judge rudely, "And that is to send you

made n

ke to know, however," continued His H

ner bowed

eplied quietly, "Duc de Nevers, and