The History and Romance of Crime 8

The History and Romance of Crime 8

The authorities in due course set their faces against these convict

usurers, called _capitaines_, whose processes were very properly

condemned as tending to demoralise convicts and aggravate their

miserable condition. A very strict surveillance was instituted, and

when detected the _capitaines_ were severely punished. Sometimes

they were flogged; but other methods were tried, one in particular,

calculated to bring the culprit into ridicule, always a potent weapon

in dealing with Frenchmen. The prison barber was ordered to shave the

culprit’s head, leaving one lock only upon the crown. He was then

dressed as an old woman, and made to sit upon a barrel at the entrance

to the prison, where he was exposed to the jeers of his comrades

on their return from labor. The same measure was meted out to the

_capitaine’s_ assistants, for the big men always employed a number of

agents or canvassers in extending their business.

 

Thus, it is seen, that ours is a world of worlds, one within the other;

and assuredly the prison world is not less interesting, though much

less inviting than many others held in greater esteem.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER III

 

CELEBRATED FRENCH CONVICTS

 

Life history of some noted convicts--Collet travels through

Europe--In trouble at Montpelier, arrested and lodged in

gaol--Brought to hotel to amuse the Préfet’s guests--Escapes

as a cook’s boy--Fresh swindles--Arrested and sent to

_bagnes_--Other remarkable convicts--Salvador or Jean Ferey,

full of strange tricks and laughing at iron bars--The

Marquis de Chambreuil--Cognard, the false Comte Pontis de

Sainte Helene--Vidocq--His personal experiences at the

_bagnes_--Escape from Brest--Recapture--Other remarkable

escapes.

 

 

The quality of the criminals upon which the _bagne_ laid its hands will

be best realised by describing one or two of the most notable convicts

who passed through them.

 

A very remarkable person was Anselme Collet, who has had few equals in

his nefarious profession, that of swindler on the widest scale. He was

essentially the product of his age, which undoubtedly encouraged his

development and afforded him peculiar facilities for the display of his

natural gifts. Chief among these were boundless audacity, readiness

of resource, an attractive person, insinuating address, and skill to

assume many different parts.

 

Collet was born at Belley, in the department of the Ain, and from his

earliest days gave evidence of a desire to go wrong. He was a born

thief and an unmitigated liar, and as he was constantly in trouble his

family handed him over to a maternal uncle, a priest, on the point

of expatriating himself because he could not take the oath exacted

from all ecclesiastics. Three years later Collet returned from Italy

and entered the military school at Fontainebleau, and was presently

incorporated as a sub-lieutenant in an infantry regiment. He had

seen too much of the priests to take kindly to soldiering, and when

in garrison at Brescia, he spent more time in the Capuchin monastery

than in the barracks. Soon after this his regiment went on service,

and he was seriously wounded. While in hospital at Naples he nursed a

French major, who died in his arms and gratefully bequeathed him all he

possessed, a sum of three thousand francs and some valuable jewelry.

When Collet was discharged from the hospital, he joined the monks and

was associated with a body of missioners destined for La Pouille.

Collet’s task was that of treasurer. Returning to his monastery on one

occasion, he found himself short of three thousand francs, which he had

embezzled, and he saw nothing for it but flight. He had been kindly

received by the syndic of the town, from whose office he had stolen a

number of passports signed in blank. He had no intention of staying at

the monastery, and persuaded the superior that he had an inheritance to

claim in France, to which, being a deserter, he dared not return. He

got a letter of introduction to a banker at Naples, and was entrusted

with a valuable diamond ring and commissioned to buy another like it in

that city. Collet managed to swindle the banker out of 22,000 francs,

kept the ring, bought a smart suit of clothes and, filling up a blank

passport as the Marquis de Darda, proceeded to Capua. Here he picked

up a portfolio containing the papers of Chevalier de Tolozan, which

title he now adopted with the red ribbon of the Legion of Honor, and

passed on to Rome. Here he found a French ecclesiastic, a native of

Lyons and an intimate of the Tolozan family, who took Collet under

his wing and introduced him to Cardinal Fesch, Napoleon’s uncle and

the then Archbishop of Lyons. Collet made the most of his time, and

swindled people, right and left,--60,000 francs here and 20,000 there;

5,000 and 10,000 more borrowed under false pretences, with jewels

stolen from tradesmen, and moneys craftily secured. Rome became too

hot for him. He filled up a new passport, called himself a bishop,

changed costume and character and went to live in the city of Mondovi,

safe from the police, already in pursuit of him. Well furnished with

funds Collet threw off his guise of priest, and led a life of pleasure

with the young dandies of the place, among whom he created a desire

to perform in amateur theatricals. Subscriptions were raised, Collet

becoming _costumier_. He got together a large wardrobe made up of

priest’s robes, military uniforms and diplomatic dresses, with sham

jewelry and crosses and ribbons of many orders. He soon made off with

this valuable stock in trade, and the first disguise he assumed was

that of a general officer. He next became a Neapolitan priest, and

thus passed on to Sion, in Switzerland, where he was received with

open arms by the bishop, who appointed him to the cüre of a lucrative

parish. What followed may be told in his own words. “I stayed here five

months,” he says, “performing all the duties of a priest, confessing,

marrying, baptising, visiting the sick and burying the dead. Our church

was in a ruinous condition, and subscriptions had been raised for its

repair and restoration. There were 30,000 francs in hand, but posing

as a man of wealth I offered to make up the sum necessary for the new

works, and my generosity was soon seconded by fresh subscriptions. I

meant to lay hands on all and, starting with the money, accompanied by

my architect and others, proceeded to a neighboring town to purchase

pictures, candelabra, a chalice and so forth. None of these purchases

were paid for in cash. I sent the Mayor back to Sion, but stayed myself

another night, then started for Strasburg.” Thence Collet took the road

to Germany, and, passing the mountains of the Tyrol, reëntered Italy,

changing his costume en route continually. By passing himself off in

various characters he laid everybody under contribution. A banker

at Savona advanced him 100,000 francs, but he was nearly detected,

and he became once more a bishop, by name Dominico Pasqualini, Bishop

of Monardan, and was received most cordially by his confrère, the

Bishop of Nice. Twenty-seven seminarists were to be ordained next day,

and the Bishop of Nice besought his fellow prelate to examine them.

Collet tried to get out of it by assuring his Eminence that he saw no

necessity for doing so, as it was little likely the Bishop would desire

to ordain “incompetent asses;” but the Bishop of Nice insisted, and the

Monseigneur de Monardan put on his robes and assisted in the ordination

of thirty-three abbés. Travelling westward Collet arrived at Fréjus, en

route for Spain, now the plenipotentiary of his Majesty, King Joseph,

representing the Inspector-General, and charged with the equipment of

the army at Catalonia. From Fréjus he went on to Draguignan, preceded

by official orders to await his coming, and there commenced to form

his staff. He appointed a half-pay officer as his aide-de-camp, the

son of the sub-préfet at Toulon his private secretary, named officers

of ordnance, commissioners and pay-masters, and had a suite of twenty

persons by the time he had reached Marseilles. At Marseilles he laid

hands on 130,000 francs in the government treasury and at Nimes secured

about 300,000 more.

 

His star paled at Montpelier. After spending an hour on an early

parade he went to lunch with the Préfet, to whom he promised promotion

and the decorations of the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor. Upon

returning to his hotel he found it in the hands of the gensdarmes,

and himself under arrest. Collet’s staff shared his fate, and all

whom he had misled were held in custody for several weeks, while the

villain of the piece hourly expected to be shot. One day the Préfet

had a party, and to amuse them sent orders that Collet should be

brought from his prison under escort. He was left for a moment alone

in the serving-room, from which there was no exit save through the

dining-room. At this door two sentinels were stationed. Collet’s wits

were at work. While he waited to make a spectacle for the guests he

caught sight of the white suit of an assistant cook, which had been

left in the serving-room. Hastily putting it on and taking up a dish of

sweets he knocked at the passage door, and was suffered to go through

without recognition or interruption. He took refuge in a house close to

the Préfecture, and remained there in hiding while the alarm was given,

and search and pursuit organised.

 

After escaping from the town he wandered about the country devising

fresh swindles. One of the most successful of these was at the expense

of a bank at Tulle, where he cashed a forged letter of credit for

5,000 francs, and got off as far as Lorient. A clerk of the bank

followed him thither, caught him and handed him over to justice. He

was more carefully held this time, and passed on to Grenoble, where

he was sentenced to five years of _travaux forcés_, which by special

favor he expiated at Grenoble. Here he was recognised and denounced

by one of his former staff officers, with the result that he was

sent to Toulon to finish his term. When set at liberty he fixed his

residence at Poussin, in the department of Ain, where he was kept

under surveillance, but managed to evade it, and proceeded to commit

fresh crimes. At Toulouse he imposed upon the superior of a religious

house, where he was given shelter. To show his gratitude he proposed

to endow it with a gift of land. The property was chosen, the purchase

agreed upon, but Collet could not immediately produce the funds, and

his bankers, according to Collet, talked of delaying completion.

Collet meanwhile set himself to borrow from friends he had beguiled,

and managed to extract 74,000 francs in all from them. Next day he disappeared.