VIDOCQ.

[We have abridged one of the most striking chapters in the very

extraordinary history of Vidocq; premising that the interest of the

adventure will compensate for the space it here occupies.]

A short time before the first invasion (1814), M. Senard, one of the

richest jewellers of the Palais Royal, having gone to pay a visit to

his friend the Curè of Livry, found him in one of those perplexities

which are generally caused by the approach of our good friends the

enemy. He was anxious to secrete from the rapacity of the cossacks

first the consecrated vessels, and then his own little treasures.

After much hesitation, although in his situation he must have been

used to interments, Monsieur le Curè decided on burying the objects

which he was anxious to save, and M. Senard, who, like the other

gossips and misers, imagined that Paris would be given over to

pillage, determined to cover up, in a similar way, the most precious

articles in his shop. It was agreed that the riches of the pastor and

those of the jeweller should be deposited in the same hole. But, then,

who was to dig the said hole? One of the singers in church was the

very pearl of honest fellows, father Moiselet, and in him every

confidence could be reposed. He would not touch a penny that did not

belong to him. The hole, made with much skill, was soon ready to

receive the treasure which it was intended to preserve, and six feet

of earth were cast on the specie of the Curè, to which were united

diamonds worth 100,000 crowns, belonging to M. Senard, and enclosed in

a small box. The hollow filled up, the ground was so well flattened,

that one would have betted with the devil that it had not been stirred

since the creation. "This good Moiselet," said M. Senard, rubbing his

hands, "has done it all admirably. Now, gentlemen cossacks, you must

have fine noses if you find it out!" At the end of a few days the

allied armies made further progress, and clouds of Kirguiz, Kalmucs,

and Tartars, of all hordes and all colours, appeared in the environs

of Paris. These unpleasant guests are, it is well known, very greedy

for plunder: they made, every where, great ravages; they passed no

habitation without exacting tribute: but in their ardour for pillage

they did not confine themselves to the surface, all belonged to them

to the centre of the globe; and that they might not be frustrated in

their pretensions, these intrepid geologists made a thousand

excavations, which, to the regret of the naturalists of the country,

proved to them, that in France the mines of gold or silver are not so

deep as in Peru. Such a discovery was well calculated to give them

additional energy; they dug with unparalleled activity, and the spoil

they found in many places of concealment threw the Croesuses of many

cantons into perfect despair. The cursed Cossacks! But yet the

instinct which so surely led them to the spot where treasure was

hidden, did not guide them to the hiding place of the Curè. It was

like the blessing of heaven, each morning the sun rose and nothing

new; nothing new when it set.

Most decidedly the finger of heaven must be recognised in the

impenetrability of the mysterious inhumation performed by Moiselet. M.

Senard was so fully convinced of it, that he actually mingled

thanksgivings with the prayers which he made for the preservation and

repose of his diamonds. Persuaded that his vows would be heard, in

growing security he began to sleep more soundly, when one fine day,

which was, of all days in the week, a Friday, Moiselet, more dead than

alive, ran to the Curè's.

"Ah, sir, I can scarcely speak."

"What's the matter, Moiselet?"

"I dare not tell you. Poor M. le Curè, this affects me deeply, I am

paralyzed. If my veins were open not a drop of blood would flow."

"What is the matter? You alarm me."

"The hole."

"Mercy! I want to learn no more. Oh, what a terrible scourge is war!

Jeanneton, Jeanneton, come quickly, my shoes and hat."

"But, sir, you have not breakfasted."

"Oh, never mind breakfast."

"You know, sir, when you go out fasting you have such spasms----."

"My shoes, I tell you."

"And then you complain of your stomach."

"I shall have no want of a stomach again all my life. Never any

more--no, never--ruined."

"Ruined--Jesu--Maria! Is it possible? Ah! sir, run then,--run--."

Whilst the Curè dressed himself in haste, and, impatient to buckle the

strap, could scarcely put on his shoes, Moiselet, in a most lamentable

tone, told him what he had seen.

"Are you sure of it?" said the Curè, perhaps they did not take all."

"Ah, sir, God grant it, but I had not courage enough to look."

They went together towards the old barn, when they found that the

spoliation had been complete. Reflecting on the extent of his loss,

the Curè nearly fell to the ground. Moiselet was in a most pitiable

state; the dear man afflicted himself more than if the loss had been

his own. It was terrific to hear his sighs and groans. This was the

result of love to one's neighbour. M. Senard little thought how great

was the desolation at Livry. What was his despair on receiving the

news of the event! In Paris the police is the providence of people who

have lost any thing. The first idea, and the most natural one, that

occurred to M. Senard was, that the robbery had been committed by the

Cossacks, and, in such a case, the police could not avail him

materially; but M. Senard took care not to suspect the Cossacks.

One Monday when I was in the office of M. Henry, I saw one of those

little abrupt, brisk men enter, who, at the first glance, we are

convinced are interested and distrustful: it was M. Senard, who

briefly related his mishap, and concluded by saying, that he had

strong suspicions of Moiselet. M. Henry thought also that he was the

author of the robbery, and I agreed with both. "It is very well," he

said, "but still our opinion is only founded on conjecture, and if

Moiselet keeps his own counsel we shall have no chance of convicting

him. It will be impossible."

"Impossible!" cried M. Senard, "what will become of me? No, no, I

shall not vainly implore your succour. Do not you know all? can you

not do all when you choose? My diamonds! my poor diamonds! I will give

one hundred thousand francs to get them back again."

[Vidocq promises to recover the jewels, and the jeweller offers him

10,000 francs.]

In spite of successive abatements of M. Senard, in proportion as he

believed the discovery probable, I promised to exert every effort in

my power to effect the desired result. But before any thing could be

undertaken, it was necessary that a formal complaint should be made;

and M. Senard and the Curè, thereupon, went to Pontoise, and the

declaration being consequently made, and the robbery stated, Moiselet

was taken up and interrogated. They tried every means to make him

confess his guilt; but he persisted in avowing himself innocent, and,

for lack of proof to the contrary, the charge was about to be dropped

altogether, when to preserve it for a time, I set an agent of mine to

work. He, clothed in a military uniform, with his left arm in a sling,

went with a billet to the house where Moiselet's wife lived. He was

supposed to have just left the hospital, and was only to stay at Livry

for forty-eight hours; but a few moments after his arrival, he had a

fall, and a pretended sprain suddenly occurred, which put it out of

his power to continue his route. It was then indispensable for him to

delay, and the mayor decided that he should remain with the cooper's

wife until further orders.

The cooper's wife was charmed with his many little attentions. The

soldier could write, and became her secretary; but the letters which

she addressed to her dear husband were of a nature not to compromise

her--not the least expression that can have a twofold construction--it

was innocence corresponding with innocence. At length, after a few

day's experience, I was convinced that my agent, in spite of his

talent, would draw no profit from his mission. I then resolved to

manoeuvre in person, and, disguised as a travelling hawker, I began to

visit the environs of Livry. I was one of those Jews who deal in every

thing,--clothes, jewels, &c. &c.; and I took in exchange gold, silver,

jewels, in fact, all that was offered me. An old female robber, who

knew the neighbourhood perfectly, accompanied me in my tour: she was

the widow of a celebrated thief, Germain Boudier, called Father

Latuil, who, after having undergone half-a-dozen sentences, died at

last at Saint Pelagie. I flattered myself that Madame Moiselet,

seduced by her eloquence, and by our merchandize, would bring out the

store of the Curè's crowns, some brilliant of the purest water, nay,

even the chalice or paten, in case the bargain should be to her

liking. My calculation was not verified; the cooper's wife was in no

haste to make a bargain, and her coquetry did not get the better of

her.

The Jew hawker was soon metamorphosed into a German servant; and under

this disguise I began to ramble about the vicinity of Pontoise, with a

design of being apprehended. I sought out the gendarmes, whilst I

pretended to avoid them; but they, thinking I wished to get away from

them, demanded a sight of my papers. Of course I had none, and they

desired me to accompany them to a magistrate, who, knowing nothing of

the jargon in which I replied to his questions, desired to know what

money I had; and a search was forthwith commenced in his presence. My

pockets contained some money and valuables, the possession of which

seemed to astonish him. The magistrate, as curious as a commissary,

wished to know how they came into my hands; and I sent him to the

devil with two or three Teutonic oaths, of the most polished kind; and

he, to teach me better manners another time, sent me to prison.

Once more the iron bolts were drawn upon me. At the moment of my

arrival, the prisoners were playing in the prison yard, and the jailer

introduced me amongst them in these terms, "I bring you a murderer of

the parts of speech; understand him if you can."

They immediately flocked about me, and I was accosted with salutations

of _Landsman_ and _Meinheer_ without end. During this reception, I

looked out for the cooper of Livry.

[He meets with him.]

"Mossié, Mossié," I said, addressing the prisoner, who seemed to think

I said Moiselet, "Mossié Fine Hapit, (not knowing his name, I so

designated him, because his coat was the colour of flesh,) sacrement,

ter teufle, no tongue to me; yer François, I miseraple, I trink vine;

faut trink for gelt, plack vine."

I pointed to his hat, which was black; he did not understand me; but

on making a gesture that I wanted to drink, he found me perfectly

intelligible. All the buttons of my great coat were twenty-franc

pieces; I gave him one: he asked if they had brought the wine, and

soon afterwards I heard a turnkey say,

"Father Moiselet, I have taken up two bottles for you." The

flesh-coloured coat was then Moiselet. I followed him into his room,

and we began to drink with all our might. Two other bottles arrived;

we only went on in couples. Moiselet, in his capacity of chorister,

cooper, sexton, &c. &c. was no less a sot than gossip; he got tipsy

with great good-will, and incessantly spoke to me in the jargon I had

assumed.

Matters progressed well; after two or three hours such as these I

pretended to get stupid. Moiselet, to set me to rights, gave me a cup

of coffee without sugar; after coffee came glasses of water. No one

can conceive the care which my new friend took of me; but when

drunkenness is of such a nature it is like death--all care is useless.

Drunkenness overpowered me. I went to bed and slept; at least Moiselet

thought so; but I saw him many times fill my glass and his own, and

gulp them both down. The next day, when I awoke, he paid me the

balance, three francs and fifty centimes, which, according to him,

remained from the twenty-franc piece. I was an excellent companion;

Moiselet found me so, and never quitted me. I finished the

twenty-franc piece with him, and then produced one of forty francs,

which vanished as quickly. When he saw it drunk out also he feared it

was the last.

"Your button again," said he to me, in a tone of extreme anxiety, and

yet very comical.

I showed him another coin. "Ah, your large button again," he shouted

out, jumping for joy.

This button went the same way as all the other buttons, until at

length, by dint of drinking together, Moiselet understood and spoke my

language almost as well as I did myself, and we could then disclose

our troubles to each other. Moiselet was very curious to know my

history, and that which I trumped up was exactly adapted to inspire

the confidence I wished to create.

"My master and I come to France--I was tomestic--master of mein

Austrian marechal--Austrian with de gelt in family. Master always

roving, always gay, joint regiment at Montreau. Montreau, oh, mein

Gott, great, great pattle--many sleep no more but in death. Napoleon

coom--poum, poum go gannon. Prusse, Austrian, Rousse all disturb. I,

too, much disturb. Go on my ways with master mein, with my havresac on

mein horse--poor teufel was I--but there was gelt in it. Master mein

say, 'Galop, Fritz.' I called Fritz in home mein. Fritz galop to

Pondi--there halt Fritz--place havresac not visible; and if I get

again to Yarmany with havresac, me rich becomen, mistress mein rich,

father mein rich, you too rich."

Although the narrative was not the cleverest in the world, father

Moiselet swallowed it all as gospel; he saw well that during the

battle of Montereau, I had fled with my master's portmanteau, and

hidden it in the forest of Bondy. The confidence did not astonish him,

and had the effect of acquiring for me an increase of his affection.

This augmentation of friendship, after a confession which exposed me

as a thief, proved to me that he had an accommodating conscience. I

thenceforth remained convinced that he knew better than any other

person what had become of the diamonds of M. Senard, and that it only

depended on him to give me full and accurate information.

One evening, after a good dinner, I was boasting to him of the

delicacies of the Rhine: he heaved a deep sigh, and then asked me if

there was good wine in that country.

"Yes, yes," I answered, "goot vine and charming girl."

"Charming girl too!"

"Ya, ya."

"Landsman, shall I go with you."

"Ya, ya, me grat content."

"Ah, you content, well! I quit France, yield the old woman, (he showed

me by his fingers that Madame Moiselet was three-and-thirty,) and in

your land I take little girl no more as fifteen years."

"Ya, bien, a girl no infant: a! you is a brave lad."

Moiselet returned more than once to his project of emigration; he

thought seriously of it, but to emigrate liberty was requisite, and

they were not inclined to let us go out. I suggested to him that he

should escape with me on the first opportunity--and when he had

promised me that we would not separate, not even to take a last adieu

of his wife, I was certain that I should soon have him in my toils.

This certainly was the result of very simple reasoning. Moiselet, said

I to myself, will follow me to Germany: people do not travel or live

on air: he relies on living well there: he is old, and, like king

Solomon, proposes to tickle his fancy with some little Abishag of

Sunem. Oh, father Moiselet has found the _black hen_; here he has no

money, therefore his black hen is not here; but where is she? We shall

soon learn, for we are to be henceforward inseparable.

As soon as my man had made all his reflections, and that, with his

head full of his castles in Germany, he had so soon resolved to

expatriate himself, I addressed to the king's attorney-general a

letter, in which, making myself known as the superior agent of the

Police de Sûreté, I begged him to give an order that I should be sent

away with Moiselet, he to go to Livry, and I to Paris.

We did not wait long for the order, and the jailer announced it to us,

on the eve of its being put into execution; and I had the night before

me to fortify Moiselet in his resolutions. He persisted in them more

strongly than ever, and acceded with rapture to the proposition I made

him of effecting an escape from our escort as soon as it was feasible.

So anxious was he to commence his journey, that he could not sleep. At

daybreak, I gave him to understand that I took him for a thief as well

as myself.

"Ah, ah, grip also," said I to him, "deep, deep François, you not

spoken, but tief all as von."

He made me no answer; but when, with my fingers squeezed together _à

la Normande_, he saw me make a gesture of grasping something, he could

not prevent himself from smiling, with that bashful expression of

_Yes_, which he had not courage to utter. The hypocrite had some shame

about him, the shame of a devotee. I was understood.

At length the wished-for moment of departure came, which was to enable

us to accomplish our designs. Moiselet was ready three whole hours

beforehand, and to give him courage, I had not neglected to push about

the wine and brandy, and he did not leave the prison until after

having received all his sacraments.

We were tied with a very thin cord, and on our way he made me a signal

that there would be no difficulty in breaking it. He did not think

that he should break the charm which had till then preserved him. The

further we went the more he testified that he placed his hopes of

safety in me; at each minute he reiterated a prayer that I would not

abandon him; and I as often replied, "Ya, François, ya, I not leave

you." At length the decisive moment came, the cord was broken. I

leaped a ditch, which separated us from a thicket. Moiselet, who

seemed young again, jumped after me: one of the gendarmes alighted to

follow us, but to run and jump in jack-boots and with a heavy sword

was difficult; and whilst he made a circuit to join us, we disappeared

in a hollow, and were soon lost to view.

A path into which we struck led us to the wood of Vaujours. There

Moiselet stopped, and having looked carefully about him, went towards

some bushes. I saw him then stoop, plunge his arm into a thick tuft,

whence he took out a spade: arising quickly, he went on some paces

without saying a word; and when we reached a birch tree, several of

the boughs of which I observed were broken, he took off his hat and

coat, and began to dig. He went to work with so much good-will, that

his labour rapidly advanced. Suddenly he stooped down, and then

escaped from him that ha! which betokens satisfaction, and which

informed me, without the use of a conjuror's rod, that he had found

his treasure. I thought the cooper would have fainted; but recovering

himself, he made two or three more strokes with his spade, and the box

was exposed to view. I seized on the instrument of his toil, and

suddenly changing my language, declared, in very good French, that he

was my prisoner.

"No resistance," I said, "or I will cleave your skull in two."

At this threat he seemed in a dream; but when he knew that he was

gripped by that iron hand which had subdued the most vigorous

malefactors, he was convinced that it was no vision. Moiselet was as

quiet as a lamb. I had sworn not to leave him, and kept my word.

During the journey to the station of the brigade of gendarmerie, where

I deposited him, he frequently cried out,

"I am done--who could have thought it? and he had such a simple look

too!"

At the assizes of Versailles, Moiselet was sentenced to six months'

solitary confinement.

M. Senard was overpowered with joy at having recovered his hundred

thousand crowns worth of diamonds. Faithful to his system of

abatement, he reduced the reward one-half; and still there was

difficulty in getting five thousand francs from him, out of which I

had been compelled to expend more than two thousand: in fact, at one

moment I really thought I should have been compelled to bear the

expenses myself.

* * * * *