VOL. II. New-York...Saturday, January 26....1811. [NO. 12. LOVE AND DUTY. (CONTINUED.) MADAME ADAME d'Anglade, however, still persisted in suspecting this servant, and replied, that he had, in all probability, concealed some one in his chamber, in order that the robbery might be committed. But how could this robber, if so concealed, have been able to carry away the stolen goods, when the key of the street door was actually all the time in the possession of monsieur or madame d'Anglade? The same observation served to justify Formenie, the waiting-maid of the Countess; who, as was before ob. served, remained in the house du. ring the absence of her master. and had been intrusted with the key of the first door of the apart ly found in a corner of it five bags, containing a thousand livres each, and a sixth bag, with the sum, of two hundred and nineteen livres, and nineteen sols taken out. This discovery, instead of averting suspicion from the d'Anglades, fixed it on them more strongly : for, as they had once been the principal occupiers of the house, it was very possible that they had master-keys to all the apartments, and it was immediately recollected that when the marquis d'Anglade had lived in the apartments then occupied by the count, and a monsieur Grimaudet had lived in the apartment immediately above him, Grimaudet had beep robbed of a considerable quantity of plate; nor was it doubted but that more would have been stolen, had it not been perceived that the key of the first chamber had been taken away. The criminal had never been discovered, but it was very evident that the robbery had been committed by means of the stolen key. By means of a false, or master-key, the robbery on the count also must have been committed; and while these recollections, and these ideas occurred to the lieutenant of police, and to the other persons present, they could not help remembering that the d'Anglades were occupants of the house during both the robberies. The only lock which had been forced was that of the strong box, and it was undoubtedly impossible that the thief should have procured himself the key of a coffer which had never been at his dis posal. It was a faet, too, that the d'Angladés knew that the count had by him a considerable sum in money, and they also knew the exact amount of it, as they had offered to procure him the means of employing it to advantage; besides, though they had accepted the invitation to Ville-Boison, they excused themselves from going thither, on a frivolous pretext, and by not going, they remained sole masters of the house; they had likewise required to have the key of the street door in their custody, though it was usu. ally left in the care of the count's servants. Among the louis d'ors, too, were several of a rare and high prized quality. Such leuis d'ors has been stolen from the count, and d'Anglade could not say At least, thus reasoned, and thus felt, thus suspected the lieutenant of police; and this mass of presumptive evidence was increased by the appearance of uneasiness and terror which was said to be exhibited by the husband and wife, on learning the unexpected return of the count and countess; for as yet they had not had time to remove a:l the stolen effects! However, madame d'Anglade sought to avert all suspicion of her own guilt, by endeavouring to fix it on another. But she did so in vain, for the three servants whom she wished to criminate, had been under their master's eye during the whole term of his absonce. It was therefore impossible that they should have opened the door of their chamber; and yet, though one of them had dou ble locked it, and carried the key away with him, the door was found open when they returned ♪ 、 to draw conclusions from slight premises, than to wait for the exhibition of strong ones, allowed d'Anglade and his wife, that he thought it superfluous to search the other apartments, especially when the count proudly assured him that he would answer for the. honesty of his domestics. Imme diately the lieutenant of police, on the requisition of the count, ordered the commitment of the d'Anglades. But before they Consequently, it must haye been opened by a false key: hd who but the d'Anglades could possibly be in possession of one? There-his suspicions to be so rivetted on fore, the money found there, instead of being evidence aginst the persons who lodged in that apartment, appeared evidence against the d'Anglades, and the earnestness with which madame d'An. glade urged them to search that room, seemed only to prove that as it was an apartment not belonging to her, the stolen effects being found there, would prevent, she thought, suspicion from lighting on her and her husband, and fix it entirely on the innocent servants. All these ideas combined, formed, in the opinion of the lieutenant of police, a body of evidence so strong, that he could not help saying to d'Anglade WO Either you or I committed this robbery." Let me here observe, with the honest pride of a man, that no judge in any country where virtue was held sacred, could have uttered so wicked a were conducted to prison, they were searched, and in d'Anglade's purse were found seventeen louis d'ors, and a double Spanish pistole a circunstance which added to the suspicious circumstances preceding this: for a considerable portion of the effects stolen from the count consisted of pistoles. The husband was then conducted to the chatelet, and the wife to the fort L'Eveque, where they were immediately confined in separate dungeons, and the jai lors forbidden, under a severe pe pre-judgment, without being in-nalty, to let them speak to any famous for life, and that no one could have listened to it without immediately reproving him in the language of virtuous indignation, and of outraged humanity. But this judge of the unhappy d'Anglades, mistaking the agitation of anguish for that of conscious guilt; and being more eager human being. The prosecution now commen ced, and the lieutenant of police, that man whose mind was crowded with prejudices against the unfortunate d'Anglades, that very man was to preside at the tribunal, as their judge. D'Anglade, | indeed, appealed against his juris diction, as persons about to be tried in our courts, sometimes challenge such jurymen as are, they know, likely to be adverse to them; but he appealed in vain, and his appeal only served to add him through all the evasions by which he replied to the simplest questions relative to his family and means of living and as, wherever there is concealment or evasion, one is justified in believ personal animosity to the preju-ing that there is also guilt, it was dice which Deffeta had already conceived against him. Witnesses were indeed examined with seeming impartiality, but their evidence was, in reality, twisted to the purpose of those who desired to prove guilty the man whom they were determined to believe not in the power of any judge, any witness, or any enemy, to in, jure d'Anglade in the minds of those present in as great a degree as he injured himself by this pal, try and culpable conduct, His family was, it was easily ascertained, by no means noble, though he really had the title of marquis, but it was not so easy to decide with certainty on the manner in which he was enabled to support a style of living so superior to his apparent revenue; and on this subject, as well as on the other, he refused to be explicit. There is, however, reason to suppose, that se far from d'Anglade'e hav Another circumstance, which operated powerfully against the accused, and which holds out a a warning example of the danger, as well as folly and wickedness of any species of duplicity, was, the mystery in which d'Anglade, whose false pride was not yet sufficiently subdaed, still continueding increased his income by the to envelope his real birth and fortune. For, as if he foolishly tho't that in the moral, as in 'the physical world, what is only dimly seen, and partially revealed, borrows thence the appearance of grandeur, and that a man's origin, like a mountain whose top is hidden by clouds, and seen in the dim shade of twilight, acquires dignity and greatness from being involved in mystery-certain it is, that it was with the greatest difficulty the judge could follow unworty means imputed to him, such as play, usury, swindling, and robbery, he employed certain hours of the morning in virtuous industry, and in employments which, however derogatory they might be deemed to the rank of gentlemen, by the noble, the idle, and the empty minded, would have raised him high in the estimation of all those whose judgment on human conduct is enlightened, and whose approbation it is an honour to possess. To be brief:on no stronger grounds than that seventy louis d'ors, similar to those lest by the Count de Montgommery, were found hidden on the premises— that d'Anglade, while he counted them, showed strong emotion, and exclaimed, "I tremble," that madame d'Anglade excused herself from accompanying them in the search in the garret, and with great eagerness endeavoured to fix suspicion on the valet de hambre-d'Anglade and his unhappy wife had been committed to prison, and on the same weak evidence d'Anglade was judged deserving to be put on the rack, in order that a confession of his guilt might be wrung from him ; and he acually underwent the question ordinaire et extraordinaire. But when there, he confessed nothing, før indeed he had nothing to confess. Immediately afterward, by a definitive judgment, he was condemned to the galleys for nine years, and his wife was banished from the jurisdiction of Paris for the same space of time, besides being condemned to such restitutions and reparations to the count de Montgommery as completely swallowed up their already slender property. Indeed the judges were so convinced of d'Anglad e's guilt, that as the nature of the proceedings against him did not allow them to inflict the pun to ishment of death, which they thought due to his crime, they resolved to put in force every torture which the law did not forbid them to use. It is the usual custom to give some refreshment to the unfortunate wretches whom torture has been applied. But d'Anglade, instead of receiving this cheering attention, was conducted from the place of torture into the darkest dungeon of the tower of Montgommery. But in his miserable dungeon, and while his body, lacerated by the rack, was bent to the earth with every possible physical pain and weakness, his mind happily shook off the trammels of false pride, and worldly vanity; and, as a man and as a christian, he rose superior to his trials, and became a striking example of piety and patience. But at first his mind, as well as his frame, sunk beneath the suddenne,s, as well as cruelty of the blow. The same hour saw him affluent and respected, and an accused robber and a prisoner! The same hour saw him happy in the society of a fond wife and affectionate child, and torn from their embraces, perhaps for ever, while they were dragged to the unwholesome walls of one dunand he to another. geon, (To be continued.) |