AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
A Collection
OF THE
MOST INSTRUCTIVE AND AMUSING
LIVES
EVER PUBLISHED,
WRITTEN BY THE PARTIES THEMSELVES.
WITH BRIEF INTRODUCTIONS, AND COMPENDIOUS SEQUELS CARRYING ON THE NARRATIVE TO THE DEATH OF EACH WRITER.
VOLUME XXVII.—VIDOCQ.
LONDON:
WHITAKER, TREACHER, AND ARNOT,,
AVE-MARIA-LANE.
MDCCCXXIX.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY W. CLOWES,
Stamford-street.
MEMOIRS
OF
VIDOCQ,
PRINCIPAL AGENT OF THE FRENCH POLICE
until 1827:
AND NOW PROPRIETOR OF
THE PAPER MANUFACTORY AT ST MANDÉ.
WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH.
"Que l'on accuse pas ces pages s'être licensieuses, ce ne sont pas là des récits de Petrone, qui portent le feu dans l'imagination et font des prosélytes à l'impureré. Je décris les mauvaises mœurs, non pour les propager, mais pour les faire hair. Qui pourrait ne pas les prendre en horreur, puisqu'elles produisent le dernier degré de l'abrusittement ?" Mémoires, Vol. III.
IN FOUR VOLUMES.
VOL. III.
LONDON:
WHITAKER, TREACHER, AND ARNOT.
AVE-MARIA-LANE.
MDCCCXXIX.
CONTENTS.
| CHAPTER XXXII. | ||
| Page | ||
M. de Sartines and M. Lenoir—The thieves before the Revolution—The occupation of a lieutenant-general of police—Formerly and now—The dumb pupils of the abbé Sicard and the cutpurses—The death of Cartouche—Robbers formerly agents of police—The voluntary enrolments and colonial battalions—The hump-backed made straight, and the lame made to walk—The celebrated Flambard and the beautiful Jewess—History of a chauffeur become spy; his advancement in the Parisian national guard—It is compatible to be a patriot and a prigger—I trip Gaffré— The best friends in the world—I mistrust myself— Two hours at Saint-Roche—I have no eyes in my pocket—An old man in an embarrassment—The spoils of the faithful—Thief and spy two trades too many —The danger of passing before a corps de garde— Another trip for Gaffré—Goupil takes me for a dentist —An attitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
1 | |
| CHAPTER XXXIII. | ||
The biter bit—Provocation—Wolves, lambs, and robbers—My profession of faith—The band of Vidocq and the old man of the mountain—No morality in the police—My calumniated agents—"A cat in gloves catches no mice"—The fishing-rod—Put on gloves—Desplanques, or the love of independence: or where the devil has he hid himself?—The regulation of MM. Delaveau and Duplessis—The movable roulette tables and the ultra philanthropist—Proper manners, proper bearing, proper studies—Long and short gowned Jesuits—The reign of under-petticoats—Obstinacy of robbers called reformed—Coco-Lacour, and an old friend—Castigat videndo mores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
17 | |
| CHAPTER XXXIV. | ||
God bless you!—The conciliabules—The inheritance of Alexander—The rumours and prophecies—Grand conspiracy—Inquiry—Discoveries on the subject of a Monseigneur le dauphin—I am innocent—The fable often reproduced—The Plutarch of the literary pillar, and Tiger the printer—The wonderful and well-authenticated history of the famous Vidocq—His death in 1875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
32 | |
| CHAPTER XXXV. | ||
The newsmongers of mishaps—The echo of the street of Jerusalem and the circumjacent places—Nothing but "Vidocq"—The Athenians and Aristides—Ostracism and shells—The cat's paw-I create robbers—The two Guillotins—The cloaca of Desnoyers—Chaos and creation—Monsieur Double-croche and the chicken-coop—A genteel appearance—The supreme bon ton—War with the greenhorns—Le Cadran bleu de la Canaille—A well-compacted society—The Orientalists and the Argonauts—The mutton of the salt-marshes—The cat's tail—The quids and the Chabut—Riboulet and Manon la Blonde—The triumphal entry—The little black father—Two ballads—Hospitality—The college friend—The Children of the Sun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
46 | |
| CHAPTER XXXVI. | ||
A frequenter of La Petite Chaise—A room to rob—Father Masson's oranges—The heap of stones—No compromise—A nocturnal carrying off—The jolly thief—Every man to his liking—My first visit to Bicêtre—Down with Vidocq! Superb discourse—A matter of fear—The storm is appeased—They will not kill me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
62 | |
| CHAPTER XXXVII. | ||
Utility of a good stomach—The suspicious occurrence—The procession of bundles—The swallows of La Grève—The convenience of a hackney-coach—The swag of these gentlemen—The shipwright's man—There is no trusting every body—Madame Bras, or the scrupulous shopkeeper—Annette, or the good woman—People do not always eat—The first who was king—Vidocq caught, a new piece of which the last act is passed in a guard-house—I play the part of Vidocq—Representation at my benefit—Unanimous applause—Pomme Rouge—Le grand Casuel—The inspection of papers—I let a robber escape—The veteran who takes his broth—The author of the Pied-du-Mouton—The accusing stockings and cravat—I lose my five-franc piece—The fight with the vintner—I am apprehended—The commissary's round—My deliverance—The bandage falls—Vidocq the Catcher recognised in Vidocq the Caught—Do you wish for a piece of good advice?—Mind how the nail is driven! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
73 | |
| | ||
| CHAPTER XXXVIII. | ||
Now for Saint Cloud—The aspiring spy—The scheme of diversion, or the deceitful stratagem—An early visit—The disorder of a sleeping chamber—Singular comments—No report—They are honest fellows in the faubourg Saint Marceau—The turkey's claws—Take care of your shoes—Sacrifice to the god of fat paunches—Deus est in nobis—Judas' language—The policeman's nectar—Explanation of the word Traiffe—The two mistresses—The man who arrests himself—Content gives wings—The new Epictetus—A monologue—Despairing incredulity—Change from a tilbury to wooden shoes—A tradition—The mistress of a Russian prince—Brown bread and the tit-bits of Tortoni—Mother Bariole—The old seraglio, or the hell of a kept woman—Prostitutes and hackney-coach horses—The friend of all the world—The invulnerable—The picture of the Sabines—The holy arch—The money-box—Infandum regina jubes—Hatred to epaulettes—Good sentiments—A strange religion—The lottery ticket and the offering to Sainte-Geneviève—Example of remarkable fidelity—Penelope—The oath—I know the beautiful mask—Journey through Paris—Louison la Blagueuse—The monster—A fury—Cruel duty—Emilie in the guard-house—Return to Bariole's—The friend's bottle—The Sybil's tripod—Philemon and Baucis—Josephine Real, or the fruits of a good education-Philosophical reflections on concord and death—Three arrest—The traitor punished—A trait of active morality—A liberation—Answer to critics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
90 | |
| | ||
| CHAPTER XXXIX. | ||
I am fearful of my own renown—The approach of a grand fête—The classes of robbers—The rouletiers at the last gasp—A deluge of denunciations—I am nearly caught—The mattress, the false keys, and the crow-bar—The revengeful confession—The terrible Limodin—The mania for turning spy—The female thief who denounces herself—The good son—The unlucky fugitive—The twelfth-night king and queen—The treacherous kiss—The difficulty overcome—The washerwoman's basket—The stolen child—The umbrella which affords no shelter—The modern Sappho—Liberty is not the first of blessings—The inseparables—The heroism of friendship—Vice has its virtues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
121 | |
| CHAPTER XL. | ||
Our friends our enemies—The jeweller and the clergyman—The honest man—The hiding place and the coffer—The blessing from heaven and the finger of God—Fatal intelligence—We are undone—The love of our neighbour—The cossacks are innocent—100,000 francs, 50,000 francs, 10,000 francs, or recompense in abatement—The false soldier—The pretended sprain—The cooper's wife at Livry—Local reputation—I am a Jew—My pilgrimage with the nun of Dourdans—The phœnix of women—My metamorphosis into a German servant—My arrest—I am imprisoned—The straw cutter—My entrance to prison—Strangers have friends every where—The church rat—The flesh-coloured coat—The buttons of my great coat—A drunkard's meaning—My history—The battle of Montereau—I have robbed my master—Projects of escape—Journey to Germany—The black hen—Confidence in the attorney-general—My release—Flight with an unfortunate companion—A hundred thousand crowns worth of diamonds—The minimum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
144 | |
| CHAPTER XLI. | ||
The stolen looking-glasses—A fine young man—My four trades—The connoisseur—The Turk who had sold his odalisques—No accomplices—General Boucher—The inconvenience of good wines—The little Saint Jean—The soundest sleeper in France—The grand uniform, and the bank notes—The credulity of a fence—Twenty-five thousand francs burnt—The meddler—Capture of twenty-two thieves—The adorable cavalier—The father of all the world—What it is to be knowing—The Lovelace—The almoner of the regiment—Surprise at the Café Hardi—The Anacreon of the galleys—Another little song—I go to the Tuileries—A great lord—The director of the police of the Chateau—Explanations on the subject of the assassination of the Duc de Berri—The giant of robbers—Appear and disappear—A scene by Madame de Genlis—I am accoucheur—Synonymes—The mother and child are well—A matter of form—Baptism—No sugar plums—My gossip at St. Lazare—A suicide—The thieves' alley—The dangerous doctor—Fear benefits—I see old friends—A dinner at Capucin—The trap, the Bohémiens—An exploit at a duchess's—I recover the property—Two mountains never meet-The moral hump-backed lady—The fair of Versailles—The disturbed rest of a milliner—The bug bites and bug hunts—Love and tyranny—The window and the green curtain—Scenes of jealousy—I vanish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
158 | |
| | ||
| CHAPTER XLII. | ||
The jolly butcher—A still tongue shows a wise head—The harmlessness of light wines—A murder—The magistrates of Corbeil—The removal of the body—The accusing address—'Tis either he, or his brother—The criminating wound—I hit upon the right man—The mark of Cain—The morning's alarm—Arrest of a suspected pair—One culprit taken—A second sought after—he is accused of being a liberal—The goguettes, or the bards of the Quai du Nord—A pretext—Seditious songs—I become an assistant in the kitchen—Genuine wine—The man of principle—A removal to the prefecture—Confession—Resurrection of a dealer in poultry, &c.—A scene of somnambulism—The guilty parties confronted—Habemus confitentes reos—A friendly embrace—A supper under lock and key—Departure from Paris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
194 | |
| CHAPTER XLIII. | ||
Arrival at Corbeil—Popular legends—A crowd—The gossips—Good company—Poulailler and Captain Picard—A disgust for grandeur—The dealer in turkeys—General Beaufort—Public opinion of myself—Extreme terror of a sous préfet—Assassins and their victim—Repentance—Another supper—Place the knives—Important discoveries, &c. &c. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
218 | |
| CHAPTER XLIV. | ||
A journey to the frontiers—A robber—Mother Bardou—Assisted by a child—A deliberation—I address the object of my search—A feigned recognition—A pleasant fellow—The two make a pair—The false smuggler—False advice—A brigand astonished—We should not tempt the devil—I deliver the country from a scourge—Hercules with the skin of a bear—A great devourer of tobacco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
232 | |
| CHAPTER XLV. | ||
A visit to Versailles—Great talking and little doing—Resignation—A criminal's agony—We make our own fate—The sleep of a murderer—New converts—They invite me to witness their execution—Reflections on a gold box—A Supreme Being—Nothing to be ashamed of—The fatal hour—We shall meet again—The Carline—The crucifixes—I embrace two death's heads—The spirit of vengeance—A last adieu—Eternity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
242 | |
This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.
| Original: |
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse |
|---|---|
| Translation: |
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse |
