Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 10 — page 1: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

= Sig a i" ft | Nii Ht } COPYRIGHTED IN I878, BY BEADLE & ADAMS, » -_ be — = a , TS et smo . Complete In One Number. TT VIDOCQ, | THE FRENCH POLICE SPY. WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. CHAPTER I. 7 was born at Arras; my continual disguises, the flex- Svility of my features, and a singular power of grima- cing, having cast some doubt concerning my age, it will not be superfluous to declare here, that 1 was brought into the world on the 28d of July, 1775, in a house adjoining that in which Robespierre was born sixteen years before. It was night; the rain fell, light- ning flashed, the thunder rolled; and a relation, who was a fortune-teller, predicted that my career would be a stormy one. However that may be, we will presume that the “ was not troubled on my special account; and althoug there is always something very attractive in the mar- velous, lam far from thinking that the turbulence of the elements had much reference to my birth. I hada most robust constitution, and there was plenty of me, so that as soon as I was born, they took me for a child of two years of age; and I gave tokens of that athletic figure, that colossal form, which have since struck ter- ror into the most hardened and powerful ruffians. My father’s house being situated in the Place d’Armes, the constant resort of all the blackguards of the vicinity, I had my muscular powers early called into action, in regularly thrashing my comrades, whose parents were always complain- ing of me to my father and mother. At home, nothing was talked of but . torn ears, black eyes, and rent gar- ments; at eight years of age, Iwas the terror of all the dogs, cats, and chil- dren of the neighborhood; at thirteen I handled a foil with no little skill and address. My ee pores: that I associated chiefly with the tary of the garrison, was alarmed for me, and desired me to pre myself for the first receiving of the communion; two devotees undertook to prepare me for this solemn duty. knows what fruit Ihave gathered from their lessons. I began at the same time to learn the trade of a baker, which was my father’s business, in which he in- tended that I should succeed him, although I had an elder brother. My employment principally consist- ed in carrying bread through the city. During my rounds I made frequent visits to the fencing-rooms, of which my parents were not long in ignor- ance; but the cooks all gave such tes- timony of my politeness and punctu- ality, that they winked at this trifling prank. This went on until they dis- covered a deficiency in the till, of which they never took away the Key, My brother, who visited it in the same manner as myself, was detected in the very act, an sent off in a hurry to a haker at Lille. The day after this event, which had not been explained to me, I was about to explore, accord- ing’ to custom, the convenient drawer, when I perceived that it was careful- iy closed. The same day, my father desired me to use more alacrity in my rounds, and to return at a certain hour. It was then evident that from this day forward I should be equally Ceprived of liberty and money. I be- ‘vailed this two-fold calamity, and hastened to impart it to a comrade named Poyant, older than myself. As 1 hole was cut in the counter to drop the monéy earowsls he advised me 9 introduce a feather dipped in glue; hut this ingenious expedient only pro- “uced me very small pieces of money; © 1 it became necessary for me to es mloy a false key, which was made for me bya blaeksmith's son. I then ‘dipped again into the till, and we sment together the fruits of these pil- ferings at a public house, where we had estshliched our headquarters There assembled. attracted hv tea: ence = = 3 a ee | = lS er bs ' eee =? -_e i Beadle f¢ Adams, P ’ ; oe — — >> 1H a. at. _—- r 43 thy 4 A, WY, vA c ‘ ‘ bolt No. 98 WILLIAM STREET, NEW YORK. —~_-.e oe eee master of the house, a great many well-known rogues, and some unfortunate young fellows, who, to get re- paar pockets, used the same expedient as myself. soon joined the society of the most abandoned vaga- bonds of the country, who initiated me into all their vil- lainies. Such was to honorable society in the bosom of which I spent my leisure hours, until one day my fa- ther surprised me, as he had done my brother, took away my key, heartily thrashed me, and took such pre- cautions as totally cut off all my hopes of ever again getting a dividend from the receipts therein deposited. My only resource was now to take my tithes from the bakings. Occasionally I pilfered a loaf or two; but as in disposing of them 1 was compelled to sell them very cheaply, I scarcel regale myself with tarts and honey. Necessity makes us active; I had an eye for everything; all was agree- a aE AA i Shers, Ze a re —~-@ .- am ———- . > = or, & 7 - Y ; BE rr ee ee ea = >- . ee _" + — ol ‘ah &> > a -_—<— >! = . > Pa 3 >> ~*~ eae em ee ee ai iil re ‘ ' ote TY MRE Hh * ~* =~ Price, Ten Cents. N O, 10 —— oe — a — eee the matter, overruled all difficulties, and the same day, | at dinner-time, I swept off ten forks and as many coffee _ imprisoned at the desire of my father. spoons. Twenty minutes afterward the whole was pawl ed, and the next day I had not a farthing left of the hundred and fifty franes, which they lent me on them, I did not return home for three days, and on the third evening I was arrested by two police officers, who conveyed me to the Baudets, a place in which mad per- sons are confined, together with those comumnitted for trial, and the rogues of the district. l was keptina dungeon for ten days, without being told the cause of my arrest, and then the jailer told me that I had been This informa- , tion a little composed me; it was a paternal correction by their sale obtained sufficient to | _ its continuance would not be | able to me, wine, sugar, coffee, and liquors. My mother | Se wi = —[———- = — 5 —=— had never known her provisions to disappear so quickly, and perhaps would not have discovered so soon, but two chickens which I had resolved on disposing of to | my own peculiar profit, raised their voices to accuse me, Hid in my breeches pocket, and concealed by a baker's apron, they thrust out their heads and crowed; and my mother, thus informed of their intended fate, came out to prevent it. She gave me several cuffs of the head, and sent me supperless to bed. I did not sleep a wink, and it was, I think, the evil spirit that kept me awake; all | know is, that I rose with the determination to lay hands on all the plate. One thing alone gave me un- easiness. On each piece the name of Vip was en- graved in large letters. Poyant, to whom I broached i ve i i La Qi i; Tbh (0 ' fii } : mi itty i Aas! Ma td EARL ‘ih ba (hia Hatta ti TH DAL r i} fli it) hh : ' TH UA aban ft et ES Vas eA! ' hy ) iN } | Ahi ti LHR \ i, WH Pihih dul nave oi ve Mee, e uj | ' | Wile ehh ita etih, pote TM BIRUELEIE ii fA TMT ET bil 7 | fi ft | ‘ ™ : tw, fi jr ' J > a iy { y ’ } that was inflicted on me, and I accordingly judged that rigorous. My mother came to see me the next day, and Il was pardoned. Four days afterward I was set at liberty, and I return- ed to work with a determination and promise of hence- forward conducting myself irreproachably. Vain re- solve! I soon resumed my old habits, except extrava- ance; and I had excellent reasons for no more playing the prodigat; for my father, who had before been rather careless and regardless, now exercised a vigilance that would have done credit to the commandant of an ad- vanced guard. If he left the post at the counter, piy mother relieved guard; it was impossible for me to ap- prose it, although I was consiantly on the look-out, his put me in despair, At last one of my tavern friends took pity on me; it was Poyant again, that thorough rogue, of whose abilities in this way the citizens of Ar- ras may still preserve the memory. I confided my sor- rows to his friendly bosom, ‘‘ Whata precious fool you are eed he) to re- main thus; and what business has a lad of poe age to be short of a farth- ing? Ah! werelin your place, I know what I would do,’’ ‘* Well, what?’ ‘Your parents are rich, and a thou- sand crowns, more or less, would not hurt them. The old misers! they are fair game, and we must carry it off.” ‘T understand,we must grasp at once what we cannot getin detail.’’ ‘‘ You- reright; and then we'll be off, neither seen nor known.”’ ‘ Yes, but the po- lice.’’ ‘‘ Hold your tongue; are you not their son? and your mother is too fond for that.’’ This consideration of my mother’s love, united to the remem- brance of her neugence after my late freaks, was powerfully persuasive; I blindly adopted a project which suft- ed my andacity; it only remained to put it in execution, and an opportu- nity was not long wanting. ‘One evening while my mother was at home alone, a confidant of Poyant came kindly to tell her, that engaged in a Gebauch with some girls, I was fighting everybody, and breaking and peep aly everything in the house, and that, if I were not stopped, there would be at least 100 francs to pay. At this moment my mother was seated in her chair knitting; the stocking dropped from her hand, she arose with haste, and ran with great alarm to the place of the pretended affray, which had been fixed on at the extremity of the city. Her absence could not be of long continuance, and we hastened to profit by it. A key which I had stolen from the old lady rocured us admittance into the shop. he till was closed; I was almost glad to meet with this obstacle. I recall- ed the memory of my mother's love for me, not as an inducement tocom- mit the act with impunity, but es ex- citing feelings of coming remorse. ! was going to retire; Poyant held me, his infernal eloquence made me blush for what he called my weakness, anc when he presented me with a crow- bar, with which he had the precan- tion to provide hinself, I seizea it almost with enthusiasm; the chest was forced; it contained nearly 2,000 franks (upward of £80) which we shared, and half an hour afterward I was alone on the road_to Lille. In the trouble which this affair threw me EOMIC H iH Nii ! ‘ Ee Pee (Vie a tual ©) books.¢