Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 January 1892 — Precocious Criminals of Paris. [ARTICLE]

Precocious Criminals of Paris.

Parisian criminals have the credit of being tho “ smartest ” in the world; to that compliment must be added, writes a foreign correspondent, that of being the most precocious, for we are now possessors of an accomplished young forgor of thirteen summers, Rene Rcuponlmusen by nuine. This child was errand boy of one SauHsot, a wool merchant. Having learned the use of a check book through having seen his employer engaged in filling in the forms, Master Rene thought ho would have a try in the same direction. Consequently he filled in one for 5,000 francs and trotted off to the bank to receive the monoy. The cashier examined tho signature carefully and finding it perfeot, puid over the cash, and cautioned tho boy to tnko great care of it, at tho same timo remarking that it was very foolhurdy of M. Hausset to send such a small boy to the bunk to receive so large a sum. The wary youngster assured the cn shier that he could be trusted to take great care of the money, and so It proved, for be immediately proceeded to the nearest railway train station and “levanted" by tho first train quitting tho capital. Feeling possibly that some oxplunutlon of his übsence was due to his inastor, be considerately forwarded him a telegram stating that huving a bad stomuch-uche he had gone home A couple of days elapsed and the boy not having returned M. Hausset communicated with his parents and was astonished to learn that he was not at home, the ingenuous youth having also wired thorn that his master was goiug to Dieppe and taking him with him. Suspicion aroused and the blank check abstracted from the last page in the book being discovered, the bank was communicated with nnd the forgery brought to light. The sac-simile signature is pronounced the most perfect on record and the bank still maintains it to bo genuine. M. Hausset, however, holds a different view, and the French police are now actively enguged in running the young delinquent to earth. When captured, aud it will not be long before M. Gordon’s myrmidons have the juvenile thiof iq safe keeping, ho will be taught the difference between ineum and tuum, and in a manner perhaps which will bo far from palatable. No one can say after this that we are behind the times, even in our criminal annals, for forgers ut thirteen are hard to beat, even in the lundg of the rising or Getting sun, with foggy Albion thrown in to boot.— [Chicugo Herald.