The Tichborne Romance Rivalled

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 129, 30 April 1872, Page 7

The Tichborne Romance Rivalled

The Smyth case, iu which the leading barristers in the Tichborne case were mixed up, has been placed before' the public, while a parallel case in French cutises cdehm furnishes still stronger interest at the present moment. Sir John Coleridge has received the credit of raking it up. The story is this In the year 1539, Martin Guerre, a native of Biscay, married a girl named Bertrande de Hols. Martin afterwards left the country for a space of eight years, when a person whom all recognised and welcomed as Martin Guerre returned, and settled once more in the village. Bertrande was overjoyed at her husband’s return, a small family was born, and for three years all went well. A soldier, however, passing through the place, astounded the good Bertrande by informing her that the real Martin was living in Flanders. He had been a soldier, and lost a leg. Bertrande’s relations espoused the idea that Martin was an impostor; but the woman, like the old Carbineer witnesses in the Tichborne case, declared that he was cither Martin or the Devil. At last, however, the matter became a great law case. 150 witnesses were examined with similar results as in our own days at Westminster. Many swore the prisoner was Martin Guerre, and others that ho was one Arnauld de Tith, a young man of bad character. Well, the man was found guilty of deception, and condemned to death. An appeal was instituted. More witnesses proved that, strangely enough, there was scarcely any resemblance between Arnauld and Martin. One witness, an innkeeper, swore that Arnauld had been his guest, and when intoxicated had told him how he and Martin had roved about together, and how he had thus become acquainted with every incident of Martin’s iife. The Parliament, however, which heard the appeal, loaned much on the fact of the prisoner having been acknowledged by all his relations and friends for the space of three years. They were about to decide in his favour, ■when there appeared iu court a man calling himself Martin Guerre. He had a wooden leg, and answered the description given by the soldier to Bertrande. Martin’s sisters rushed forward and embraced him. The scales fell from Bertrande’s eyes, and she sank on her knees imploring forgiveness for her unwitting fault. The two men were confronted, and even then the impostor was able to answer questions more glibly and readily than the real Simon pure. But he was condemned to be hanged and burned, and before Ids execution ho confessed his crime. Having served with Martin for many years, he had discovered all his secrets, and had successfully carried out the plot of personating him. Martin never forgave his wife her error.