TRICOCHE ET CACOLET.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2070, 12 October 1880, Page 4

TRICOCHE ET CACOLET.

The following account of a peculiar Parisian institution is condensed from a long and Interesting article in the London “ World”— « The Agenoe Tricocho et Caoolet of Paris is simply a private inquiry office on a vast scale, and the greater part of its business is done in watching fair Parisiennes in tho interest of jealous Parisians, and the reverse. It is in fact a sort of supplement to the French institution of marriage, a labor saving apparatus for jealousy, eminently characteristic of the xaoa and of the age. It is officered, it appears, by people in every grade of society, ■or rather people who hove been in every grade—by the failures inlaw, art,and arms, unfrocked •priests, cashiered soldiers, defrauding solicitors, and tho like. These men, when they are at their last resource, and when their characters are too bad even for the secret police of Government, offer their services to the secret police of private life. They are largely employed, but with the wellascertained risk that when they cannot give evidence they will make it. The method and absolute precision with which they are organised is peculiarly French, as their institution itself is peculiarly Parisian. You set them to work on the moderate fee of 20fr. a day ; but this is no more than a refresher, or a something put down to start the play. Every expense is an extra, and the expenses are likely to reach a fabulous sum, wherever the client has the means of paying it. Their association is supposed to cover all society ; they know how to obtain admission to a Minister’s levee just as easily as to a thieves' supper ; and as their proceedings are necessarily secret, there is no possible means of checking their accounts. They charge just what they like for services done, because no one can deny that the expense has been incurred ; tho only check on them is in tho victimised client’s blunt determination to pay no more. When the case comes to this stage, they find him a denoument —a real denoument, if the case will admit of it; for why not ? there is no good in cheating for cheating’s sake; a sham one, if it will not. Borne of their tricks, which have now passed into the history of the order, are conceived ■in that fine natural spirit of dramatic intrigue cf which the French have almost a monopoly. In one case cited they received 20fr. a day to watch a lady, and 40fr. a day from the lady who was watched on condition cf allowing her to drew up the report of her own movements. In this way both parties were satisfied. As a rule, they are not organised as a police, but rather as a bureau de marriage. They undertake in their entirety all the operations proper to a matrimonial contract, from the formation thereof to tho breaking off. It is quite on the cards, therefore, that a particular couple may pass through every department of the agency. Tho needy fortunehunter with a name may first employ them to introduce him to the foolish widow with £1,000,000, and the rich widow, after a year or two of marriage, may set them to work to -find her the means of recovering the use of her money. The business profits include a very liberal return under the head of chantage or blackmail; for, of course, Tricoohe and Oacolet have all sorts of secrets in their keeping, and, when trade is slack, can always fill the till by a skilful threat to reveal them. In many instances this is a mere threat, though the victim does not know it, for it would not suit their purpose to go before a court •of law with any revelation of tho uglier details of their business. When they do bring a case before the tribunals, it generally belongs to tho higher and more innocent part of their work. They do not aoruple, for instance, to drag up man for not paying the stipulated commission on a marriage negotiation. In a recent instance of •this kind they sued on a written promise to pay a liberal percentage on an expected dot. The plea was that tho dot had never been received, the interesting bride having taken in both the agency audits fortune-hunting client. Justice put on its considering cap, and arrived at the highly sage conclusion that where nothing had been received nothing could bo paid ; and so dismissed the case. The policy of the action, however, was still a good one, as o mere threat -in terrorem. Hundreds of other cases on the books were no doubt settled at once, through the mere dread of exposure. There are undoubtedly many curious indue--tries in Paris, but this one may perhaps stand at the head of the list.

Marshal Oanrobert, at the close of the review at Paris on July 14th, addressing M. Gambetia, expressed his warm satisfaction at the ceremony, adding, “ It's a new army, and I sincerely desire it may bo mere fortunate than ours.’* Emile do Girardin recommends young Erenohmen to let Greek and Latin alone, and to study English and Spanish, because they _ere the languages of the future.