MARRIAGES UNDER FALSE REEPRESNTATIONS.

Southland Times, Volume VII, Issue 523, 20 July 1866, Page 2

MARRIAGES UNDER FALSE REEPRESNTATIONS.

(From Galignani, April 27.) The Tribunal of Correctional Police has been lately engaged for several days in trying a young mm named Taponier, a uative of Switzerland, on numerous charges of fraud aud swindling. It appeared from the evidence that the prisoner, who is the son of the keeper of a wineshop at Lancy, ne.ir Geneva, after living for some years in. Germany, came to Paris in 1882, and for a while acted as a kind of agent to horse-dealers, who allowed him a commission on animals sold through his instrumentality. He was also employed at one time as a rider at the Hippodrome. Subsequently, however, he set up for a gentleman, assumed the title of Baron de Lacy, and being goodlooking and of some education, succeeded in inducing many persons to believe that his assumed rank was real. He pretended that he had been brought up under the protection of a Baron do Lentz, of HesseDarmstadt, who had sent him to college at Hanover, had afterwards obtained him a situation as equerry in the household of Prince of Hohenlohe, and promised to settle on him the sum of 250,000fr. By degrees, he wormed his way into good society, and ultimately became acquainted with Mine and Mile. Fleury, persons of excellent family. !le soon after made the young lady an offer of marriage, which was accepted on the sth of June last. To his future wife and her family he represented himself as the son of a retired merchant of considerable property residing near Geneva, and said that his father would give him 250,000fr. on his marriage. That event was fixed for the 11th July, before which time he obtained from his family all the necessary documents in which his relatives signed their names Taponier de Lancy. He managed everything so well that not the least suspicion was excited. "When the time came for singing the marriage-contract, the money promised had not arrived, but of this accident he gave plausible explanations. "When all the parties met at the notary's to sign, the marriage contract, there was some hesitation ; but the prisoner, having foreseenthat such might be the case, had contrived to have a telegraphic despatch sent, apparently from his father, stating that an ac'cci dental delay had occurred in the transfer of 115 shares of the Paris G-as Company, and 15 others of the Comptord' Escompte, the proceeds of which were intended, for the bridegroom. This telegram having dispelled all doubts, the contract was signed and the wedding took place. When several w.eeks had passed, and no money was forthcoming, M. Eenouil, the bride's grandfather, who had promised her a dowry of 100,000fr., still hesitated about making the donation. To remove this difficulty, the prisoner applied to M. Sautier, a banker in Paris, to whom he had obtained a recommendation from a banker of Geneva, and by plausible pretests obtained the loan of 125 shares of the gas company for 24 hours. These were taken by him to M. Eenouil' s notary, and all obstacles were removed. But as the latter refused to give back the shares immediately, M. Sautier went in person to demand them, and explained the whole affair. The shares were; of course, given up, but the discovery revealed Taponier's real character. He was arrested some time afterwards for debt, and in his possession was found the copy of an agreement by which he engaged to pay a person, calling herself the Countess de Montesson, a per centage on the fortune of his bride as a remuneration for aid in bringing about the match. An investigation which followed proved that he had been guilty of obtaining money under false pretences from a great number of persons, some of which however had since been refunded. The unfortunate young lady in January last applied to the Swiss tribunals to obtain a divorce, but the judges decided that it could not be granted without conclusive proof of the frauds alleged, and ordered that a commission should be sent to Paris to collect evidence. The necessity for that measure has, however, been superseded by the present trial. The prisoner in his examination in court maintained the truth of the story about his protector, Baron de Lentz, although the prosecution has not been able to find any trace of such a person. Several witnesses deposed that they had beet induced. by the prisoner's representations to lend him money which had never been repaid ; but the principal sufferer is M. Sautier, the banker, whose amounted to about- lOjOOOfr: The prisoner's counsel argued that his client's proceedings in the { matter of the marriage did not fall within the provisions of the law against swindling, and that the advances of money made by the other complainants were only ordinary debts. The Public Prosecutor, however, maintained that prisoner's acts towards the Fleury family were clesrly punishable by Art. 405 of the Penal Code, and pressed for a conviction and severe sentence. The court gave judgement yesterday, sentencing the prisoner to four years' mpriaontneut and lOOfr. fine.