A PARIS SENSATION

Taranaki Daily News, 9 January 1917, Page 8

A PARIS SENSATION

ARREST OF £8,000.000 SWINDLER. A tremendous sensation lias been created in Pari; by the declaration of 51. Gustuvc Herve, editor of the Socialist newspaper La Victorei, that it was lie who enabled Rochette, the notorious bank swindler, to enter the French army under a false name. Rochette. who was arrested at Granville, had been a fugitive for nearly four years, having made his escape from France while he was on bail pending an tpieiii against'his sentence of three years' imprisonment for frauds aggregating £8,000,000.

■ln his paper 51. Herve says that in the early days of the war, when Paris was in a fever of excitement, he was visited by scores of foreigners in danger of arrest as enemy subjects. There were also some Frenchmen who were wanted by the police. All had tlu same object. They wanted to join the army and wipe out the past. Many looked as if they would make ;h\-t-class soldiers, and 'Mr. Herve thought it was bis duty to assist them.

He induced some of lib friends who were unfit for service to lend liim their identification papers, which enabled the applicant* to enlist under their names. The real owners of the papers ran no risk of getting in trouble, as at that time there was no (]Ueslion of revising the lists of the unlit.

One of the recipients of papers was a man who had escaped from the penal settlements during those turbulent days. Then there .came a man who humbly implored 31. Herve to render him the same service.

•'Are you an escaped convict, too?" the journalist asked. "No," was the reply; "I am Eoehette! I have been hiding abroad for two years, but when I heard that France was invaded I could not hold out any longer, so here I am. I have three children, and I want them io know that their father was not altogether bad, and that he mnc back to defend them against the invader."

M. Herve says lie hesitated at first. He was ready to help a wretched convict, but with such a man as he had then before him people might think lie had accepted a bribe. Pochette seemed to know what w N as passing in the journalist's mind, and said: "1 am no longer a financier. 5 am a ruined man and a fugitive from justice." M. Herve told Hochette to return on the morrow. When he came lie gave him the papers of one, of his own friends, Georges BienAime.

Hochette went at once to the central recruiting office, but was dismayed to find that 110 volunteers were being accepted for the time being. One dnv he sustained a bad fall and broke his leg. As he was 110 longer fit for the infantry, he became attached to the motor transport section, which did gveal deeds in the battle of Verdun. It was this section which was mentioned in despatches. Recently the section was transferred to-the. So'.ume, and Boeliette, who had a week's leave, went to see his child at Branviile, and was arrested.