58 Memoirs and Confessions of [J an. 
The horrors of the Bagne increase Vidocq’s desire to escape. After 
several efforts, which are unsuccessful, he gets away in the dress of a 
fifteen stone sister of charity—makes his way to Nantes, where he nar- 
rowly escapes being engaged in a burglary—is engaged by a cattle- 
dealer as a drover, and thus makes his way to Paris, and thence to Arras; 
where, with the assistance of his friends, and in a disguise, he remains for 
some time in safety. Again discovered, he is taken to the prison of 
Douai—recognized—sent to Toulon—escapes again—is enrolled against 
his will, in the celebrated band of robbers, headed by Roman, and is 
dismissed, because is discovered to have been a galley slave. These 
adventures are not very interesting, nor very well told. We have every 
respect for M. Vidocq’s veracity, but some of the stories are so impro- 
bable, that we could not have believed them even if we had seen them 
acted. A few, however, of the anecdotes, relating to some of the cele- 
brated French robbers, are odd enough. Among the convicts bound for 
Toulon is Jossas, who was commonly known by his assumed title of the 
Marquis de St. Armand de Faral. Some of the points in this accom- 
plished rascal’s character, are extremely amusing ; and the coolness, and 
well-bred self-possession, with which he effects his robberies, show that, 
if he was not born a gentleman, he ought to have been :— 
« Jossas was one of those thieves, of whom, fortunately, but few are now in 
existence. He meditated and prepared an enterprize sometimes so long as a 
year beforehand. Operating principally by means of false keys, he began by 
taking first the impression ot the lock of the outer door. The key made, he 
entered the first part ; if stopped by another door, he took a second impres- 
sion, had a second key made; and thus in the end attained his object. It 
may be judged that, only being able to get on during the absence of the tenant 
of the apartment, he must lose much time before the fitting oppo: unity would 
present itself. He only had recourse to this expedient when in despair, that 
is, when it was impossible to introduce himself to the house ; for if he could 
contrive to procure admittance under any pretext, he soon obtained impres- 
sions of all the locks, and when the keys were ready, he used to invite the per- 
sons to dine with him, in the Rue Chantereine, and whilst they were at table, 
his accomplices stripped the apartments, from whence he had also contrived 
to draw away the servants, either by asking their masters to bring them to help 
to wait at table, or by engaging the attention of the waiting-maids and cooks 
by lovers who were in the plot. The porters saw nothing, because they 
seldom took anything but jewels or money. If by chance any large parcel 
was to be removed, they folded it up in dirty linen, and it was thrown out of 
window to an accomplice in waiting with a washerwoman’s wheel-barrow. 
« A multitude of robberies committed by Jossas are well known, all of 
which bespeak that acute observation to invention which he possessed in the 
highest degree. In society, where he passed as a Creole of Havannah, he 
often met inhabitants of that place, without ever letting anything escape him 
which could betray him. He frequently led on families of distinction to offer 
him the hand of their daughters. Taking care always, during the many con- 
versations thereon, to learn where the dowry was deposited, he invariably 
carried it off, and absconded at the moment appointed for signing the contract. 
But of all his tricks, that played off on a banker at Lyons is perhaps the most 
astonishing. Having acquainted himself with the ways of the house, under 
pretext of arranging accounts and negociations, in a short time an intimacy 
arose, which gave him the opportunity of getting the impression of all the 
loeks except that of the cash chest, of which a secret ward rendered all his 
attempts unavailing. On the other hand, the chest being built in the wall, 
and cased with iron, it was impossible to think of breaking it open. The 
cashier, too, never parted from his key ; but these obstacles did not daunt 
Jossas. Having formed a close intimacy with the cashier, he proposed an 
excursion of pleasure to Collonges ; and on the day appointed, they went in 
a cabriolet. On approaching Saint Rambert, they saw by the river side a 
Ss 
