VIDOCQ, Fitax9ots-JuLEs,who acquired notoriety as a detective-officer of police at Paris, was born, July 23, 1775, at Arms, where his father was a baker. On the principle of set a thief to catch a thief his earlier life may be regarded as an almost invaluable apprenticeship to the profession in which he afterward became distinguished. As a boy, he was employed in his father's shop, the till of which, it was found, he persistently robbed. To cure him of this evil habit, he was sent to the house of correction; but so little were his morals improved there, that he signalized his return to business by decamping with a sum of about £80. Of this money, a sharper relieved him at Ostend; and in order to keep himself in life, lie engaged himself to sweep the cages of a travel ing menagerie. From this menial service lie was advanced to the post of tumbler and acrobat; and a further promotion was intended him to that of a supposed savage, whose performance involved the eating of raw flesh, and drinking greedily of blood. As he saw tit to decline the appointment, his further services were dispensed with; and shortly after, he returned to his father. Having entered the army, he attained the rank of cor poral, and served with some credit in Belgium and elsewhere, till a wound obliged him to rbturn home. For some years after, he seems to have lived as a scoundrel at large, occupying himself in swindling and disreputable love-affairs. In 1796 he turned up in Paris, and being detected in forgery, he was sentenced to pass eight years as a galley slave. Before his term of durance had expired, he found means to escape, and became one of a baud of highwaymen. As the story goes, his new associates on chancing to discover that he was an escaped galley-slave, saw fit to decline his further acquaintance: This refinement of squeamishness on the part of these gentlemen of the road, seems not in itself very probable; hilt on whatever ground of dislike, they desired to rid them selves of M. Vidocq. and summarily did so, exacting from him a solemn oath not to
betray them. N. Vidocq took the oath very solemnly, and instantly proceeded to deliver the whole gang into the hands of the authorities. This pretty exploit seems to have suggested to him the role which he afterward developed with such consummate success. Hieing to Paris, lie offered his services to the authorities there as a spy upon the criminal classes. His advances were at first coolly received; but gradually he made his way; and shortly his services became so important that official recognition was vouchsafed him. In 1812, a " Brigade de Sfirete" was organized, with Vidocq as chief. Consisting at first of only 4 men, by degrees it was enlarged till it came to include 28; and its efficiency was something marvelous. Suspicions, however, grew rife that Vidocq was himself the originator of many of the burglaries he showed himself so clever in hunting out, and even contrived to make a good thing of them. It does .not appear that this charge was in any case clearly brought home to him; but M. Vidocq being plainly the sort of person in whom any suggested blackguardism is rather more likely than not, it had every inherent probability, Guilty or not, as he may have been, so strong was the popular feeling against him that, in 1825, it led to his being superseded. After his dismissal, he became a paper manufacturer; and in 1834, established a Trade Protec tion society, the object of which was to furnish confidential information as to parties whose credit might be dubious. In 1829 he published an autobiography, a redaction of which lie put forth in 1844 (Eugene Sue's famous novel having just taken the public by storm), under the title of Les }'rais ilfusteres de Paris. Finally, he died in Belgium in the year 1850.