The Hypocrisy of Justice in the Belle Epoque

Chapter 2. The Humbert Affair: Fraud as a Fine Art

Chapter 2 THE HUMBERT AFFAIR Fraud as a FineArt Qui n'est quejuste est dur. Voltaire, Letter to the King of Prussia, 1740 I In late February, 1902, the Paris press began to take note of a curious judicial process, the contest waged during twenty years for controlof an inheritance estimated to be worth 100 million francs. It seemed that on his death in Nice in 1877, a certain mysterious American, RobertHenri Crawford, had left two wills, each dated September6 ofthatyear. One left his entire fortune to Therese Daurignac, subsequently the daughter-in-law of Senator Gustave Humbert, one of the foundersof the Third Republic, former minister of justice and, until his death in 1894, presiding justice of the Cour des Comptes. The other will divided the fortune, leaving it in equal parts to Crawford's two nephews , Robert and Henri, and to Maria Daurignac, Thfrese's sister. A court battle inevitably developed, and during the proceedings, the French 3 percent bonds (rente) that constituted the inheritance were placed in Th6rese's hands for safekeeping. From the beginning of the legal struggle, the Humberts won every court decision, but the Crawford nephews always appealed or initiated new litigation on obscure points of law. Although the Humbert-Crawford process had bumped back and forth among the levels of French civil justice, there was every reason to believe that The'rese would eventually receive the bulk ofthe inheritance if not all of it. While waiting for this nearly inevitable victory, she needed money tomeet household expensesand topay themounting fees of her attorneys. It proved absurdly easy to find speculators 80 The Hypocrisy of Justice in the Belle Epoque who, in return forhigh interest rates, wouldadvanceloans against the projected inheritance. Butafter twentyyears ofpettifogginglitigation, some of them sensed trouble and could not be put off any longer by the promises that came easily to The'rese's mouth or even by the reputation ofthe Humbertname.Theycalledfor a sober accounting of the bonds and an early termination of the courtbattle by compromise between the opposing parties. Their easy confidenceshaken, the creditors of the Humberts realized that some of the most elementary precautions had never been taken to assure their loans, that neitherof the Crawfords had ever appeared before a French court, and that not even the attorneys retained by the Crawfords could supply an address for them. As a beginning to a thoroughinvestigation, they sought from Henry Ditte, presiding justiceof the Tribunaldes R6f6r6s, a decree ordering an inventory ofthe bonds at the Humbert residence on theAvenue de la GrandeArm6e. Justice in Francemovesslowly. On May6, the decree was finally issued , setting the inventory for three days later. At i P.M. on May9, attorneys for the Humberts, attorneys for the Crawfords, Jules Herbaux , the public prosecutor, Joseph Leydet, an examiningmagistrate, Armand Cochefert, the chief of the Suret6, Edouard Demonts, the president of the notaries of Paris, and a crowdof assistants, reporters, and nervous creditorsgathered at the door ofthe Humberthouse. They were admitted by the servants, who told them that none of the Humbert family was at home. The chest where the bonds were thought to be held was locked. A pale Demonts called for locksmiths. When the strongbox wasfinallyopened, there werenobonds, onlyan oldnewspaper , an Italian penny, and a trouserbutton. TheHumbertaffair had begun.1 i. There have been few accounts of the Humbert affair since its conclusion in 1903. Paul Guimard, "Therese Humbert," in Gilbert Guilleminault (ed.), U Roman vrai de la Troisieme RfpuUunie: Prelude i la Belle Epoque (Paris, 1956), 293-328, provides a less than satisfying introduction. Ren£ Floriot, a famous member of the Parisbar, composed a brief reconstruction of the case for his Au bane de ladefense (Paris, 1959) and mentioned it in a section entitled "False Reasoning by the Lawon the Basis of Sound Evidence" in his Les Erreun judiciaries (Paris, 1968). The Humberts are also the subject of an unreliable popular book by Henri Varenne [Henri Vonoven], LaBelle Affaire (Paris, 1925). Otherwise, the case has been so neglected that it hardly appears even in the standard political and social histories of the period. The instruction of the examining magistrate is dosed until 2003, and many of the relevant documentsaremissing fromthe Humbert file attheParis Prefecture ofPolice, APP, EA/i18.Thesedocumentsprobably providedthebasisforthe La Grande Therese at the heightof her success in the late 18905 Frederic Humbert enjoys the leisure and wealth his swindle has provided. The Humbert Affair 81 Therese's family...