The Express.
London, England, 1860-10-23 00:00:00

THE OUTRAGE AT BONN.

TO TIM EDITOR OF THE EXPRESS.
Bis,—ln a recent leading article of your journal
you adverted in strong and just terms to the
shameful outrage committed at Bonn last month
against an English traveller ; and, connecting it
with the attempt made this month by the authori-
ties of the custom-house to stop and board the
Queen's yacht at Cologne, you addressed a whole-
some rebuke to the country which allowed its
officials to be guilty of such misconduct.
It remains to be seen what redress for these
wrongs, if any, will be given. As far as the royal
yacht, indeed, is concerned, a certain kindof redress
appeared immediately, in the order, telegraphed
from Berlin, that the Fairy might forthwith pro-
ceed on her way up the 'Rhine unmolested.
This order "checked in mid-tire the volley"
. .

of her impudent assailants, and forced their,
in spite of themselves, to remain still. But as to
the satisfaction demanded by our countryman for
the insults and rough treatment he met with from
the railway inspector and his assistants, for the
illegality of his six days' imprisonment, for the
rude injustice with which the Staats-Procurator,
Moller, refused to release him upon bail, and
for the fine and costs which he had to pay
at the end of a trial in which the

only witnorises who appeared were on his
side—not a sign of any such satisfaction
has yet appeared. A British subject has been
made to suffer unjustly in person, in purse, and
in loss of time ; and the Prussian inspector, who
ordered him to be dragged out of his carriage, still
lords it upon the platform, and the Prussian &sets-
Procurator, who purposely prolonged his imprison-
ment, and then at his trial cast foal insult upon
his countrymen, still retains the power which
he so scandalously abused. An inquiry, indeed,
into Moller's conduct has been ordered by the Prus-
sian government ; but it is conducted in secret,
and no man, therefore, can tell whether it is con-

ducted fairly.
Meanwhile another chapter of this eventful his-
tory has Leen opened ; and it is right that the
British public should be made acquainted with
its contents, as far as it has yet ' ad-
vanced. It will be remembered that the British
residents in Bonn felt it their duty, immediately
after the trial, to sign and publish a protest against
the insult which had been east in open court upon
their nation by Moller. For this act the whole
machinery of pains and penalties which the Cede
Napoleon supplies has been brought to bear against
them, and a state prosecution is formally begun.
The first indication of such proceedings appeared
in two official announcements, signed by Von
Ammon, Ober-Procurator of Bonn, on the 21st of
September. They were skilfully framed to mis-
lead the minds of all who were not acquainted with
the facts, and proved, not leas by what was left
unsaid than by what was said, that Von Ammon
was straining every nerve to screen his deputy,
Moller. The editor of the Kiibliache Zeitung
was asked to insert a temperate and cau-
tiously worded paragraph, for the purpose of
correcting the effect of Von Amnion's announce-
manta, but declined to do so. On Thursday, the
27th of Sept., summonses were received by all the
signers of the protest to appear on the following
Saturday before the Uuteriuchings-Richter, to
answer a certain unspecified charge. All who were
able to obey the summons of course obeyed it, and
one by ono wore examined. Those who needed an
interpreter had one, but the judge and his secretary
were the only other persona present. It will be at
once soon to what an untair disadvantage the
accused parties were hereby exposed, and how
easily men who were only anxious to speak and
vindicate the truth might be betrayed, through
the interrogatories of a skilful and practised
lawyer, into some admiasion which could be con-
strued iu a sense unfavourable to themselves. They
endeavoured, as they beat could, to bear up against
these difficulties, and, although they had no legal
adviser at hand, they resolutely maintained, as a
preliminary objection, what they had been assured
by competent counsel was undeniable • viz., that,
according to a. 159 of the Strai-ilesetzbuch,
no prosecution, arising out of a previous
matter of complaint, could go forward until
the previous matter was disposed of. The pre-
vious wetter complained of in the present instance
had been Moller's conduct. The Prussian govern-
ment lied ordered an inquiry into it. The inquiry
was not yet ended ; and how could any second pro-
secution, under such eircueistances, go ou 1 If you
wore to see the words of the statute, or to hear the
assurances of counsel on the subject, you could
entertain no doubt whatever of the validity of the
objection thus taken. But objection wait useless;
every plea was overruled, and the Englisinueu were
told that, instead of being allowed to appear as
complainants against Moller, they must now
stand on their own defence. Whet, thou, was the
charge against which they were to defend theunielveill
The chant° of libel, alleged to rest on three passages of
their retest ' • and a. 102 of the Straf-Gesetzbuch
was cited to show the punishment of tine or ha.
prisonment to which the offenders had thereby
rendered themselves liable. They answered that
they never wished or intended to libel anybody ;
that they had only declared facia; that witnesses
were at hand to substantiate those facts ; and that,
if the witnesses were allowed to give their testimony
freely, it would be seen whether each and all of
the passages against which exception had been
taken were not literally true. They were told
that they were at liberty to produce their wit-
misses. The British Ambassador at Berlin has
since formally demanded that the witnesses
should be examined on oath in open
court ; and here the matter rests at
present. Some of the signers of the protest have
been examined by the Uutermichings•ltichter a se-
cond time • and one three or four tunes. Rumours
are, indeed, abroad lhat some of the parties are nut
to be tried at all ; and no doubt the government
would be glad to escape the odium of a wholesale
prosecution of the English. But as all the English-
men, in the present Jadeite°, have admitted the
genuineness of their signature* and their consequent
responsibility, I am slow to believe the truth of
these rumour". N. day for the trial has yet been
declared. The Euglishmen are only anxious that
it should come on quickly ; and all that they ask
at the hands of their prosecutors is, " A fair field
and uo favour."—l am, Sir, yours, &0., Z.
Bonn, Oct. 18, 1880.

THE LEtraw ANNIVERSARV.—At Mttuielt on the
16th the anniveraary of the battle of Leipsie was celebrated
by the amend dirge of I,2o9persui is in the largestetiL: tbrewety)
of tint city. 'Poets were &Wilk to the King of Bavaria, the
ex-King Louis, und " the veteran of the heroes of nide.
penitence, the King of Wurtemherg." This toast was can.
tuunicatail by telegraph to the latter, and his Majesty sent
the following reply by the Nails Me.:111$: -" The King of
Wurtemberg thauke the inectiug now being held to celebrate
the temerity of the battle of enfrauchiecitieut at Leipaic, for
luring remembered him oo the occasion."
ADVENTURE WITH A Idos.—.Hie hidiretubigit
of Coustantina (Algeria) publishes the following account of
• perilous adventure with a lion :---The well.kuowu hunter
Chassidon, emitting at Consteutine, left that town lately
with a friend, Ca tun tie St. Marc, for a few days' 'port, in
the mountains. When near the trip of the BoteArif, he
encountered a huge lion, and lodged two bells in its
'Meader, but the wounded swiped escaped lute the wood,
noriug with pain and fury.. On the following day N.
Chaesaing and his Mold tread the lion to en et-
toucive thicket, and while the former was search.
lag eniug the Rushee the lieu stuldenly sprang
on hint,o threw hint down, seized his arm- -the
lame of which was instantly lookeu-- between his power-
ful jaws, and was drugging the unfortunde hunter into
the woods when at that orttieal mouttait nit tie St. hod
em up, and, after discharging his rifle at the lion, finished
him with one of Chemise's piste's. While in the hone
fearful grip, Chamaing never bet his presence of mind, but,
merman% with his antagouist to prevent hint from wines
ing ou the captain, whose aniuniuitiou was eilutueteel,
cried out to the latter to approach awl torn thu pintnb holt
his belt, which were stall chanted. Aft. r docptitel.i44 the
litat, the ,Aptitill cite seed his friend's wemid .h
could, and they then returned to Constme ea to o!,taiu