Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1855-07-21
Horace Greeley in French Prison.

Miami" the foreign correspondent OF the Ciil-
cinnat Gazette, writing under date of Paris June
7, tells the following rather amusing incident when
happened to Horace Greeley during his late Visit
to Paris:
The American population of Paris was thrown into con-
sernaon last Saturday evening by the that
Mr. Greeley who had been assocatng 80 freely with his
connrymen for the last few weeks in This city, had been ar
rested and thrown into prison. At hrs was supposed ht
the Gov. rnment perfectly acquainted as it is with the vru
ence with which the Tribune persucs it, had sought some
pretext for makiEga in the way OF retaliation
against its responsible editor but when the truth was known
general feeling OF indignation was manifested Mr. greeley
arrested the Directors OF The New York crystal
Palace the complaint of French artist residing in Paris
demands the of twelve thousand francs as the
value of statue in marble which broken pieces viii
in charge Of the company The statue represented otef
sleeping while eagle was carrying of her insn The
New York Crystal Palace Company proessed to De respn
sibe for all articles them for exhibition French ex
hbtos that believing their goods safe under this pro-
mise they have lost more than hundred Thousand
by careessness bad faith of the Company under the
law Of the State of New York. appears that they have bee
unable to recover anything; one Of the Directors OF e
French Exhi ors, putting forward Of their number 10
try the principle Mr. Greedy seized and thrown into prison
On Sunday (says correspondent paid visit
to Mr.. Greeley, in company with friend, at the
prison. Clichy is classic ground; since the closing
of St. Pilage it is the only prison for debt in Paris
and will accommodate four hundred persons Its
walls contain all classes of persons; the rich and
the poor the learned and the uncducated, men and
women. The rich, for there are many such, who
| remain in prison for obstnacy, live in the same
luxurious style as under their ROOT, while the poor
are limited to the one franc per day allowed by the
law, and paid by the creditor. On entering the
front Office of the prison. we were requested to send
in our names to the "prsoncr." and to the officer
in charge. While waiting the return of the keeper,
who was executing this duty, we heard in the con-
versaton of the employees of the establishment,
frequent illusions to the "great lord" from America,
whom they had caught, and to the briliancy of his
evee in the saloon of the prison. After being con-
Quoted through numerous halls and rooms, and after
passing through the hands of several guards, one
of whom examined us to see if we had no brandy
or cigars on our persons, Quxuries which are not
allowed to any one, and trouble which they might
have spared themselves if they had known their
prisoner was Maine Law man, we finally reached
the saloon or "parloir." The parloir is dark,
dirty unventilated room, to which prisoners may
come to receive their friends 1t is about twenty
feet square and furnished only with chairs. Here
we found about thirty persons, men and women,
visitor and the visited weeping, kissing, embracing
recounting their tales of suffering, and giving exh-
billions of French human nature in general In the
midst of this little school of French character,
found the phosophic editor of the Tribune, quietly
seated on chair over the back of which was care
fully spread the immortal white coat-that coat
which has given SO much renown to its wearer;
which has made interminable journeys through the
sun, mud and rain of its native country, and two
journeys to Europe; which has made a sensation
alike on the prairies of Iowa, on the Bird-Cage
Walk of St. James Park, and on the avenue Of the
Champs Elysees of Paris; which has been oftener
apostrophized, oftener ridculed, oftener abused
than any other coat in the history of broadcloth
terature-the immortal white coat was at last in
prison In one hand the prisoner held the process,
long windcd document, in the illegible caigraphy
peculiar to all French lawyers clerks, and in the
other, the laws Of the State of New York.
Notwithstanding the gloominess of the surround
ings we found Mr.. Greeley amiable, good natured,
and resigned, as he always is, and full of anecdote
and philosophic reflection ON his position, and on
the new phase Of French character, which accident
had exposed to him. He had already made the
acquaintance of some titled gentlemen, inmates
like himself, of the prison, and Of two American
gentlemen, whose names are tolerably well known
to the public, and who supposed to be in Egypt
Or the Crimea. Mr.. Greeley found CIichy the only
place where the Exhibition had not augmented the
price Of board and lodging"
In the afternoon of Wednesday, Mr.. Greeley had
a hearing, and was discharged.