New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-02-04
WEDNESDAY, MORNING. FEBRUARY 4, 1857 IL
IT. the Ps,is Correspondence Of the New York Times
An American Shot In Prison.

A most lamentable affair occurred this morning at
the prison for debts e. Clichy " as it il caled) IN
confined Illegally for debt was shot dead at the
window of his cell by sentinel. A good deal Of ex
ctement sprung out of the affair, and the authorities
are keeping the particulars secres for the present
But far as have been able to learn, the facts
these, new sentinel, who had been standing guard
previously at the criminal prisons, Lad orders that
when prisoners presented themselves at the windows
and refused after the warning to desst, he was to
fire. In the present the sentinel declared that
the prisoner was warned six times before he fired
and that he did not fire until the prisoner perempto
riy refused to withdraw. He pretends mot to have
known that the rules Of military discipline were Diff
ferent in different prisons.
In this instance the soldier was right, while the
authorities who placed him there were wrong. At
Clichy, there are one hundred and twenty debtors
confined, and forty armed soldiers not civil guard
ans but soldiers of the regular service to guard the
And they mount guard with loaded muskets. There
is an exterior wall, and then certain distance be-
tween this wall and the main building. To look out
OF the window on this court and against the dead
wall, one would suppose not great offence, es
pecally in view Of the fact that the prisoner was
only debtor, and that, too, Illegally confined for
the court had only that day declared the iegaty of
the imprisonment and he was within an hour OF his
release But what are we to think of authorities who
place forty armed soldiers, with charged muskets to
guard treble that number of debtors and leave them
with such rigorous orders of discipline as that which
has been SO unfortunately put into execution?
induce the French Government to modify its outrage
ousy unjust law against debtors other than French
citizens. A foreigner may be seized upon the COM
plant of no matter who, and for no matter what any
where in the streets of Paris and thrown into Clichy
the moment seized, without word of hearing before
q magistrate. He is imprisoned first and the COM
plaint against him is examined afterwards. II it is
found illegal he has no recourse for false mprson.
ment unless it is proved to be imprisonment for
some vengeance and completely without foundation
Many English lords Of immense wealth have thus been
seized in Paris and thrown into Cchy for idle com
plants. The imprisonment of Horace Greeley in this
prison, and the indecent mode of arrest will be
remembered by everybody. The present will be q
good occasion for the governments of England and the
United States to urge upon the government of France
the necessity of placing their debtors upon the SAINT
footing in France as French debtors enjoy in the for
mer countries.
81 have opened this letter to inform you thai
| the person shot this morning, at Clchy, was Mr.
Charles Morey of Boston, the for France
tleman well known to all the American residents 0
Paris. Mr.. Morey man of about 80 years of age
who leaves wife and children in state of distres
| that may be easily imagined. He came to Europe
three or four years ago. poor man, but man witt
great business talent and immense energy Of charac
ter. He created for Mr.. Goodyears invention S
| great reputation in France and England that b
was announced to have acquired for himself in eigt
teen months time, fortune of two million and la
of francs He furnished house in the rue de la Pal
at expense of seventy.tive thousand francs drov
the finest pair of dapple grays in Paris veried SCI
wants swarmed in the ante-chamber of his SUMPTION
residence, and no who knew the dashing Charlie
Morey two years ago, would have ever dreamed tina
in two years. time he would be shot down like do
in debtors prison. He was a temperate and indu
trious man, and his first reverses commenced from tt
moment that a disagreement arose between him al
the inventor of the vulcanized Indiarubber. The il
prisonment came from third party, and was upt
paper endorsed by the deceased for Goodyear for
sum of one hundred and sxty-thousand francs. T
had hna in thraa mon he apAl he alA
stated, was about to be released on decision of O.
Of the tribunals that it was an illegal detention.