The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-05-23

rURDAY, NAY ., : 1857.
Cooperation debt Of fsrtyee af4 tkssnaa dsa
Lars to some poor devil Of . csatraeter We was
sta wing for tas money. The Oonptsollsr, Il
spl ears, knows nothing Of The financial affairs Of
the city, and cannot tell whether tho great city
Of New York |. bankrupt or not We always
thought it would come 10 thia
The FRENCH ExrRADnIos CAss.-The death
in prison of one of the unfortunate young uen,
Grelet, implicated In the transactaea BY which
Baron Rothrchild and the Northern Railroad Of
France were victimized to the extent Of over
million of dollars, has given additional interest
to this important extradition case. This judicial
murder Of one declared BY the Supreme Court of
this State to be guIltless of the offence imputed
TO him, and who was most unfairly and i'm
properly held In prison, because he would
not engage to divest himself Of his legal remedy
for false imprisonment, attracts much sympathy
even toward those as TO whose criminality in the
matter of these French frauds there is no doubt.
The United States Commissioners, before whom
the case was brought, has now heard all the EVIL
dence and arguments that could be brought to
bear upon it, and win probably render his de-
ciion in the course of few days This will be
done in the form, not 80 mach of q judgment as
Of report to the State Department at Washing
ton of the legal value of the testimony offered,
whether it is sufficient to justify placing these
parties on trial in criminal court, and whether
the crime for which they could be 80 placed on
trial is embraced within the provisions of the ex.
tradition treaty existing between France and the
United States
The report Of the Commissioner we may or
may not be able to present to our readers in an
official form. It will probably be referred by the
State Department to the Attorney General; aud
then we shall have, we hope, full, fair, lumi-
nous and rational Interpretation of the treaty ss
applicable to this case.
Taking 1t for granted that Mr.. Black is gen
tleman Of clear views and sound legal learning
we can entertain but one idea of the view which
be will take of the law and facts in this extrad-
ton proceeding. The treaty by which France
and the United States mutually agreed to surren-
der fugitive criminals specifies in plain, uumis
takeable manner the crimes to which they deem
ed it worth while to make it apply. Besides
murder, rape, arsen, and those offences Of
the highest grade, an additional section
of the treaty-and that which is relied on
in this embraces the crimes Of burglary,
specifying it as the breaking into dwelling
house for the purpose of stealing, forgery and rob
berry by means Of violence or intimidation. Well,
at the first blushany one see that the crime with
which those Frenchmen, now in Eldridge street
prison, are charged does not come in contlguity
even with any In this category. Granted that
they improperly made use of Baron Rothschld's
shares for the purpose of speculation, that is
simple misrepresentation Of funds placed in their
barge. 1t is hardly what could be called
heit Certainly it does not touch upon the
boundaries of burglary, forgery, or robbery with
violence or intimidation. Their offence there
ore, is not embraced within the provisions of
he treaty; and it is on that ground, and that
alone, that we have advocated their being placed
at liberty.
Even the numerous counsel engaged for the
prosecution have seen and appreciated the
difficulty under which they labored in their
attempts to crafty Mr.. Baron Rothschid's
desires to have these men extrsdited They
have conprehepded the fact that breach ofcon-
idence on the part of employees was never re-
yarded by those who framed and ratified the
treaty as IN offence for which it was at all neces
sary or polite to render up accused parties.
But as the great millionaire will have these men,
right or wrong, they 60 to work and make vain,
futile and ridiculous efforts to distort facts and
law from their true 6gni6cancy For instance,
they strive to make il appear that sometime within
the space Of four or five years the safe or armors
in which these shares were kept was forced open,
and that such effraction constitutes the legal
crime Of burglary. Nonsense! A lad who was
only week in the Office of a Pennsylvania
lawyer would know better than that Besides,
they have not the facts on which TO sustain the
legal theory Then, again, 10 bring II within the
class of forgeries they attempt TO make II appear
that certain figures were altered 80 rs to cover up
the evidence Of fraud. Well, they failed In that;
and even If they had succeeded they would be
far from establishing the crime Of forgery. But,
argues French philosopher, In brief directed
to Mr.. McKeon, they are guilty Of mental for
gerry, inasmuch as they concealed the fact that
the shares supposed 70 be snug and secure
within the safe, were not there at all Well, this
offence of mental forgery completely outridicules
IIuntington's defence Of mental insanity and
shows with what recklessness aud pertinacity
these gamblers on the Bourse are hunting down
their victims
We incline to the belief however, that Roths
child and the Northern Railroad Of France will
not find in the Commissioner IL they find in
him that they will not find in the Attorney Gene
raj OF the United States-s facile instrument for
the accomplishment Of their purpose In the face
: