New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-10-16

THE kINfk MIEDER-IlS fIIIith'.
- TIoN-THE PARIS NEWSPAPERS AND THEIR
wRITERs-REFORM PROSPECTS.
IRON OUR own CORRESPONDENCE
PARIS Oct lit is impossible to describe the stata
of feverish excitement into which Paris has been
thrown, during the last eight days, by the
terrible murder at Pantn. IL is no exaggeration to
say that nothing else has been talked about OF
thought about The journals have given mp the
larger part of their space to the discussion Of the
and to the insertion of every detail that they
could possibly lay hands upon. The newspapers of
Paris are by no means remarkable for the energy
with which they collect news for the faithfulness
with which they report ii, but from the journalistic
point of vew two of them, at least, the Figaro and
the M0niteur have done themselves great credit by
the way in which they have thrown themselves into
the tremendous task of appeasing the appettes OF
the Parisans for news relating to this terrible affair.
| will not undertake to say how many copies of the
Figaro have been printed each day, or whether the
attempt of the Moniteur to ouriva it in Its appeals
to the public curiosity has been successful but with
all the force at their command these journals have
hardly been able to satisfy the demand for copies,
and the Mosques in the more frequented quarters
have been entirely unequal to the occasion, that
extra Offices have had to be taken in several places.
/ saw the other day one of the Quays q shop,
which for many weeks has been unoccupied, trans
formed into temporary kiosque to speak, for the
sale of lie Petit MOniter, extra edition Of the
Monitem Unirrsel illustrated with wOOd-cuts, and
which, since the day of the murder has been able to
run neck and neck race with the Figaro
by means of its double appeal to the mind;
for the Figaro has only vsntured upon pictures
in its history of the transaction. the occasion
when it gave wood-cuts of the pickax and the spade
-coal-shOvel, rather-wth which the grave of the
six victims was believed to have been dug As these
implements were nothing but such as may see in
every hardware shop in Paris, the Figaro rather
laughed at for its attempts to minister to the public
curiosity. 1t ustifes itself by declaring that it did
not have the implements engraved for any vulgar
reasons, but to show that they could not have been
welded by any slightly built person, such the re-
Gently arrested murderer proves to be. However,
the Figaro by no means deserves to be laughed at,
nor does the Monew either. Not only does one like
to see the newspapers stirring themselves up to ener
getic action in their duty of collecting news, but
they have, in truth, been of very great service in
the whole affair. Indeed, the most striking
feature in the discovery of this unparalleled
crime has been the miserably inefficient part played
by the officers of Justice. Remember, first that tho
crime was committed just outside the walls of Paris,
within sight of the Notifications, and so rear IN
habited houses that people heard the cries CT the VIC
tins distinctly and only mistOok them for some OF
the many disorderly noises that are constantly heard
in that somewhat disreputable neighborhood. There
was no police within range to prevent q mother and
her five children from being murdered in cold blood,
and buried there in grave that had been prepared
for them beforehand. Then, it was the editors and
assistant editors of the Figaro and the MoniteT who
set themselves at work upon the evidence, and by
iudefatgabe and it cannot be denied most intelli-
gent research traced out the whole history of the
crime so far it is at present known. Then, 1t was
by mere accident if one can believe in accidents,
that the murderer was arrested. Here, again, the
officials have no claim to make, for the man who put
his hand upon the shoulder of the murderer had no
notion whatever that he was doing anything more
than the ordinary medding with peoples affairs,
that his daily duty it is the daily duty of every
French official. Redtape had sent out formal IN
structons to the officer guarding every gate of exit
from France whether by land sea, to prevent the
escape of the murderer. But one class of men had
had 10 instructions whatever given them. These
were the officers of marine whose business it is to
walk about the docks ask men for their papers, spy
into their business, ask them where they came trom
what they came for and thousand other questions.
Yet is was precisely of these that arrested
Truppmann and he was led to respect HIM because
he had read the newspapers. The Figaro
SAYS he had read the Figaro The MoniteuA
saws he had been reading the M0nteU.
Then as the bodies of the first six victims were dis
covered by accident, the body of the seventh was
discovered by accident Also and to the greater dis
credit of the officials. who knowing, or having rea-
son TO believe that two more victims were to be
accounted for had made not the slightest effort to
find their remains. And to-day rumor runs that
the eighth corpse has been found where the indIca
ton of the journalists had pointed it ont. Am L
right in my impression that the French officials and
the French judges of instruction have a singulary
loose-iointed. amless way of conducting lnvestiga-
tions into crimef The French people show singu-
lar instinct in tracing these affairs. Nothing could
have been more direct and pointed, more ingenious.
and vet more convincing than the researches and the
views of the newspapers But the officials have con-
trbuted nothing to the development of the mystery.
If we had been dependent them for exertion in
the affair the murderer would be at this moment
his way to America to establish himself in business,
and as he would have gone with the titledeeds a
large property. he would very likely have been in
time Democratic candidate for Governor of your
State From the unpleasant, but not improbable
event. the assistance of number of minute and mn
forseeable accidents aided by the quiet intelligence
and keener energy of few French newspaper men,
have saved u.s. We owe absolutely nothing to the
French Government. - -.
Ii is quite amusing to see the AIR OF injured dignity
assumed toward the Figaro and the M0hfeW by the
Journals which bound TO call themselves friends
of the Government, and who lind no more pleasing
employment than defending the constituted au.
thorltes in all their blunders and attacking without
stint all who will not believe that their plumbers are
proof of superior wisdom. These Journals reproach
their more interesting and enterprlsng cotempora-
resJ with rakng in the cutters, like so many rag
gathers for items to please their readers Bt, then,
they have no answer to the retort which jcers nj
them for furnishing news at all to their leaders
on any subject whatever. The Journal Otfcel is the
principal butt for the sarcasm of the real newspa-
pers and il we'll deserves the ridicue that is show