The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-08-31
6TH AUGUST, Paris, 1869.

Criminal Cdses-Political Feeling-The dete1s-
ton Of Mons Quentin and Cournet-The great
Fetes--Appearance of Paris--AmeTi cans an
Paris. -... .t t.e,--- .elI s.r I ..
The criminal court of the Seine has just
has been concentrated to an intense degree.
An old man, supposed to be filling up the
measure of his days with honor and comfort
to himself and friends, whose daily industry,
and gentle conformity to the routine of off
cial duty seemed to guarantee that he would,
after the accomplishment of green old age,
Sink to the grave with nnpn rcelved decay,"is
suddenly, found to be a monstrous defaulter,
falsifier of over twenty years standing. For
these astounding revelations, M. Taller, cash
ier of the great Union Insurance Company,
instead of having the pleasant accompani-
ment of " old age, honor, love, obedience,
troops Of friends" has seven years of rigor-
GUS, ignominious prison life.
Another figure standing with the old CASH
ier, an individual for whom he had commit
ted the grossest part of his stupeIdous forger-
les, has equally attracted the feverish and al
most horror-struck curiosity of the public.
M. Pie, the late Editor of government
paper, L'Etenddrd, had barely entered into
the forties. He was the son of a disting-
uished lawyer Of Folk, happily now no more.
NJ. Pie is true offspring of this generation;
his activity has been immense, his brain teem-
ing with schemes with the untiring fertility
of gambler. 1t is true, that his industry,
had already been adjudged of an eqvivocal
color, and in the many lawsuits he has been
through, one judge reprimanding his finess-
ing, gave him five years to reach the criminal
court, and his genius brought him there in
three years! But, yesterday, M. Pic was
distinguished figure in the world of politics
and of fashion. Editor of government pa
per, he was enabled through sheer personal
influence to gain for friend the distinction
of the Cross Of the Legion d'Honneur. The
very evening of the day when Taller told him
that all was out, that the stone was to be roll
ed from the sepulchre of their guilt-and that
they were to stand revealed in the sordid gar
ments of criminals-that very evening with
the sang troid of the true adventurer, and the
moral hardihood Of gamester, Pic, made
one in the gay reception of the Ex-Queen of
Spain, whose cause he espoused. Up to the
last moment, NJ. Pic, believing in his luck,
expected to be acquitted, and when he heard
his sentence of twelve years of hard labor he
nearly tainted, and his first words were: Gam
to be sent to Cayenne ?"
Taller lived modest life, and apparently
continued his forgeries to cover his first mis-
demeanors; but Pic had carriage, an ex-
pensive apartment furnished with all the
modern luxuries. 1t is not the province of
newspaper correspondent to moralise, yet one
cannot help thinking that the trial of Pic sets
forth the very head and front of our offences,
that this generation is possessed to fever
ish heat with desire for personal aggrand-
izement from whence proceed a mad greed
for money and ostentatious style of living.
POLITICS.
The French liberals are not building large
hopes on the political rights that the Senate
will yield to them. They remind me in their
incredulity of colored man in Virginia.
His mistress, a very beautiful lady, true de-
scendant of the Bird family, was explaining
70 him that Bishop Payne was endeavoring
"to do good work" in Liberia for the color
ed man. For all her eloquence she got this
reply: "White man working for the good of
the negro? can't make this niger believe
that, missus." The liberals do not believe
that the personal government will labor to
make the fruit of liberty full of growing. At
this present moment the indignation is on
the increase over the arbitrary detention of
Mons. Quentin and Gourmet. These gentle
men were seized from their editors office
and confined in prison cells without knowing
the crime or misdemeanor which has SO abb
ruptly taken them from business and friends.
CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST
1859 CONSUL. rlt
These friends have offered a large BAIL 1t
has been refused. People are crying into
the face of the government, if you have damn
ing proofs against these men let US have the
accusation; if these proofs cannot be estab.
lished give them their liberty. Spite of the
spirited appeals echoed by the opposition pa
pers the government "up to date" makes no
sign,but keeps sullen hold of its prey.
Paris is being covered all over with festoons
ofgas jets,with glass globes, with staging pre-
paratory to brilliant inscriptions and pyrotech.
mic display to the erection of impromptu and
highly elaborated architecture, the paraphe-
MALTA of former years being brought from gov
ernment recesses and remoulded till it is al:
most as good as a new; then the dome of the
Invalides, where the ashes of the hero re-
pose, thanks to the man whom M. Raspail in