The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-15

gained by his coming, but at least he had the
relief of a few hours out of prison, the sight
of che sky of the faces Of friends and the
chance to speak aloud his opinion of the muir
derer of Victor Noir.
The most affecting scene that took place in
the court was the appearance of Madame
Louis Noir OF the stand She was called to
testify to the mood of mind in which Victor
went on his fatal errand, and also with regard
to the condition of his gloves when she saw
them on his dead body The poor young lady,
who gave her testimony in the most simple,
honest way, with broken voice between
sobs and stealing tears, described in the
most touching terms the cheerful scene when
Victor, dressed in the clothes he had bought
to be married in, and trying to button his new
gloves, saying to his sister-in-law, "Jouvin,
pur sang ma chere, gave a hand to his
sister and hand to his betrothed aud went
off gaily on his errand. Then sbo described
how, in two hours, they brought him back
dead. In the evening she asked those about
her how the trouble came about, and they
told her that the Prince said Victor had given
him blow 81 went to his body, she said,
81 looked at his gloves, and when saw them
unbroken, unstained, as clean and tightly
fitting buttoned as had seen them in the
morning, knew the Prince had lied" As
she said this she pointed her finger at the
Prince and looked him in the face, but he
made no sign.
OF course, as you know the whole case
turned upon the evidence as to whether Vic
tor Noir did really strike the Prince. Most
certainly it was not proved. 1t is true that
the evidence seemed conflicting, but half
hour of good English or American cross
examination would have shown much of the
evidence to be worthless. This is not the
place to examine it, but was painfully struck
with the character of the evidence. Those
who swore to seeing the marks of the blow
were the intimate friends and the medical
adviser of the Prince, and the Commissaire
of Police. But the testimony of these per-
sons was not sifted, and am sure it needed
it. The chief witness, Dr. Neuel, though he
swore to the marks of the blow, gave
no precise testimony as to where it
was, while DIR. Pinet declared that the Prince
told him there was no blow, and refused,
rather abruptly, to let him look at his face.
The other witnesses swore to the blows being
of colors that are impossible, as it is known
that blow has what we call its spectroscope
and goes through certain definite changes of
color. In my opinion, Laurier did well to
laugh at this pretense of blow, and to call
it myth. Yet strange as it may seem,
there was no expert called up to sift this
evidence and show whether it was likely that
cheek could turn blue, black, green, and
yellow all within two hours, to say nothing of
its suddenly disappearing within that time, to
return again few minutes later!
Well, all is over and judgment has been
rendered. But Frenchmen will do best to be
silent on this judgment. When one lives in
country where such men as Pierre Bona
parte are princes and such men as Glauday
judges, the less Dragging about the glory of
France and the inferiority of other countries
the better Pierre Bonaparte is acquitted
and the Noirs are condemned to pay the ex-
penses of the suit. 1t is true that they are
allowed to demand these expenses of the
murderer of their son and brother, and it is
true that by sort of lettre de cachet the mur.
derer is banished from France. But in the
eye of the law he is no less an innocent man,
and the Noirs have done him cruel wrong
in charging him with the crime of murder
Thank heaven the law which the lackeys oi
the Second Empire deal out is not likely tc
be confounded with the justice of God. In
His eyes we may be allowed to believe tha
Pierre Bonaparte is not acquitted, but thai
his name is written among the tribe of Cain