The New York herald., 1871-09-05
+ e a a Il !.
Some Of the Testimony Against the
Condemned Communist.
THE MURDER OF THE HOSTAGES.
Irregularities in the Trial Of the
Prisoners.

Prisoners.
The Versailles correspondent OF the suaon Times.
writing under date OF August a. gives ne following
account OF the trial OF Fer6, wAs nas beon con-
demned to death on the charge Of numbering tho
Archbishop or Paris ana other hostages:-"Tne
charge OF numbering the Versailles hostages or
prisoners, though often brought against Ferr6 has
never been 80 strongly made out against him as It
was to-day. though his own special trial, or what
ever tho preliminary ceremony is to 30 called. was
held nearly fortnight ago. Indeed, though, as
did not hear all his trial. cannot speak positively,
1t seemed to me that until to-day the charge OF
murder was never clearly brought homo to him.
The with esses, though numerous. gave ludtcr0usIy
Irrelevant evidence and on the whole confuted each
other. But the witnesses to-day or at any rate one
Witness gave evidence 80 strong and so to the point
that one Is astonished to find 1t was only given to-
day The astonlshment increases on finding that one
witness was o gendarme, hostage confined In In
ROquette while the Archbishop was being mur.
dered, and, therefore, one would have thought the
very first man 70 whom the police would have ap.
plied for information and whom they ought to have
had all ready to hand. He Is also, believe, the
OF the murder rather OF its preliminaries up to
within q few moments OF Its c0mmtttaL He saw
through =, granns I'M m ss cell the nostages drawn up
party, and heard the Archbishop examined DY q
member OF the Commune and InSulted by one of
ment tine witness was observed apd forced
~ r!nss p pointed a. him % 70 wiaadraM from
teswara ee xoev e' nreS sves "
Set sseS Win Inc @ party % member Of he COMMUTE % q
whom ne gave description which suited FeFra,
though he would not undertake to swear positively
1t was Ferre. He was only sure tnat It was man
OF the same .'0enre." He gave other details about
presence Of death-deiaiIs which / omit as irreie.
want 20 the trial bur SO interesting that alone they
make I s astonishing shat me eye believe
scene should now be heard OF for the first time,
pecially when one considers the crowd OF vOlun-
teers who nave pressed forward to give information
comparatively worthless. Another inmate OF La
Requette during the tragedy also appears for the
frsI time to-day to swear that he saw Eerrs at the
prison on the 24th-tne day oil the massacre.
The wEness swears positively to Ferre whose pres
on a. wS aons hs Sca posi- 81
establish against him the grave charge OF c0mpli-
city Ia ASSASSINATION. TWO 0tner witnesses swear
That on the night OF the 18th Ferre told them 1t
OF no use going 70 certain point to look alter tner
property US Inc Vederes were retiring from that
quarter, burning houses as they retired to imLede
the advance OF the Versallals All this is pretty
strong IN the way ofsuppementary evidence, but
eyen wfness s wo y swo to e % evidence Of fourth
Ferre. who natly contrallcted MIN, vehemently
repeated on oatn that he was present when Ferre
gave the order TO shoot two ser0ens de uiHe; that
they we're shot with pistols, one victim taking iour
shots to dispose OF him, and that FerrG was
Inc witness was himself third on the list of
victims, and only escaped because; when it
came 10 his turn. a regular peietom d'erecut on
was demanded. aud for some reason refused. He
was afterwards carried on to Bellevile 0y the Fe-
deres as the Versailles troops advanced, aud there
obliged 10 shoulder musKet in order to save his
lie from ruifians who, according to his story were
hourly essassinaIing MOI. only their enemies. bat
hairbreadth escape is marvellous eneugl not
to say improbable, put many marvellous ana
such Crisis and 1t Is neither my business nor de.
sire TO lmpugn the witness evidence. He seemed
an aa MS
examination, II vehement contradictions and indis-
s ed utterly TO
doue Is another thing, but Ferre mas declined cOun-
se and conducts his own case 50 onensively and
oisrespectfuy to the Court, that really he almost
appears to he trying to hang, rather shoot him.
self. He has repeatedly injured his own case,
even admitting for the sake Of argument the truth
OF the witness stOry-wnch, II believed by the
Court. Is alone sufficient to condemn the prisoner
Two months preparation, one hears 1t for tine first
time tc.dayf why did nobody In court, the Presi-
his reason for not coming forward beforeg -
The following is the most damaging evidence ad.
duced against the accused Ferre during the Mon
days stllng OF the Council OF War = - i
Costa clerk In the secretary's Oice at the prison
OF La k0quette, stated that he had several times
seen the accused Ferre.
Another witness recognized Ferre as the Young
man who looking upon the fire which broke out IN
mouse on the Boulevard du Prince Eugene. oD.
served that although lie mad not ordered it. 1t was
q proper hing to have done. 80 4
Jean Francois LamIral, soldier OF the Republican
Guard, depOscd that he WAS taken as prisoner TO
the Prefecture or Police on tile 18th OF March. and
was subsequently removed TO La Roquette, where
lie remained TIL the 27th Of May, when he succeeded
IN efrecting his escape. On the oath OF May be saw
an execution party, consisting OF twenty or thirty
place where the hostages were subsequently, exc.
cutcd. The party was headed Dy member of the
Commune Com VINO ov wore u not & uniform at least
recognize the prisoner II possible, he declared
that Ferre was the man. on their way
the Archbishop replied ~ have done nothing but
endeavor to prevent bloodshed and TO do wnat was
right" he was told, .,BuI you have Kept up com.
munication with the versaillais.u ',And Ihen,u
added the witness ''he was shot"
Another witness stated that a soldier having In.
suited the Archbishop, the representative OF the
Commune who was III attendance reminded him
that he was there upon duty and not to insult the
then said to the Archbishop .Six OF our people have
been Killed oy the Versalais and you are con-
asmnea a as hostages Have you anything to says'
die for liberty and the general good" The member
s ne But you were IN CORE
parties"
The President having asked the witness whether
he was certain he could recognize the member OF
the Commune IN command on the occasion referred
to- ordered the accused Fcrre to rise when The wit.
ness Immediately recognized him.
M. Pontmoyen, who had been previously exam
ined, added some details or the execution OF the
hostages. who. he said, died with great nrmness.
An order was originally given for the execution of
sixty men In revenge for SIX prisoners executed by
The versaiilals; but the order was subsequently
modl1ed "The six hostages said the witness
went TO death with the calmness and serenity OF a
perfectly quiet conscience, The Abbe Du Gucrry
alone spoke few words. He opened his robe and.
striking hls breast, said, Strike here, and imme
dately afterwards" added the witness 81 heard the
volIey."
The accused Ferre asserted that he had only
visited La Roquette on the 2sth OF May with view
to liberate the prisoners, and denIed that he had
been there on the 2tn or 26th OF May.
a -