The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-05-31
OUR FRENCH LETTER.
Especial correspondence of the HERALD
PARIS. May, 2, 1883.

PARIS, May, 2, 1888.
| France has at last been brought
face to face with her incursble or
relapsed criminals, called RecidiUiSts.
| and that the popular classes demand
with energy shall be expelled So
ciety. TIE government taking he
ball at the bound introduced a bill to
transport for life, to New Caledonia
or elsewhere, all accused who had
undergone four convictions during
ten years. But this measure when
examined by the Chamber, has been
found too Procrus!ean and TOO ORA
CONAN. The courts were not to be
merely an Office for the registration
OF convicts, but a tribunal where
Judges ought to exercise their duty oi
Judging whether or not antecedents
or circumstances did not exist, to at
tenuate the position of the accused.
For q good deal of the rampant
crime existing, society Is itself to
blame. Next in responsibility, fol-
lows prison life, where all is promis
Guilty, the hardened criminal being
the companion of the juvenile Of.
fender. Any elements of reforma-
ton in the latter become thus at
once annihilated. In the corrupting
influences of prison life France cans
not but take rank in the frat line.
It is but just to add, insurmounta-
bic difficulty exists to recognize re-
lapsed criminal. This is owing to the
habit they have acquired of chang
ing their names. And this habit Is
common with work people and young
! persons of Is years of age. You can
select the name of some individual in
your rank of life corresponding as to
age. The registrar gives certificate
of such baptism for few sous, and
the law starts his career of evil with
borrowed feathers. Later, when the
real owner of the name demands a
certificate OF his EtGt, he firds noted
against him on the registry, condem-
nations OF crimes OF which he is
wholly innocent. It was thus the
famous Cognard passed off as the
Count de salute Helene, and his skull
in the prison of Brest, 8 model OF
perfect formation. sttests his end.
-aTbre-etourths OF the relapsed Grim.
inals in the country cannot be identi-
fed by the gaolers, though the latter
are paid premium Of five francs for
every case of identification. Some
criminals when they perpetrate a
heinous crime, commit instantly a
petty one, so as to be arrested, lodged
in prison and thus escape detection,
others, mostly the young, with the
view OF escaping the ''gooiy meas
ures" for reform and so being kept
apart, declare they are relapsed, 80
as to enjoy the general gaol society.
There are 10000 foreigners who have
been expelled from France, and con-
Quoted 10 the frontier by the police,
who have re.entered, arriving at
Paris, even before the return Of their
escort, and occasionally in the same
train with the laW-ofhcers.
During the last eight years, $4,000
photos have been taken CT criminals
m Paris and the subarbs. Except
ing the case of noted murderer
these photos are worthless. Mostly
the criminal is srrested-When ne
confes-es, Society objects to mark
ing or tattooing its gaol-birds: that
would kill all chance for reformation,
the marked might be discovered,
when sleeping, as in the case of Bal
zais Vautrin, or by his doctor, etc.,
and thus become low in his own
eyes. The most difficult criminal to
deal with is the energetic, the intelli.
gent and partly educated; he also
studies the code in his cell. 1t is a
noteworthy fact that it is only
within the last ten years that women
prisoners have adopted the habit of
assuming false names.
Tho Duo d. Aumale, at present in
Sicily, visiting his famous vineyard
at Zucco, which he inherited from
his vile, has been warmly reproaohed
in his own journal, the SoJeiE, for
passing his time in study and feast
ing and hunting at his semi-royal
ChauniiIly residence, instead of
buckeliug on his armor and max
| ing bold stroke for the caowu
-r0le it may be said
without fear of contradiction
latov the courage of the Or
tesaists. The legitimists suggest to
heir cousins to bow simply the knee
to the Oomte de ChambOrd. and no:
dream OF kingship. The BoDspsrt.
ists recommend both sections of pre-.
tenders to rally to the fortuneB of
Napoleon V.
The question here presents itself,
what is the condition of the republic?
1t has had formerly, more friends
than now; the difficulty, what can
replace it, exists as strongly as ever.
The generals are aid to be dissatis-
fed, chitfy because they have no
: nrk to DO. The monetary world is
cautious and hesitating. The ma
tioral prosperity Of the nation is in
check. The taxation of the country
is excessive, about 50 per cent higher
iran in England, and it cannot