, 1884-11-12
%KRAPoTKTNE's TRIAL.
The Defense OF she Prfnce-Ths XVII
OF Too afueh sympashy-The
Prisoners Wffe-Con-
cIusfon.

ccedod against under an almost obsolete Law
passed In 1871 by the reactionary assembly
OF Versailles during the panic caused BY The
communal insurrectiou- This Law punished
mere utilization with tho international ASH
citation Of Worimen with Imprisonment for a
term OF not exceeding i've years and directed
that the trials Of persons accused OF the Of
fanss should take place without = jury.
II Krapotkine had been allowed u appeal 70
a jury be would most certainly have been ae-
quilted. As TO this there was no disguise /
asked the editor OF a paper bitterly opposed
70 the Socialists, who sat next u me IN court
Why they were not tried by "a jury. BE
cause they would be acquitted; no Lyons
jury could DO persuaded TO convict them, .
was the cynically frank reply.
Prince Krapotkine's appearance az the
table was the great event of the interrcgn-
tion. There wus a general hush when lac
stood up before his judges and everybody
hung eagerly on his words. A very few
minutes sufiiced to show who WAS the better
man Instead Of the president playing with
the prisoner, the prisoner played with the
president, and though the latter kept his
temper ha lost his presence Of mind. Kra-
potkine was cool and ready throughout,
never missing a poiut or losing an oppor-
ttnity VI putting his questioner in the
wrong.
you wrote for a Socialist paper called The
Hevolto, published at Genevaf' asked the
president.
Geneva not being in France, / deny your
right 70 ask me what 1 wrote there. What
have you 70 do with my contributions &c
Swiss papersf'
-But The Rsvolte advocated pernicious
doctrines and was circulated In France"
Through the French postoffice. Why
don't you indict the government, them For,
as they could ave laid an interdict on The
Revolte, and did not, 1t is they who are re-
sponsiblo for its circulation in France
Then the prince paused for a reply, which,
fneed hardly say, no did not get, nor to an
other question with which he answered one Of
the judges interrogationa
~You took part In the international Social.
list congress held last year in Lopdonl7 said
the Judge.
How long, NJ. le President, has London
beon in tbs jurisdiction Of the tribunals OF
Lyonsf" returned the prisoner, with a slightly
contemptuous laugh.
After a little more OF this sort OF thing the
president, perceiving that he was not ex-
actIy distinguishing himself, shut up his pa
per aud told Krapotlins that he might re-
sumo ha seat
just then there occurred what the French
cali an incident There was excitement
anous the spectators at the extremity OF the
court, aud [ heard a voice, which l recog-
fdred us that OF Mime. Krapntkins, saying
that the gendarmes were crowding aud
sitting them.
Give Nine. Krapotkinc a chair, " ordered
tho president.
The chair was offered.
No. exclaimed tho princess, throwing it
on the floor with an indignant gesture; II
ratVl - -. Il
whose husbands ara at their work. Why
should / nave q chair and they be left with
out. Unless you bring them chairs also, /
shall not sit down"
Altogether a delightful little episode thai
Of this princess refusing the republican
judges offer OF a chair, unless the untitled
women about her, companions in misfortune
were treated in like manner. The president
accepted the rebuke, ordered the chairs and
the proceedings were resumed.
After the i~nterrogations came tho defense.
Most OF the prisoners had legal help. but
krapotkin0 preferred to conduct his own
eass. do not think any professional advo-
cato could hRve conducted IL nearly 50 eff.
ciently, and II all tina French bar had spoken
for him 1t would have inside no difference in
the result, as 20 which the judges had made
up their minds before tho trial began. But il
mas less a technical defense that Krapotkino
attempted than a ~vindication Of bis princi-
piles and an account OF his life. A few pas
sages ! may be permitted to quote, they are
% eminently characteristic and were spoken
with a simple dignity and a pathetic earnest
ness that won the sympathy even Of
those who disllked his principles. my
father" he said, "wAs a proprietor
OF ssrfs, or rather an owner Of
slaves. From my tenderest infancy l Wit
messed scenes as cruel as any described in
Uncle TOMB Cabin The sight OF these
c~ruelties inflicted on the oppressed taught me
to love them. At IL entered the school of
pages and at court l learned to detest the
great as much as in the cabins Of our peas
ants, l had learned to love the poor n
lowiy. When l left the school, being then
nearly 20, / became an officer in the Cossack
regiment Of the Adour and aid-de-camp to
the governor general Of Siberia. > = .
At ~ 1 left the army and devoted myself to
the study OF mathenIntics in the University
of St Petersburg. 1t was during this time
the revolutionary movement was organ
lied. A few generous citizens had the cour-
ago to raise their voices In favor Of liberty.
Tho answer Of the government was
swift. The reformsrs, myself among
the number, were thrown into prison;
my brother, for the crime of writing
y lotlulf Was houb ~ oAutttN. Lt Is LHtTG
still. During my imprisonment, which
lasted two years, l wrote a work on the Ola
cial Period All. gentleman, II you know,
as l know, what a torrrible thing it is to be
imprisoned II you heard, as l have heard,
the curses OF tho unfortunates who have lost
all hops, you would hesitate to doom any to
g like fate. In the jail where | was c~onfne1
nine OF my fellow-prisonors went mad and
eleven committed ~sslf-murier."
i need not repeat his defense Of Socialism,
but his concluding words are worth repro
ducing.
Would you hut your earsi No, GENTLE
men. Come 10 US; seek with Us the solution
of that redoubtable problem which is 50
prcssingly demanding solution. You are sur
prised at the boldness Of my language, yetlet
me say TO you, gentiemon, that 1 shall esteem
myself happy il. on the great day OF social
reparation, my words may spare a few drops
Of blood. But II you will not hear, IL the
bourgsoise continue to bold under the yoke,
to p~srsscute and to Cypress the working peo-
pie. the duty OF all honest men Is clear. l
shall not fail in mine.S
The words OF q fanatic, true, yet noble
words, Notwithstanding. and with some truth
at the bottom OF them, for in Europe the lot
Of the poor Is often tsrribly hard and owing
TO bad laws heavy taxes and enforced mill
tnry soryicar they have not o tair chance in
the battle Of LIE. Festus said OF ST. Paul
that too much Learning had made him mai.
II may BE- said OF Krapo tkine that too much
sympathy Aas TUNED his brain
Typhoid Germs in Injected MIX.
There was great alarm recently concern
ing the milk from some of the dairy dis
tricts in the State Of New York. Milk
cans had been returned without washing,
aud in consequence there were a number
Of cases Of low typhoid fever. In
each case the fever attacked the
weak and those whose constitutions were
50 d~isordered as not to be able % resist the