, 1886-12-30

ton TO which We have nothing analogous.
lie is il part public prosecutor, and it is
lis loillce t. collect evidence against tho ac-
euSrl Tie most important cyidelcc IS
What %uatainel from the prisoner himself; he
is questioned hg the examining iulge in the
presence of 4 notary employed to take down
his replies. Tho examinations are numef-
orS. and formerly the most cruel means
We're had recours. to 10 o<tort n confession.
During the inquiry the prisoner Is kepi in
Ignorance of the charge against him. and
any endeavor OF his part to gain iniorma-
tion on the subject is IN offense in law. lie
Is mot allowed to see u copy Of his own
evidence or thnt OF the witnessea. But
when the judge has failed TO obtain a con-
fosssion tho prisoner Is unexpectedly con
frontod with one or more OF the witnesses
against him, OF with an %accomplire, il
there bc one, in the hopes of surprising him
into u confession. Should the prisoner re-
fuse to answer he is put on II diet of bread
and water, In cases Of murder the nc
cused is led to tho spot where the crime was
committed, and the bleeding corpse or, may
be-, the moldering remains are suddenly
shown to him. Torture used to be employed
TO wiring u confession from him. Ho wa
subjected 10 "a thumbscrew, the rack and to
fire. Sometimes he was kept for months
during winter without fire, and In damp
cells where he was agonized with rhcumn
tisin and ngue. The cases are %innuncr-
able ia which false confessions Of guilt were
thus cxtortcd from innocent persons.
Others have committed suicide rather than
confess to crimes they had not committed.
Tho examining judge now proceeded
vigorously to collect proofs OF Marie's guilt.
lie took the evidence of I+ainpcrt on oath.
In that evidence I.ampert acknowledged
that he could find no signs of his lock hay
ing been tempered with nor Of the seal hay
ing been forced. Nevertheless, he was able
10 swear, by the date OF the ducat found in
Maiic's pocket, that il was one of those
pieces Of coin which he had sealed up in his
leather pouch md locked into the chest,
Maric was questioned. She acknowledged
that every evening she went into the bed
room and where the Golfer was to tidy the
room and prepare the bed for her master.
Usually she had with her the daughter Of
her master. She confessed that she had
been engaged in the room on the evening
preceding the discovery. Also she admitted
that the dress iii the pocket of which the
ducat was found was one OF her own, and
one moreover which she had worn on that
very evening. Nevertheless, she persisted
in her assertion that she was entirely inno-
cent Of the charge.
The mother of the girl was next cross
examined by the judge. The poor woman,
like so many of the uneducated, thought to
save her daughter by having recourse to
falsehood. 1t is II curious fact that the UNI
cultured in a civilized land. like the savage,
80 ,nhi,h !, ,s oIvvays .ora and novar
wrong. to nave recourse TO. Frau Keller,
confronted with the judge, at once, and
naturally, fell back on lying. Whom asked
,t tho Moor uomsn soid TINT n WINS a md
noths,is nrosent 10 Marie which she 1Itha
,notha,a nod for,,arlv ratainod in bar nos.
sc,sion I'm, which she Ind given 10 Maria
vbcn sbe went into IampeTt,s service oe-
canso She foo,eJ Loot in tba event ~ her
own dcntb her other children might seize
on the ducat and refuse to give it M to
Marie.
The noor woman I'm falling this story
completely broke down tho doubt which
the Judge had felt hitherto in Mario's guilt.
lie looked ut the ducat. and 1t proved by
the date on 1t to have been struck four
ycars after Marie's birth. The Judge ut
once charged tho woman with conniving at
her daughters guilt and showed her how
false was her evidence on the testimony of
the date on the ducat. This completely up
sat Frau Keller: she WINS unable to sneak
for some minutes, and ut last, in a broken
and hesitating voice, told tho judge that
Maries' mistress had sent for her and offered
her the money to indemnify Lampert for
his loss, if she would confess that her daugh-
ter had committed tho then and persuade
Marie to do so as well.
Tho Judge was so irritated at the woman's
lie about the ducat that he dismissed this
new story ns a fabrication as false as tho
furu,.r and mazda mo innuirv in tbnt 1irac-
tiun. He ordered Marie to DO brought into
the room. aud asked her whether She had
bccn given n ducat by her mother, which
l.ai been "A christening present from a spon-
sor Tho girl expressed surprise at the ques-
ton, aud in her simplicity replied that She
had never had such a present.
Then he confronted the mother with the
daughter.
Firm, kellar. confns.d and in her com
usion having recourse TO her original false
hood insisted that what she had said WINS
true concerning the ducnt. that Mario was
n half witted creature who forgot the sim
,,lcst things told her Maria an har side
cntrcnt.d her mother. for Gods sake. TO
sneak the truth She persisted in asserting
that her mother never had told her about n
christening nresent. and certainly Ind riven
her none.
rbs and of this ,ltercotior WINS that Fran
ala, ro,fceesJ sbo had lola . liz AMI
aut,,oat.I cnrrivoness hoconso .ba hod
hoan i,nroII.d hv Iova Tor nor dourh+o, "a
do all i'm nor nnvyer 10 screen nor from thu
,b,rgo nf tbef. and 10 sovo ber If.
~ i,o,,i,inr ndr. NOW demanded thu.
ua,io shnrId he rrt nm tho ,1cl, AMI ho
e,,l,a ,o corrcss hon MIL Tba rorrt
appointed n counsel for the defence. who
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