Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-12-14


Tho prosecution 10 not, therefore. inde
pendent, as the defense Is. Tho prison
er's case is settled before he appears In
court; for both prosecuting and sitting
magistrates have held consultation
over 1t, and the speech Of the prosecu
ton is merely delivered for forms sake.
The bench Of the Police Corrcctionnclk
Ia composed Of tlsreo judges, 50 that al
least one may be listening when the
other two arc asleep. These men have
power to award as much as five years
imprisonment and FIVE years police su
pervision. Nothing is moro prosy thar
the proceedings Of this court Of justice
unless some waggish prisoner be bent or
enlivening them by exhibiting his wit II
his answers The following pass Of arm,
Is still fresh In the memory Of Parisians
prisoner" said the presiding judgs
one day, ''you say you are not guilty oi
robbing the prosecutor; but he will pro
ducc three witnesses who saw you In the
act Of snatching his watch from his per
son."
"Thrcei Is that all, NJ. le President
Why, could produce thousands who
didn't"
remember one man who was acdasec
Of stealing geese Although plucked by
the prisoner, the prosecutor maintained
he had recognized them as his own.
From their consumptive appearance,
! Supposed" exclaimed the prisoner. who,
In France, can always speak at his trial.
"And how is it you heard nothing when
| stole them2 You ought to know that
geese will make noise when interfered
with. Why, NJ. 10 President, the prose
cutor seems to be most ignorant man.
II he had read his Roman history. he
would know that the geese woke up the
Romans one morning by their noise, and
warned them Of the approach Of the
Ga,ils."
The scholarship of the prisoner was
not appreciated by the magistrates, who
gave him three months imprisonment
was present in the room, and remem.
bcr that the prisoner, as he was removed,
exclaimed, 1.-The magistrates are as ig
norant as the prosecutorr'
One of the most frequent customers OF
the Police Correctionnelle is the vagrant.
In France q han Is taken up for having
no recognized means Of subsistence. The
first time he is convicted of vagrancy he
is sentenced to three months imprison.
ment. When he comes out of prison he
may have five OF six francs in his pocket,
II he has been industrious. His position
is precisely the same as it was before he
went in, except that he is now man
who has been to prison, and therefore
work, II he be ever SO anxious to get 1t,
is not 80 easy to obtain. He fails to find
employment, of course, and his five or
six francs are soon exhausted; in few
days he is taken up again.
| quite appreciate the answer once
given by fellow who was for the sec
ona time charged with vagrancy.
"What are your means of subsistencet'
asked the presiding judge.
"Why, have lived on them" an
swered the prisoner
This second time. besides term Of six
months imprisonment, the accused has
to undergo from two to five years police
supervision, which means that he must
report himself once wnek at the police
station. Considering that, by law, Paris
and the five or six largest towns OF
France are closed to him, it would be
! Just as well, and much more human, tc
give him transportation for life at once
How is he likely to get employment in 9
town where he is seen paying his weekly
visit to the police station2 In the largt
cities he might have had chance.
When society, in the name of the law
deprives man of his liberty, it under
taAes to provide him with the neces
sarics Of life; but If it discharges hin
from prison, telling him he must provide
for himself, and at the same time i'm
poses constraints upon him which make
1t practically impossible for him to eari
an honest living, whst is the conse
quence? Vagrancy brings condemna
ton and police supervision; police super
vision brings impossibility to obtail
work; impossibility to obtain worl
brings vagrancy. This is tho viciou
circle in which he Is virtually enclosed.
If the proceedings Of the Police Cor
rectionnellc are dull and prosy, those o
the court of assizcs offer q differen
sight. We are now in perfect theatre
Nothing is wanting but stage boxes, ant
the division of seats into stalls and gal
[ lhc Dt iltliiSell oittl III
gSts his awful position, and thinks of tn
public who gaze at him. He feels like
sort of hero, the actor In whom the in
terest of the grand spectacular dram
concentrates. Ladies of the highest SC
ciety flock to the court, duly provide
with scent bottles ana extra pocket hand
kerchiefs. If, rs is the case in Franc
nine times out of ten, a woman is tn
cause of tho prisoners terrible position
they expect sensational scenes that woul
draw at the Porte St. Martin theatre, an
they are seldom disappointed. AT last
little bell is rung All are silent an
breathless. Tho accused, accompanie
by two gendarmes, enters the court, an
sits on high bench, well in view of e'
erybody. Then come the three judge
with their scarlet gowns, followed b
the advocate general, or public pros
cutor. All take their seats solemn,
The performance is about to begin.
prisoner at the barr says the presto
ing judge, "stand up, and give me you
name and surname" Then the examin;
ton of the accused by the judge begin
cannot help thinking that the Frenc
are right in examining the prisoner b
fore the Jury. The French eye is remarl
ably quick to detect expression, and
seldom fails to understand the NOV
ment of the muscles of the face. Eme
son said he knew an experienced counse
who once said to him that he new
feared the effect upon jury of a lawy'
who did not believe in his heart that h
client ought to have a verdict. Fac
never lie. Truth tyrannizes over the u
willing parts of the body. No man ne,
be deceived who will study the chang
of expression. When man speaks Il