The morning call., 1890-09-14
NEW CALEDONIA.
How Conyicts Spend the Time.
Story of Il Frenchman.

Mr. F. Oldinair recently returned from 4
long sojourn in Caledonia, the big island in
the Pacific, 10 which several thousand French
criminals have been trans orted for their
cOuntry's good 1t is mistake, however.
to suppose that many of these convicts spend
their lives drudging away behind prison
walls. If they behave themselves and do
not try to escape they are in time permitted
TO enjoy good deal of liberty, live in cot
tages of their own outside the prisons, marry
female convicts. and acquire more or less
property. While in New Caledonia Mr. Or
dinair met beautiful young Frepehwoman
and her husband. They lived in good style,
entertained him handsomely, and as they
were not convictS their guest was curious to
knew how it happened that they were liY-
ing in such an out of the way part of
the world. They satisfied his curiosity, and
later he heard the story they told from the
French authorities on the island. About
twenty years ago wealthy Frenchman
named Lamy was condemned to life i'm
prisonmenti in New Caledonia. 1t had been
discovered that lie had successfully poisoned
two legitimate wives, and the public senti-
ment was that he was very lucky to save
his head. His sentence was that lie should
be kept at hard labor. II happened that in
his new home, being far away from the
French court that tried him, he was con-
fined very long in the prison gang and
gradually gained many privileges. Mr..
Ordinair hints that Lamy's money was in
tluential in making convict life easy and
comfortable for him. At the end of ten
years the wife-p0isoner was as free as any
one could be who was not permitted 10 90
anywhere lie pleased. He wandered at
will among the settlements of New
Caledonia, bought property in Noumea, the
Obi Of hi stn rt,I oh,
on which, before long, he had 1000 head of
cattle He had other business, and enjoyed
all the privileges of free colonist,
except that he could not quit the
island where he had been condemned to
perpetual exile. But, of coursr, the thing
he most desired was the complete freedom
that was denied him. In spite of his for
tune and the comparative comfort he en-
j0yed, he made up his mind to go back to
Europe if he could get there. One day he
went TO NOumea, wearing very lugubrI0uS
face, and told the Governor of the peniten-
tiary administration that the climate was
simply killing him; if he did not have a
change of air he would die. He begged for
permission to spend six months in Sydney
on account of his health. 1t is limited that
sympathy did not move the penitentiary
authorities half so much as gold, which is
capable of working miracles. A privilege
that had never been extended to a prisoner
on the island before was accorded to Lamy.
He obtained permission to seek change Uf
air, and openly embarked for Australia on
French steamer, buying the best accom-
modatiunS the vessel provided.
Lamy was now really a fugitive, for he
had not the slightest intention of returning
again to New Caledonia. 1t did not take
hun long to discover that the Sydney air
was rot sufficiently curative, and he accord
ingly took his passage upon one Of the San
francisco steamers, crossed North America
and pmba or from Naxu Nori- for EurOOn
A few months after Lamy should have
reappeared in New Caledonia and his
son and daughter-in-law. the young
people who so handsomely entertained
Ordinair, appeared on the scene. They
were equipped with full powers to dis
pose of his property on the island and they
settled in one Of their fathers houses and
proceeded leisurely to realize upon the
lands, houses, forests and herds of their
parent AT last accounts he was still re-
posing from his adventures in a country
bordering upon France.-St. Louis Post
DienaIph