The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-26
LENIENT FRENCH JURIES.
THEIR CONVICTIONS PRONOUNCED
A FAILURE.

isled.
Correspondence of The Ne,c York Commercial
Advertiser.
PRS. July 11.-Instead of sending your
readbrs a chronicle of Partisan fashionable
life will talk to you to-day about murder
ers and the penal laws of France as now ad-
rninbtered in this country.
It S in the natural order of things that
ever medal has its reverse side, and reason
demands that men should accept the defects
of an institution in order to benefit by its
advantages since it is not in their power to
create any which possess the one without
the oiher. 1t is question of average to be
established and of equilibrium to be attained.
However, there are cases where this equi-
hbrirHn is so completely upset that even the
broadcast minds, those who finds an excuse
for the evils inherent in imperfect humanity.
ask themselves If the defects of certain
institutions do not so overwhelm the good
that il would be better to abolish them if
they cannot be reformed.
1t is customary to say in France that one
of the finest conquests of liberty is the jury.
Like parliamentary government, 10 was
borrowed from England, but it does not
bcolll, 1LlJ IlOAO LudLI kONcl
ment, to have brought forth the fruit ex
pected of it on Gaulish soil.
The incompetency, the indifference, the
weakness of Frenca juries Ill matters OF
repression have become proverbial. Al
though every one lamenis it, the evil is ever
on the increase and has reached such a stage
to-day that many influential persons sug-
gest, if there be no means found for stop
ping the abuse, whether it would not be
hatt m fha IN ind
vidual liberty given by the ideal jury. The
simple statement of the following verdicts
passed during the last month will give an
idea of the degree of excavation, of senile
weakness which the French jury has
reached:
l ill recall to those VIII may have for
gotten it, first: That it is not in accordance
with the unanimity, but the majority Of
voices, that the verdict of the twelve jury
men is given; in the case of an equal di-
vision the accused has the benefit of the
doubt; secondly, that the French law adj
mlts extenuating circumstances and that
the answer, guilty may be accompanied
by the former words, in which case the
court cannot pronounce the maximum of
penalty.
At Paris, in the same day, a young jew
eler, IL years Of age, griev ously wounds his
mistress with five pistol shots. The motive,
ACQulJJCQ. An Oh DdITuTGSSeT,
aged 90, attempts to murder his mistress,
aud wounds Eer slightly. The alleged
motive, she refused TO return to him 1,500
francs, which she swears she never had in
her possession. Acquitted. Two days later
a young stoker wounds his wife with
two revolver shots. The motive, jealousy,
but without fGgronte delictu, or even
suspicion Of its being proved. Acquitted.
Ag in, at Paris, policeman, off duty,
mr. d oil l,xr1 10. -,
street with his umbrella me acknowledges,
himself, that it was without provocation-
simply to amuse himself, being drunk.
The lady, the owner of the dog, reproaches
him with his brutality, he fires two pistol
shots Into her breast; after two months she
was not sufficiently recovered to appear In
court. One year and day of prison.
At Paris, still, q young woman nearly
kills her little girl with cruel treatment
under the influence of constant lnebriety
from morphine Two months imprison-
meat. If one compares these verdicts with
those given before tribunals where offenses
are not brought before a jury it will be
seen that seditious speech, a slight infrac-
ton against the laws concerning public
meetings or a simple offense against police
regulations are often punished with years
Imprisonment. The Marquis de Mores was
condemned to SIX months for q speech,
just the half which the brute will undergo
who as | have said, nearly killed woman
without the shadow of provocation. Fss3
But this is nothing in comparison with
the condemnation pronounced ON June Is
by the Paris aSsize court against a black
smith, who crushed the head of his little
girl, aged Is months, against a wall, giving
for his reason that it ANNOYED him to hear
the child cry. The poor little creature had
been martyred from its birth by this brute,
and this in the sight of, and in the knowl-
edge of all the neighbors, and the audience
wept on hearing the deposition of the poor
sobbing mother, relating the fright
scenes she had been made to witness. You
will not believe it, only six years imprison-
ment. They found extenuating circum-
stances for this abomnable crime, and put
aside the question of generalization.
Again-and here is where is revealed in all
its beauty the incoherent manner in which,
thanks to the jury, justice is applied in
France-ln the same week a provincial
assize court condemned a farm girl to
twelve years hard labor for having
smothered 1.-TWO twins to whom she had
given birth clandestinely.
This Is not all, peasant in the south of
France attracted to his house a neighbours
child took her down into his cellar. at
tackled her and cut her throat, and was
surprised by his own wife, just as be was
bleeding her like pig, over pail Hard
labor for life. Now, those who know with
what humanity convicts are treated at
present in New Caledonia, if they behave
themselves moderately well, will under
stand that the punishment is much less
severe than it seems, certainly insufficient
Tor such wretches who deserve death ten
times over
But here Is something worsei A wood
cutter In the Vosges, the terror of the place
oy reason of his brutality, has three chill
oren. He sends the eldest to beg. As she
does not bring back enough money, he cuts
OH her head with an ak in the presence of
the two other little ones, and he was not
even drunk. Ones brain spins trying TO
imagine what extenuating circumstances
The jury could find for such a monster in
human shape. Hard labor for lifel
One would really think that the penalty
OF death did not exist in the French code If
tne same jury the next day had not given a
verdict of capital punishment against an
ncendIary. 1t was because this crime
threatened their own interests that the iurv
protected themselves by Furnishing it.
Finally, l shall cite the two assassiuations
winch complete the last judiciary month.
Al village in the department of the Loire
TWO peasant families had a quarrel. The
son OF one met the daughter of the other at
a uau. de fell in love with her, and, not
parlhg to ask her hand in marriage became
er lover. This became noised abroad. A
lew days after the young mans
eody was fished out of pond. The law set
10 work md 1900 -. I...,.-