The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-12-17
MORE ARRESTS LIKELY.
Members of the French Cham
ber May be Prosecuted.
DE LEssEPs EFT AL. PLEAD INNOCENT

Charges Against the Accused Directors
Premier Ribot Congratulated for the
stand the Government Has Taken-Paris
in the Greatest Excitement
PARIS, Dec 1.-THE police are making
q wholesale descent in search Of docu-
ments and other evidence for use in the
prosecution of the Panama canal directors
and others accused of completely in the
frauds.
Armed with warrants of search, the
police visited the premises of the Panama
Canal company, and also the premises of
NJ. Thieree, of the firm of There 81 Com
pany.
Besides searching Thierees premises
they searched those of his partner NJ.
Proper, who had joined with NJ.
Thieree in refusing to enter into any par
ticulars about the 26 checks to bearer,
which the company had given to Baron
Reinach in return for a check for $780,
474 francs, drawn by the Panama Canal
company.
These 26 checks were believed to be the
key 70 the mystery of corruption and
fraud
The police also searched the residence
OF NJ. Herr, who is alleged to be deeply
implicated in the Panama schemes of
Reinach, and who was with Reinach
shortly before his death.
AS yet no warrant has been issued for
the arrest of NJ. Ferdinand de Lesssps. 1t
was decided to make the arrest at meet
ing at which NJ. Ribot, the Prime Minis
ter; NJ. Bourgeois, Minister of Justice;
II. 4 / AI. L.
| Criminal Department were present.
The prosecution Of MN. Charles de Les
seps, Fontane and San Leroy who were
arrested yesterday, will be entirely dis
tinct from the others.
| The papers assert that four more inn
| portant arrests are imminent.
| 1t is reported that the government will
ask the Chamber of Deputies to authorize
| the prosecution of a number of it's mem
J bers.
The Presidents of the four Republican
| groups waited upon NJ Ribot yesterday
and congratulated him upon the decision
! of the government, the hrmness of which
is generally approved in the lobbies and
the Chamber itself. Its firmness has Sc
cured for it decided majority in the
Chamber. Only the members of the
Right and some Of the Radicals disapprove
of the government.
The arrested Panama Canal directors,
when arraigned before Magistrate Fran
quello, protested their innocence They
were committed to the Mazas Prison.
Jules Picard, president of the Suez
Canal company, has written letter to the
president of the Paris Agents de Change
saying that the shareholders..in in the Suez
| Canal need not be alarmed over the ar
rest of Charles de Lesseps, as the Suez
Canal company is absolutely certain to
progress satisfactorily.
The charges against the officers of the
company, on which summonses were pre-
viousiy served, and on which they now
have been arrested, are that they have
jointly made use of fraudulent imaginary
credit; that they have dissipated capital
entrusted to them Tor a specific purpose,
and that they havn sGindled others out of
part, or all, Of tAoir means Of living on
their fortunes.
| These O1enses come within the reach of
seven articles of the penal code,
The penalties to which the heads of the
Panama Company have made themselves
liable, should the theory of the prose
cution be established, are one years
imprisonment at least and five years at
most, and fine from two pounds to one
hundred and twenty pounds. The con-
vict may also be deprived of civil rights
from the day on which he leaves the
prison for five years at least, and ten
years at most and be moreover, forbidden
to vote at legislative, municipal or other
elections, to carry arm to act as guar
! dian.
The accomplice is liable to the same
penalties.
1t is noteworthy that the accused par
ties in this case are not to be tried for in
fractions of the laws regulating financial
+ and industrial companies, but under arti-
cles of the common law. The theory,
therefore, of the prosecution is that the
Panama affair was a swindle from the
beginning. The original concessionaires
are sheltered by prescription.
Paris is in the greatest excitement ovei
the arrests, and nothing else is heard OF
the streets or in public places.