St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-17
THE ARRESTS BEGUN.
Three Of the Men Implicated
in the Canal Frauds in
Custody.
Charles de LesSepS and q For
mer Deputy Included in
the List.
An Immense Quantity Of Doc
uments Seized by the,
Police.
It Is Asserted That Four More
Important Arrests Are
Imminent.

PARIS, Dec. 16.-M. Charles Aime
Marie de Lesseps and NJ. Marius Etiehne
Fontone and nj. San-Leroy have been
arrested by direction Of the minister of
justice. NJ. Bourgeois. for their alleged
connection with the Panama canal
frauds. M. Henri Louis Felix Cottu,
for whose arrest an order was also
issued, has fled to Vienna. San-LerOy
is charged with having accepted bribe
as a member of the chamber Of depu-
ties. The charges against the officers
of the company, on which summons
were previously served, and Oh which
they have now been arrested, are that
they have jointly made use of fraudu-
lent imaginary credit; that they have
dissipated capital entrusted to them for
a specific purpose and that they have
sWlnded others out of part, or all Of
their means of living on their fortunes.
These oifenSeS came 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 prosecu-
tion be established, are thus laid down:
The Punishment.
'WhOSoeyer by making use of false
name, or quality, or resorting to fraud
ulent devices to persuade another or
others of the reality Of imaginary enter
priSeS, or of power or credit, or to give
rise to the hope or fear of a chimerical
event or undertaking, attempts to OBJ
tain money or any other property or re
ceiptS or discharges. is liable to one
years Imprisonment at least and five
years at most, and fine from 92 to
4120."
The convict may also be deprived
of civil rights from the day on which he
leaves the prison for five years at leat,
and ten years at most. San-LerOy is said
to be badly implicated by documents
and other evidence brought to light.
In the hearing before the Panama In
vestigating committee few days ago
Nj. San-Leroy stated that he had
changed his vote in obedience to the
wishes of his constituents. 1t is under
stood that the government had docu-
mentary evidence showing the exact
amount paid to NJ. San-LerOy for his
change of front. Besides making the
arrests. the authorities have searched
the residences of De Lesseps. Fontane,
Cottu and San-Leroy, and seized a mass
OF documents throwing new and i'm
portant light on the Panama frauds and
corruption.
Searched for Documents.
The police have been making whole
sale descent today, III search for dOcu-
ments and other evidence fol use in the
Of +y,. 4
rectorS and others accused. Armed with
warrants to search, the police visited
the premises of the Panama Canal COM
pany and also the premises of NJ. Thier-
rec, of the firm of Thierree q Co. Besides
searching Thierree'S premises, they
searched those of his partner. NJ. Proper,
who had joibed with M. Thierree in re-
fasing to enter into any particulars
about the twenty-siX checks TO bearer
which the company had given to Baron
Reinach in return for check for $780,,
475 francs drawn by the Panama COM
pany. The twenty-siX checks were be-
lievcd to be the key to the mystery of
corruption and fraud. The police
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.
The news of the arrest of the Panama
directors caused sensation IN the
chamber of deputies and much excite
ment in the lObbieS. Some of the men,
bers of the Panama commission Of in
vestigatiOn proposed to suspend the in
quiry, and others wanted the commits
sion to resign altogether and leave the
government unhampered in the eXecu-
ton of the law. The Panama investl-
eating commission met today, and after
a lengthy discussion of the situation
unanimously
Decided Not to R esign.
AS yet no warrant has been issued
for the arrest of NJ. Ferdinand de Les
seps. 1t was decided to make the ar
rests mentioned above at meeting held
last night, at which NJ. Ribot. the prime
minister; nj. Bourgeois, minister of JUS
tice; the procureur geural and the head
of the criminal department were pres
ent. The prosecution of MIN. Charles
de Lesseps, Fontaine and San Leroy
will be entirely distinct from the 9TH
ers. An enormous quantity Of docu-
mentS has been seized.
So large was the number that four
teen vans were required TO transport
them.
The evening papers assert that four
more important arrests are imminent.
1t is reported that the government will
ask the chamber of deputies to
authorize the prosecution of a num-
ber of its members. The presidents
TO the four Republican groups waited
upon NJ. Ribot today and congratulated
him upon the decision of the govern
ment, the firmness of which is gener-
ally approved in the Hobbies and the
chamber itself. Its frmness has Sc
cured for it majority in the
chamber. Only the members of the
right and some of the Radicals disap-
prove of the governments course.
The arrested Panama canal directors,
when arraigned before Magistrate Fran
quelle, 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
the SueZ canal need not be alarmed
over the arrest of Charles de Lesseps. as
the SueZ Canal cOmDanV is absolutely