Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1892-12-22
CANAL THIEVES IN JAIL.

Arrest of Officials of tho Panama Conn
pany-NgItliors of Dol'ars Stoten.
PARIS, Dec. 16.--M. Charles Anne
Marie de Lesseps, M. Marius Etienne
Fontane and M. San-Leroy have been
arrested by direction of the minister OF
Justice, M. Bourgeois, for their alleged
connection with the Panama Canal
frauds. M. Henri Louis Feliz Cottu,
for whose arrest an order was also
issued, has fed to Vienna San-Leroy
is charged with having accepted brlbe
as a member of the Chamber of DepU-
ties.
The charges against the officers of the
company, on which summonses were
previously served, and on which they
have now been arrested, are that they
have jointly made use of fraudulent
imaginary credit; that they have dissl-
pated capital entrusted to them for
specific purpose, and that they have
swindled others out of part or all OF
their means of living or their fortunes.
These otfenses 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 prosecution be estab-
ished, are thus laid down: WhosoeveE,
'bv making use of false name or quail
ity or resorting to fraudulent devices, to
persuade another or others of the real
ity of imaginary enterprises: or OF power
or credit, or to give rise to the hope or
fear as to the outcome of any
chimerical event or undertaking,
attempts to obtain money or any other
property or receipts or discharges, is
liable to one years imprisonment at
least and five years at most, and a fine
from co to 912O. The convict 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, for
hidden to vote at legislative, municipal
or other elections, to carry arms or to
act as guardian. The accomplish is liza
BILE to the same penalties. 1t is note
worthy that the accused parties IN this
case are not to be tried for attractions
of the laws regulating financial and in
dustrial companies, but under articles
of the common law. The theory, there
fore, of the prosecution is that the
Panama affair was swindle from the
beginning. The original concessionaires
are sheltered by prescription.
San-Leroy is said to be badly impli-
Gated by documents and other evidence
brought to light. He was not on the
Panama board. Suspicion was always
attached to him on account of his sud-
den change of front in the lottery COM
mittee OF the Chamber OF Deputies
when the lottery loan was being voted
on. At first he opposed the loan, but
then he turned the scale at the last
moment by voting In it's favor,
In the hearing before the Panama
investigating committee few days ago,
M. San-Leroy stated that he changed his
vote in obedience to the wishes of his
constituents. M. Rondeleux, another
former deputy, testified before the COM
mission that he drafted the first report
of the lottery committee of the Cham
Der against the lottery bill, and was SO
amazed when the committee rejected
change of front, that he resigned the
Craftsmanship of the committee. 1t is
understood that the government has
documentary evidence showing the ex
act amount paid to nj. San-Leroy for his
change of front. Besides making the
arrests. the authorities have searched
the residences of De Lesseps, Fontaine,
Cottu and San-Leroy, and seized a mass
of documents throwing new and i'm
portant light on the Panama frauds and
I corruption.
The only topic of conversation in
political and social circles is the Pana-
ma scandal, and the arrest to-day of
several of the persons who are charged
with being implicated in the affair has
caused the greatest excitement, al
though rumor has it last night that such
action has been determined upon.
What the outcome will be no one is able
to predict, butt can be said that those
who have the best interests of the re-
public at heart are deeply grieved at
the venality and selfshness that have
been displayed by men in high posi-
tons, many of whom were sworn to
preserve the honor of France.
The papers to-day contain little of in
terest to Parisians, except matter bear
ing upon the scandal. The moderate
Republican papers congratulate the gov
eminent upon the energy displayed by
it's members in yesterdays debate in
the Chamber of Deputies. The Con-
servative members claim that the result
of yesterdays vote discredits the gov
eminent. They add that the govern
ment had nc real ma ority, while at the
same time mortal wound was dealt the
Panama investigating committee by the
Chamber refusing to grant the commit
tee judicial powers.
LONDON, Dec. 16.-A dispatch to the
Chronicle from Vienna says that it is
expected that the scandalous develop
ments regarding the Panama Canal en-
terprise will lead to rapprochement
between Russia and Germany, owing
to the fact that the fall of M. Rouvier,
the French minister of finance, will
prevent the Russian government from