New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-09
TOLD BY G.. DE LESSEPS.
xor CORRUPTION. BUT ExTORTIoN. HIS
DEFENCE.

xnr CORRUPTION. BUT EAIOhIlON. his
DEFENCE.
.rxsAr1oNAL EVIDENCE IN TIE FRENCH AsSIzE
corRr-THE DEFENDANTS RELATIONS WITH
HERR REINACH. CLEMENCEAU. DE
rREYGNET FLooUET AND OTHERS
TOLD AT LENGTH.
Paris. March s.-The Assize courtroom and the
.,r,oaches to the Palace of Justice were crowded
,b;s morning, the occasion being the opening
:, tho trial OF eX-Mnister and Deputy AntOnin
u,onst Deputy Dugue de la Fauconnere. Senator
n.,.I. ex-Deputy Gobron, NJ. Blondin, NJ. Charles
:. J.sseps. NJ Marius Fontane, ex-Minister of
~,hln Works: Baihaut and NJ. Sans-Leroy, on
.h.,ees Of corruption in connection with the
u,sma Lottery Bonds bill. Among the spec
..,o,s were NJ Clemenceau, NJ. Eugene Spuller
I'M Floquet, the former President Of the Cham
~, Of Deputies, as well as several members OF
tbs Committee of Inquiry of the Chamber OF
nsuties. delegated to watch the trial. Sixty
-tSesses had been summoned. Charles de Les
.sns Fontane and Baihaut had been brought to
.onrt under guard. NJ Baihaut looked worn and
6enressed and the others had an air of embar-
rassment and distress.
The accused men, with voices broken with
smotion stated their names and occupations
listened 70 the reading of the charges against
them and gave deep attention to the testimony
for the prosecution.
Charles dc Lesseps was the first of the accused
men to be examined by NJ. Desjardins. the pre-
s;diru tnstice. In replying to the questions OF
Jr1oe Desiardins. he briefly sketched his duties
IN the Panama Canal Company. lie managed most
AZ the business connected with the advertising
and the guarantee syndicates, he said lie was
employed for these purposes by his father, whom
he was proud to serve in any capacity. He took
rride in saving that his father first conceived
the idea of piercing the Isthmus of Panama, and
he had always felt deeply grateful that he was
ab,e 10 assist in snch a great work, even If only
90 a comparatively humble Official charged with
daily routine duties As Secrctary-General he
Ind made regular report Of the company pro-
ceedngs to his father.
aIn 1885 YOU asked the Government to intro
duce in the Chambers bill authorizing an issue
of lottery bonds" said Judge DesJardins. "Why
ad Won then pay 600, 900 francs to Cornelius
Herz?"
M Herr came to my father and me and told
Ms that he had great influence with the Govern
ment, replied NJ de Lesseps. This statement
hardly surprised us. as his relations to those IN
mower had already become apparent through ms
rapid promotion in the Legion of Honor. Ills
oronosals greatly embarrassed us, but we did not
feel that we could afford to ignore or oiiend
hm-he was too powerful. lie had several sup
porters in the Government. and was, moreover
sleeping partner in La Justice, the organ OF NJ.
Clemeuceau. who was then considered likely 70
become Premier He was not the kind oil man
TO neglect any of the opportunities thus anordeo
to him. We should have preferred that ne haa
not come to us, but after he had come and made
30 do hat
make him our ally instead of that which would
,0are him our enemy He talked very freely at
that time-boasted of the services ne had rendered
\, the Government and invited me to accompany
him to Mont-Sous-V Vaudrey to see evidences OF
his friendship with NJ Jules Grevy. went with
;hs,. ma found that NJ. Herr was received as
friend Of the family. l was then convinced that
he was man we must reckon with
"Your duty as a man Of honor was to show
such a fellow the door, interpolated Judge Des-
jardins.
But we could not make an enemy OF the
sleeping partner in La Justice" replied NJ. DC
Iesseps If we had appealed TO the Jaw we shouio
have come to grief. For instance, IN 1855 we
Issued lottery bonds Immediately kilograms
were sent all over the world announcing that my
father was dead, subscriptions stopped, ana we
appealed to the courts for the punishment oi
those who had sent the kilograms, but there
was no prosecution of the offenders. we were
Obliged TO protect ourselves or he tho victims OF
ALI sorts of potters. The subscriptions came to
nothing. Than financiers showed US how 10
resort 10 those methods which are now matter
Of general knowledge. They said: Unless you
nav money to all the banks under the influence
Of Grardin YOU will have all the newspapers IN
Paris against you' We still held out against
such methods. The newspapers attacked us, ana
finally we were driven to paying enormous sums
right and left. We were forced to avail our
selves of this sort of assistance. and this mode
Of procedure was encouraged by the "oVefh-
ment"
leave the Government alone!' called Judge
pesiardins. sharply Slight applause and storm
Of protests from the audience greeted this ad-
montion. Judge Desjardns tried to speak again,
but was interrupted with cries of why not the
Government ?n "Give us the truth" Shame upon
mch iustice.n Finally order was rttored by
preparations to clear the court.
After reproaching NJ de Lesseps for having
paid 30 much money belonging to subscribers to
Cornelius Herr, without shadow Of justifica-
ton Judge Desjardins asked
"How did YOU come to be introduced to Nj.
Baihaut9"
"A friend OF the Minister Of Works told NJ
Fontsne that the Minister was ready to introduce
the Lottery Loan bill. but would require GER
tain large sum to defray the expenses Of ad-
vertising indispensable to securing strong support
for the measure have heard it said that these
steps were actually initiated by the Government
and,
we cannot allow these insinuations,' inter.
poscd the Advocate. General give names IL
You can, but do not make such vague senerai
statements
we feared that NJ. Fontane's Informant was
only pretending that he came from the "o'crh,
knt.' resumed NJ. de LesseDs. and 30 auViseu
= Fontane not to deal with him. NJ. fon'ane
severed: 4 should have asked shortly to visit
- Minister: il the arrangements be not previ-