The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-03-14
Bourgeois Challenges the Dep
mites to Impugn His Honor.
Charles dc Lesseps Hurls Defiance
ct the Ex-Minister of Justice.
TonGued Woman-The Effort to I'm
plieate the 0overnment In Panama
Scandal Falls Flat.

PARIS, March IA tremendous crowd
gathered in the chamber of deputies to-
day. anticipating cabinet crisis. The Bou-
langist and Royalist attack upon the gov
ernment Was delayed until the return OF
N. Bourgeois, ex-minister of Justice, from
the court. As soon as he appeared Arm
and Despres, Republican deputy for the
Seine, made the Interpolation of which he
had already given notice, concerning the
governments knowledge of the Soinoury
interview with Mime. Cottu. Godfrey
Savagain, Republican, also spoke in sup
port OF the Interpolation.
Then NJ. Bourgeois, pale, although self
possessed, walked to the speakers tribune
He began huskily. but quickly clearing his
throat, shouted:
Those charges are absolutely false have
been before the court and answered everything.
now have right to hold up my head. There
10 nobody to gainsay It
After the applause and cheers had sub
sided Bourgeois repeated the statement he
made in court. NJ. Ribot said:
Bourgeois had vindicated his own honor. He
himself would now vindicate the honor Of the
where not false was distorted. Ioubet had told
the premier that soinoury had been requested BY
An Intermediary to grant an interview to Nine.
Cottu. Soinoury understood that Nine. Ccttu
wished merely to ask that she might be allowed
to sec her husband Loubes authorized Sol
noury to receive her, supposing she had no other
business In view than arranging to visit Cottu.
Recently Mme Cottu requested that she bo
allowed 70 have IN interview with the project
of police. Was this another subterfuge? Did
this woman wish to lay . trap for the project
also?
The storm Of protestations of "Shame"
and "Falsehood" from the Boulangists
and Royalists rendered inaudible the pre-
mier's next words. Bouianglst Deputy
Millevoye. shaking his fist at Ribot,
shouted:
II that French honorf / refuse to listen 20
such calumnies against q woman Your Ian
zuage 10 . disgrace to the French tribunal
Shame yourself
Ribot waited patiently until the disorder
had passed and then said that he felt sat-
isfied the government was remiss in no
duty. After . lengthy debate Gustave
Rivet, Republican, moved that the cham
ber, in the determination to let justice
take its course and bring the truth to light,
approve the declaration Of the minister.
This motion was accepted BY Ribot, and
passed, 297 to 22S.
PARIS. March 13.-The approaches to the
Palais de Justice were thronged today by
excited crowds. There has not been such
excitement since the beginning of the
Panama scandal. The crowds were COM
posed Of all classes, from the militant
socialist to the wealthy merchant and
financier. The ominous murmur. angry
talk and menacing frowns on the faces Of
the lower classes In the throng reminded
one of the days preceding the commune.
The courtroom was thronged with Is many
rs could obtain admittance. The prisoners
seemed themselves revived by tho new
interest their case had awakened.
The features of Charles de Lesseps bore
. look of triumph. while even Baihut
looked less crushed than at any time previ-
ous since his pitiful confession. As soon
a. court opened Presiding Judge Desjardins
ordered that Bourgeois, the late minister
of justice, be summoned to testify at some
time during the day.
Deputy Fernand Mege, of Puy do Dome,
who belongs. according to his own state
ment, to the party of ''appeal to the peo-
ple," testified to the accuracy of the state
ment that Yvesguyot was tha source of
the report that Constans had commune
Gated to President Carnot in the council
at Elysee q list Of deputies implicated in
the alleged Panama briberies. Count Caf-
farelli, monarchist deputy for Aisne, gave
similar testimony, which was corroborated
by the radical deputy, Labrousse. Advo-
cate Lagrass demanded that Constans be
summoned, but this was objected to BY
the advocate general, who said that the
calling Of witnesses must have some limit.
Deputy Saint Martin, Union Conserve
tive, who had been member Of the COM
mittee on application Of the Panama Canal
Company for leave to issue lottery bonds,
testified that he did not see SAM Leroy,
one of the defendants accused of changing
his vote on the committee as the result of
q bribe, leave the committee room just be-
fore the critical division on the bill. Saint
Martin said he had been told that San
Leroy went out to see Arton, and after
wards San Leroy's opposition to tho bill
ceased.
Market, q member Of the same commit
tee. testified that he did not see San Leroy
leave the room on the occasion in question.
Tho witness remembered that there was
an alteration over the vote San Leroy
gave in support of the bill, and that San
LEROY told the committee he was bound TO
comply with the wishes Of his constitu-
ents.
NJ. Goliard testified that he knew the
secretary OF Henry Cottu and it was at the
suggestion of the secretary that he saw
Police Commissary Nicoil with q view to
effecting an arrangement between the gov
ernment and Panama directors. This in
terview led to discussions which took place
between Nine. Cottu and NJ. Soinoury.
chief Of the detective department. Wit
ness said he had acted entirely on his
own responsibility in bringing about the
interviews.
NJ. Bourgeois. late minister of justice,
next took the stand. He spoke with firm
ness and energy. and showed . DISPOSE
tion not to reserve anything that could
explain his position toward the Panama
case and the defendants. He emphatic
ally repudiated all insinuations contained
in the evidence Of Nine. Cottu. He de-
MED having authorized anybody to act in
his behalf He said he only permitted
Nine. Cottu to see her husband from
motives Of humanity. There was brief
passage between Bourgeois and NJ. Bar
boux, which ended with the latter saying
that nobody here doubted the sincerity of
Nine. Cottu's evidence. Charles do Les
seps here arose and in bold manner, and
in tones that rang through the courtroom,
said: