The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-03-17
THE PANAMA TRIAL.

PARIS, March 16-M Barbour, counsel
for Charles de Lesseps, summed up for his
client in the Panama trial today He
spoke at great length, always earnestly.
and often eloquently AT the beginning
of the trial, be said, his case was so strong
that he was willing to try it before jury
of the stockholders, and today he again
expressed the conviction that he could Sc
cure Charles de Lesseps' acquittal.
NJ. Barboux traced the history of the
canal company after 1885. All the cham
bers of commerce in France, he said, had
favored the completion of the canal after
The work had been advanced to the point
at which il was tagging, before the last
attempt to raise the loan. The whole
commercial world that centered in Paris
wished that the undertaking be completed.
To complete il there was need OF the lot
terry loan bill To pass the bill there was
need OF submitting to the demands of NJ.
Baihut aud others like him, who stood
ready to kill the measure if they were not
conciiated. The vacillsting policies of
successive ministries were the first
causes of the scandal and of the present
trial. Whv,had Charles de Lesseps been
selected to bear the brnnt of the charges of
bribery, when Others, known to be guilty,
had been untoucheds Charges fully as
serious as these against NJ. de Lesseps had
been made against dozens of other men,
but they had been ignored, or the accused
hsd been permitted to escape.
NJ. Barbou analyZed the testimony of
ex-Deputy ChattaGuet. who gave evidence
that NJ. Sallgap, In the name of Charles
de Lesseps. had tried TO buy his vote with
300, coo frances for the lottery loan bill.
ii. Chattaquet's testimony, he said, had
been contradictory and inconsistent with
the dates mentioned By him, and was ap-
parenily caused by defective memory.
The prosecution was bound to produce
In court the testimony connecting the So
called bribe-givers aud bribe-takers. This
it had utterly failed to do The only
three persons who could have supplied the
missing evidence, although not to the
satisfaction of the prosecution, were Baron
de ReiDacb, who was dead: Cornelius
Herr, who was absent on account of ill
ness. and Arton. the lobbyist, the pretended
search for whom had excited The laughter
of al Europe NJ. Clemenceau might
have given some conclusive testimony in
this trial, but be was restrained from do
ing so. The ministers might have given
the most vital Information, but they saw
fit to withhold it.
Continuing, NJ. Barbour asked why had
Cornelius Herr been permitted TO f1ee
from the country? Why had he not been
seated amoug the prisoners. Or at least
cause for ten years he had been the broker
Of the radical party. When the radicals
peld the power Of government they had
saken the money they needed to defend
their ideas and to enrich their supporters
The payments made to Baron de
Reinacb. NJ. Barbour described rs per-
tectly legitimate. They were given, he
said. according to an agreement with
the bankers constituting the guar
Rntee syndicate. Who would be foolish
enough 10 believe that such large sums
were intended for the insignificant depu-
ties and senators whom the jury had seen
in the court room.
After the laughter following this slur
had subsidized Judge Desjardines pleaded
fatigue as an excuse for an adjournment
OF the court.
In the chamber Of deputies today NJ.
Ribot, the premier, denounced as abomina-
bic the rumors In the newspapers to the
effect that be had made 4 bargain with
Madame Cotiu not TO reveal the name Of
X. concerned in the Panama bribery
charges, being mentioned in the Reinach
list Of checks given by Cornelius Herr to n.
AndrleuX. aud that "X' WAS the embassa-
dor Of friendly power. whose name the
counsel for Henri Cottu was about to
state in court. The president of the bar
committee, NJ. Ribot said, spoke to the
counsel for NJ. Cottu aud the counsel de-
nied that he had any intention of naming
an emoassador being convinced that the
parsonage in question had nothing to do
Win the Panama corruption.