The San Francisco call., 1895-11-04
Long Terms Of Imprisonment
Given to Those Convicted
of Lese-MajeSte.
HOSTILE TOWARD OFFENDERS.
Court and Public Prosecutor Bitter
Toward the Ridiculers of
Sedan Day.

BERLIN, GERMANY, Nov. 3.-No prose-
cutions for the offense of lese-majeste
which have taken place in recent years
have so attracted public interest as the
trial and conviction last week of Herren
Dierl and Pfund, respectively editor and
associate editor Of the Vorwaerts, the lead
ing Socialist organ, and Herr Randmann,
editor of the NOlks, that resulted IN the
sentencing of Dierl to six months, Pfund
to nine months and Randmann to twelve
months imprisonment The gentlemen
are now at liberty on bail in the sum of
S400 marks each, pending their appeal from
the judgment of the court, and the case is
exciting general discussion.
Herr Dierl especially drew upon himself
the wrath Of the authoritative powers by
ridiculing the Sedan day celebration and
the Kaiser Wilhelm l memorial church,
the latter OF which he dubbed the ''Aegir
church." and alluding TO the Emperor's
having devoted the proceeds of his recent
musical effort, the Song of Aegir,'t o
the expenses of erecting the memorial
windows of the church, which were lately
consecrated with great ceremony.
The unusually hostile attitude of the
present court and the public prosecutor
toward the offending editors has been the
subject of much public criticism. Every
day since the conclusion of the trial the
Norwaerts has contained a TRADE of de-
nunciation directed against the public
prosecutor for having suggested that Dierl
sold himself to the real culprits and really
contracted for a sum of money to stand
trial and serve whatever sentence the court
irrlf p L. 6
actual offender. The contention OF Dierl's
paper has been that he was absolutely
fitted, and devoted himself Iegitimately
to literature and not to shame"
The Berlin Post, however, printed in its
issue OF last evening, with the appearance
OF exactness, a statement which it dedi-
Gates to the VorWaerts, asserting that
Dierl was formerly an obscure actor. His
age-63 years-prevented him from con-
tinuing in that profession, and in order to
obtain a livelihood he avowed himself
socialist and made a connection with the
Norwaerts in the capacity of clerk at a
salary OF 112 marks ($28) a month.
short time later, upon the strength of his
contention that he was merely eating of
the bread OF favor instead of receiving the
compensation to which his services en-
titled him, he was induced as considera-
tlon for the advancement of his stipend to
sign a paper declaring himself to be
wholly responsible Tor the dangerous and
seditious articles which had appeared
or might thereafter appear in the paper.
For thus accepting responsibility for the
acts of others, he received the miserable
increase of twelve marks month in his
salary. In the opinion of those who be-
lieve the foregoing statement to be true,
this renders Dierl entirely unworthy of
sympathy; and places him in the position
of being morally as well as legally bound
TO serve the sentence he voluntarily con-
tracted 10 undergo.
The feeling of soreness and Indignation
over the recent alarmist statements pro-
mulgated upon the alleged authority of
the st. Petersburg Official Messenger has
not only not abated but has been aggra-
waited by the semi-offfcial explanation of
the matter, from which it would seem that
the blame lies in the Russian Official Tele-
graph Agency. The Vossische Zeitung, in
an article championing the cause of opera
tors on the Bourse, who were hit hard
through transactions based upon these
statements, in plain language charges
Russian officials with completely in the
matter and accuses certain officials in ST.
Petersburg having had the intention
of putting down quotations on the Berlin
Bourse. 1t is more likely, however, that
the matter was the result of an oversight,
but the act was culpable nevertheless.
This is the second occasion since Prince
Lobanoff-Rostovsky was appointed Rus
sian Minister of Foreign Affairs that state
ments OF the gravest import sent out from
st. Petersburg have had to be disavowed
upon Official authority, the other occasion
being the recent Bulgarian sensation,
which turned out to be a canard So in
tense is the feeling of indignation here
over these incidents that it will be a long
time before they viii be forgotten, and
they will tend to increase the distrust of
Wolffs agency, which has lately issued
various retractions and explanations, as
well as to cast suspicion upon the "semi-
official system of promulgating lmpor-
tant statements generally.
During the session of the colonial coun-
Gil, which was held about the middle of the
week, Herr Kayser announced that the
mines which the Southwest Africa Com
pany had opened to the northward of
OtatlVl contained copper in such abund-
ance as has seldom been found anywhere
else in the world.
The new building erected for the occu-
pancy of the Prussian Landtag is exter-
nally completed, and fitting of the interior
is proceeding rapidly. A large part of the
fittings and furniture of the old building
were found to be entirely unsuited to the
new building and have been sold at auc-
ton. The sale attracted large crowds of
buyers ana curiosity seekers, many of the
articles bringing good prices.
The Post devotes four columns to the re-
ports of various United States Consuls.
conveying the suggestion that American
breeders export horses into Germany for
the purpose of slaughtering them. The
Post contends that live animals could not
be exported profitably, and declares that if
the flesh of SLAM fprpd aDipna iS Shnuld fo