The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-11-23

OtSelIe a was raise. NC sucn person
existed. The juge d. instruction was
playing on the woman's jealousy. to get
her to accuse her husband. Later,
when she found how she had been
duped. she tried to recede her charge.
but was not permitted. Finally she
vas sentenced to five years imprison-
ment and her husband to four, justly,
perhaps, but by means which gentlemen
among ourselves would as little think
Of employing as they would of commit
ting the act which was punished.
The examination before the JUICE d.
Instruction constitutes in reality the
trial. The instruction" Is for the
judges, and in ordinary cases the trial
seldom takes more than a few minutes.
papers are sent to the court with, IL
possible, the prisoners confession. The
court asks him If he acknowledges the
facts read owe and IL he does, SEN
tence follows.
The object Of courts Of Justice in all
countries Is, of course, the discovery of
truth, but methods differ widely. After
learning how preliminaries are man.
aged. the next thing was to witness a
court scene. 1t is scarcely necessary to
say these differ as much from ours as
the Juge d. Instruction from any officer
we possess.
tOos
The lowest criminal court in France,
the .cour correctionnelle." embraces
functions which we ~.vide between the
police court and the general sessions.
1t does ordinary police court business,
judging DRINKS and fighters, and it has
power to intlict sentences of five years
imprisonment, but not more. 1t is COM
pose of three judges, the president and
two associate judges. who sit in robes
and wear what seem to be Persian hats
on their heads. At side sits the
Procureur. In the body of the court,
within the bar, are the lawyers, each In
his gown, but o wearing wigs. as in
England. The rest of the chamber is
given TO spectators. over the judges
seats hangs the crucifiX, replacing the
sword in English courts, and to a on
siderable extent typifying the differ
ence, for, however Objectionable meth
DDS In France may appear to us, the
ferocity Of England is c~onspicuously
absent.
Shortly before one o'clock the prison
ers for trial were brought up from be-
low. At once the three judges took their
places. The president was Monsieur
FOugere, a short, stout man, with a red
swollen face, not unlike NJ. Theirs in
figure. On his right sat one of the as
"Ah bhhhi VI IN Bhi tANu
lar appearance, whose greatest duty APP
peared to be to look wise. On the presi-
dents left was the other, quite a young
man. who merely conceded with the
presidents decision.
a few vagabonds were disposed of in
as many minutes, and then a case was
called for which the president was evil
IDENTIFY waiting, for as the prisoner
stepped up to the bar an expectant and
gratifled "Ah" escaped from the lips OF
His Honor.
The prisoner was charged with some
fraudulent trickery or other in which
he had displayed a good deal more un-
ming than brains. and the prospect of
tearing him to pieces seemed to give
the judge an ~appetizing relish.
For a prosecuting attorney to roast a
prisoner is nothing extraordinary. II
is part of his office to make him as black
as possible and to grind exceedingly fine
the poor wretch who falls into his
clutches, but with the name of judge we
are accustomed to associate Ideas of
dignity and decorum, and their absence
would shock us painfully.
Until the appearance of the prisoner,
but for the difference in language ]
might have fancied myself in America,
From this moment all was changed.
The charge was. read and the president
began to question him, going into every
detail of his offence, laughing loudly,
joking and calling the attention of the
filthy rabble who had crowded into the
court room as spectators, probably be-
cause for the moment they were not
there as prisoners. The louder they
laughed the more the president joked,
gesticulating, constantly appealing to
the members of the court with a NEST
ce-pas?"-is II not so?-but really in
tending his appeal for the rabble.
AJocular Judge.
After completely exhausting the sub
ject and his fund of jokes he gave the
prisoners counsel permission to speak.
The instant the lawyer began his plead
ing, the judges picked up papers, appar-
emily relating to the next case and
busted themselves deeply with them. II
must have been impossible for their
honors to hear a word he said, but he
struggled manfully to the end. When
he sat down the papers we're laid aside,
the president made a pretence of con-
sulting with the others about the SEN
tence, that is he turned to the old man,
who nodded his answer to a whisper,
and then to the young me who exer-
cised the muscles of his neck In the same
manner. Turning to the prisoner the
president recited In a breathless gable
the article of the code which con-
demned him and finished with a sem
tence Of. eighteen months imprison-
ment.
Not much sympathy could be felt for
him. but the conduct of the Judge was
revolving. / afterwards learned that
with the judges this kind of conduct is
habitual. Their object appears to be to
show their wit, or as the French call II
''esprit"-a word which includes wit
and cleverness and a great deal more
besides. -, ,
The action Of the court in the recent
trial Of the Marquis de Mayve excited
the establishment of the English and
American press and some of the Paris
papers have given the judge severe re-
Dukes for his unfairness and levity, but
1t will take something more than news
paper scolding to make much of q
change among them.
One provision of French law Is alto
gether admirable. Every condemned
man has ten days after sentence In
which to appeal. He has but to notify
the jailer who informs the procureur.
Each department has a court of appeals
situated in the ''chef-lieu,' the county
town, and there the appellant Is con-
veyed. The case Is heard before q bench
of Judges, Il In number, VINO confirm,
diminish or increase the sentence as
they see fit, and their decision Is final.
One further degree the case can be car
ried. The count de cessation may be ap-
pealed to for errors in form but 1t has
no power to change the sentence. All
this Is done without expense to the pris-
oner, and II he has no money to employ
counsel one Is furnished him.
Auxioua IN Got IofO Iajg
With the exception of our county Jail
FOUNDERS the prison class in France
must be alone OF its kind In the world.
In no other country DO we hear Of men
who deliberately get themselves into
prison with the object of being better
off. more comfortable. better fed and
better lodged. At the approach of win
ter the rowing vagabonds who manage
to dodge the police in summer. find
sleeping In haystacks or In empty
freight carr too trying for their delicate
systems. and thew accOrdingly prepare