Daily public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1892-191?, 1896-08-08
EELoNs oF oLo ANpoRRA.
Their TrialC Are Conducted In an I'm.
pressive Manner.


Their TrlalD Are Conducted In an I'm.
pressive Manner.
In Andorra, n province wedged be
tween France and Spain, the man who
is TO be condemned to punishment has
full opportunity to make prominent
spectacle of himself. Great prepare
tons are made for the public sentence,
They lead him out into the market
place and make a holiday of the day,
1t is supposed that this notoriety has a
depressing effect upon other criminals.
The province of Andorra is about
twice the size of Manhattan island, and
has a population of 10000 persons, who
speak the Catalan tongue. For LOO
years it has been operated as democ-
racy, owing a divided allegiance to
France and to Spain. Each country
names criminal judge, and they try
cases Jointly. If they fail to agree the
case under consideration is decided by
a referee or appeal Judge.
In addition to these three officials,
there are two district attorneys, whose
duty it is to represent the accused, and
10 do their best to get him off. This is
an old Andorra institution. Each of
these gentlemen is provided with as
sistants and secretaries, and when a
criminal is on trial pretty nearly the
whole population has a chance to act
in some official capacity. The hearings
are in private, unless the case is very
serious one, but the sentence is rem
dered publicly.
In case at Andorre-la-Vieille, the
capital of the province the prisoner
Manuel Baco. murdered his mother with
club and then pretended that she fell
down. The evidence against him was
complete and he was convicted. But
none knew what the sentence would be
until the Judges and the district attor-
neys declared it " mass-meeting.
The Judges and the q ''oonsuls" who
legislate for the province marched in
black robes and with somber mein into
the open square in front of the govern
ment building. Men followed bearing
the insignia Of Office and last of all the
clerk of the court carrying the written
sentence with pomp and ceremony.
The judges wore three-cornered hats
many sizes too large for them.
After they were all arranged and the
populace had had a charCe to be inn
pressed with the grimress of the scene
an order was given that The prisoner
be produced. \ number Of court Off
GERS in long black robes. accompanied
by captain and six men Of the Andor-
RI militia, marched To the prison. There
they removed the shacklcs from the
criminal and tied him with a rope. Then
began the solemn procession TO the
place of sentence.
The prisoner was placed in the center
of the crowd. four Sentincls near him
and fifth behind him charged with the
task of holding the othrr end of the
rope. Everyone stood at attention and
the clerk Of the court with some pre-
liminary fiourishes began the reading
of the sentence in loud and clear voice.
1t was n singularly lengthy document,
and it expressed in frank terms the
opinion of the judges on the conduct of
the prisoner.
But to the disappointment of everyone
except perhaps of the guilty man,
Nllb WAS ~ lttNl'NN VI lilr lttlllSS Ol
the crowd as 10 look rPiieved-the sen
tence was not to the dry guillotine,"
but to hard labor for life.
Then the prisoner was marched back
to his cage; the judges, etc, solemnly
walked into the public building and the
populaoe dispersed, wondering whose
turn il would I've next.
\ correspondent OF the Partisan
Weekly ILLUSTRATION, from whose re-
port these facts are taken, says that he
has been present many times when sem
tcnce was pronounced, but that he never
attended anything so impressive as this
ceremony in this quaint and out-of-the-
way province.--N. Y. World.