The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-27

convinced that that was the case. They
secuted all notion of suicide The entire
family, including a friend who had taken
supper with them and the servant were
Immediately arrested, and Marc Antoine
was treated as a martyr.
But even in those times they could not
convict man without some evidence, and
here is where the first striking resem-
blance to the Dreyfus case occurs Not
having a scrap Of evidence against the
Calais family, yet being determined to con-
Wet, they were forced to manufacture
some. Even the clergy announced from
the pulpit that all who had any knowledge
of this matter by hearsay or otherwise
should produce it. Even then the imagi-
nation of the people could not supply any
direct evidence against the family, but a
large amount of hearsay testimony sprang
up. One man testified that a boy who had
been in the crowd told him that he had
heard a voice cry out: "Oh mon Dieu,
they are strangling met When searched
for the boy could not be found, a fact that
bore heavily against the accused. Ano-
Their witness testified that some one, he
had forgotten whom, had told him that
he had heard a voice begging for mercy.
This important evidence was admitted by
the court. 1t was gravely asserted that 1t
must have been murder for the victim
could not possibly have hanged himself in
the position described. This the court ac-
cepted without taking the trouble to send
an officer to examine into its truth. And
yet this court was no ordinary tribunal,
but special committee of the Parliament
of Toulouse. On March g. 1892 this COM
mittee. on evidence of no more value than
the above, rendered verdict of guilty
against Jean Calais, and sentenced him to
torture and death, hoping in this way to
force from him a confession that would
justify his own conviction and that of the
rest of his family. This sentence was eX-
ecuted the next day, but Jean Calais, haV
ing nothing to confess, remained silent,
and the baffied court was forced to release
the rest of the prisoners. 1t contented it
self with putting the daughters in con-
vent and confscating the property.
Such was the first stage of the case,
stage in which popular passions, reflected
only too accurately by the authorities,
overrode all law and Justice
A few days after the execution of Jean
Calais, merchant who had been in Tou-
louise at the time, and on whom the trag-
edy had made a great impression, was Wis
iting Voltaire and told him the story. Vol
taire was not much impressed, saying that
unnatural as it was TO suppose that IA
Their would xii! his child, it was still more
unnatural TO think that an intelligent and
unbiased court would Wrongfully condemn
a man to such death. But he was Suf-
ficiently interested to make further inqui-
ries and quickly came to the correct con-
clusion, that Calais and his entire family
were innocent He then threw the whole
force of his will and intellect into the
struggle to reverse the judgment. The Ca
las family were nothing to him, but 1t was
a great deal to him that such fearful
wrong should take place in France. He
soon saw that ii was impossible to do any
thing with the parliament of Toulouse
That body, like the present general staff
of France refused to admit the possibility
Of error, would on no account reopen the
case and would permit no one to see the
records of it,
Voltaire turned to Paris. He wrote him
self to the minister of justice and inter
esting all his influential friends, and
through them their friends, he deluged the
ministe with letters, urging a revision OF
the case He published pamphlet after
pamphlet telling the whole story, and
pleading powerfully for justice to this IN
fortunate family. He engaged the ablest
lawyers in France to push the case and he
paid all these expenses out of his own
pocket He was slowly arousing a public
opinion that would demand a revision Of
an unmistSNable way Contributions came
in to help him in his work. Nine de Pom
padour was his friend but the King, who
had signed the revocation of the edict OF
Nantes was hard to move.
Since the public opinion Of France was
insufficient Voltaire determined to call
that of Europe to his aid. His letters and
pamphlets on The case were translated in
to several languages and scattered broad
cast All Europe was aroused to ndigna-
ton; subscriptions came in from the young
Queen Of England, wife of George III,
from the King of Poland, and from many
German princes. Under all this pressure
from at home and abroad, the King al last
consented, just one year after the death of
CALAIS. to have the case reviewed by
commission. This commission ordered the
records of the case to be furnished by the
Parliament of Toulouse, and a new trial to
be held in Paris. There were stili many
delays, so that il was two years, or more
before the final verdict was rendered, but
when It came it was a complete vindiea-
ton. The judgment Of the Parliament of
Toulouse was declared reversed; Jean Ca
las. his wife, his children, his guest and
his servant were pronounced absolutely
innocent of the charge against them, and
the family reinstated, as far as possible,
in their old possess ons.
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