El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-08-16

Win l1fS.68V-
ing medals, by President Faure, ior
the alleged herOism which they are a.
serted to have shown at the time of the
disaster. This is the result of the in
quiry instituted by the naval authori-
ties at Havre into the matter, and the
minister of marine, NJ. Lockroy, son-in-
law OF Frances great poet. Victor
Hugo, has submitted to President
Faure the names of the mem bers
of the crew who are to receive decora-
tions
According to the official report, the
charges OF cOwardice and savagery
brought against the officers and the
crew of the unfortunate vessel are
shameful cslumnies," and the hope is
expressed that the honors about to be
conferred upon them by the French
government will in some way atone
for the injustice of the ISLANDERS of
which they have been the victims.
The report, which is the joint work
of the naval and criminal authorities,
practically declares that the only man
guilty OF the savagery and brutality
wrongly ascribed to the crew. was an
Austrian steerage passenger of the
name of Louis POssett, who, owing to
the negligence of the United States
authorities. was permitted to escape
in New York, and who has thus
placed himself beyond the reach of
French justice"
The.report concludes with singular
ly ungenerous slur upon the victims
of the disaster, for it declares that
they were so parslyzed with fear and
so entirely helpless from cOnster nation
that they would not even accept the
offers made to them by the French
crew to embark in the boats. This is
declared to have been especially the
case with the frst-clsss passengers,
who had to such an extent lost their
presence of mind that, deaf to all ef-
forts on the part of the officers and the
crew to calm their apprehensions, they
did not even don the hfepreservers or
belts.
''The French sailors did all that was
humanely possible to save the psssen-
gers" This is repeated no less than
three times in the government report
Finally, the report places all the blame
for the disaster on the Cromartyshire,
and protests against the theory that
the commanders of liners flying either
the French or any other foreign flag
are under obligations to follow any
particular route.
The publication of this report, while
it may satisfy the demands OF French
patriotism, which, as may be seen in
VIII Tile OT6yIuS case, are
permitted to ride rough-shod over
equity, truth and justice, has aroused
a storm of protest upon the part of
some of the French frst-class passeng-
ers who have survived Thus NJ. Lie
bree, in an indignant letter addressed
to the Temps and to other Partisan
calls attention to the fact
that whereas nearly the entire crew of
the Bourgogne managed to save
themselves only fifty-three out
OF 500 passengers sur
vived. He repeats the story of how
three of the boats freighted exclusive
ly with members of the crew rowed
away from the vessel, not only desert
ing the passengers, but beating them
back. and recapitulates the dispute
which he had after the collision on
board the Crom artyshire with Laisne,
the third engineer OF La Bourgogne,
who during the course thereof express
sd his regre t that he had not had re-
volver to fire on the passengers who
attempted to enter the boat in which
ne bad saved himself.
NJ. Liebree, who lost both his
children in the disaster, and whose |
ace and head still bear traces of the |
knocking treatment which he received |
rom the sailors while endeavoring to