The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-01-12

thorities, Count d 'Haussonville, M. d. Olivecrona, M Dufaure, or M. Levelle, he smiles incredulously and still denies. If you compare France with other countries he pooh-poohs. In word. he believes France to be not only the great est Of all countries. but the most virtu- ous. He eXcepts Paris, perhaps, with an indulgent wink, because he likes to believe, and above all, likes foreigners to believe, that Paris is wicked"
 It might. perhaps be worth while to emphasize this A few days ago Par | is newspaper gave an account of the re- | cent doings of highwaymen in Chicago. | The report, although coming through an English channel, was apparently not exaggerated. It recounted num- l Der of details then summarized; for one week there was total of forty | 'hold-ups" besides number of other aggressions. It was a great chance for l commentary by the Paris paper. It | squared it's elbows and sailed in with a scathing rebuke of Chicago lawlessness; attacked the police as a band of worth less tramps; attacked the city govern ment; attacked the city; finally, as was l to be expected saved its best whacks for America and Americans. It was a | severe arraignment, and the editor 1 doubtless thought it a scorcher. The most interesting thing about it to alien eyes was the Inevitable comparison, for which the concluding paragraph had | been saved:
 | Thus we see life in an American city Of the first class" said the virtu- ous Frenchman. Our friends across the water call themselves civilized. Bravo, Chicago. We have heard of the great police system of America; we have heard of the great fire companies; we have heard of so many great things l from that land of great things that it would be impossible to name them all
 We have also heard of great balloons, and we cannot conceive why they l should be manufactured out of that great land. We have, finally, heard of Paris. We wonder what Chicago would think of Paris! We wonder what Chi | cago would think of the greatest city | in the world and the admirable way in which affairs are conducted here!"
 l If that Paris editor had looked over the issue of his own paper in which his I remarks were printed he would have found some paragraphs by which he | might have formed another comparison between Paris and Chicago If he had looked through the files for a week, in | order to make things equal as regards time with the record of Chicago, he would have found more paragraphs for comparison than he would have known l r1,~1 4 I . L |, l kept on looking back at the records for a year, or five years, without being embarrassed for material in due pro- | portion. But perhaps that one days record-in nowise an extraordinary day l would have been sufficient to set up 1 against Chicago's one-seventh of forty l "hold-ups" and minor crimes. Sum- 1 marked they were as follows:
 l. music teacher, unmarried, twen- | ty-six years old, was walking down | Avenue de POpera at o'clock in the l afternoon, and was accosted by a we'll 1 dressed man, who invited her to dine with him. She paid no attention to him, but he followed her. On the Quai du | Louvre she took one of the river boats to go to her home The man also took 1 the boat and again addressed her. She | turned away At the Quai de Bercy she | got off. The man got off, joined her, and again spoke. She appealed to a po- | liceman, who refused to interfere be- | cause the man had done nothing. The woman went on, and presently the man caught up with her and put his arm l around her waist. She shook him off and cried: Leave me alone, you loaf | er!" The man drew back and hit her terrific blow in the mouth, knocking out three teeth Then he ran the end of his cane in her left eye, driving It com | pletely out of it's socket The young | woman fell to the sidewalk and the man jumped on her and kicked her, breaking two ribs. A number of persons pulled the man away, and he was finally ar- rested. At the police station he said he did not know the woman, but she called him a '1oafer," and he was un- able to control his anger. The young
 woman was taken to the hospital and
 will be there for several months. All this happened in broad daylight, in a crowded thoroughfare. If the man Is
 convicted by a jury, which is not cer-
 tain, he will probably be sentenced to
 jail for three months (extenuating cir. constance of anger, according to French
 law), but sentence will be suspended if
 it be first offense.
 2. A carpenter, married, was returning
 home from work at 6 o'clock in the eve.
 ming. In passing through the Rue Tur.
 bigo, then crowded with pedestrians, he
 was set upon from behind and stabbed
 four times. His assailant youth, was
 greatly astonished to find he had made
 mistake. He had been laying" fol
 the husband of his mistress, and his
 victim was entirely unknown to him
 This youth was discharged from GUS.
 tody three days later.
 3. A student, upon the eve of getting
 married, had determined to part witt
 his mistress, variety actress. Upor
 the pretext of having a farewell wall with him, she persuad him to visit hel
 at her apartment She treated him tc
 drugged wine, and when he had be
 come unconscious poured vitriol into
 both his eyes, entirely destroying the
 sight. She was arrested and tried be
 fore jury, which acquitted her on tho
 ground that she had been moved by
 'ungoveranble jealousy"
 4. A party of absolute youths was sit ting in wine shop of the Rue de Elan
 dre. The talk fell upon courage ant
 deeds of personal prowess. Each re