Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-08-16
SENSATION At PARIS.
M. DerouIede and Others Placed
Under Arrest.
ARE CHARGED WITH CONSPIRACY.

M. Guerin, President of the Antf-Semite
League. Refuses to Surrender, Barri-
cades Himself in His House, and De-
Submit-Stirring Scene at the Close of u
Session of the Dreyfus Trial.
Paris, Aug. AN. Paul Deroulede,
founder of the League of Patriots, and
member of the chamber of deputies
for the Angouleme division of Char
ente, was arrested at o'clock in the
morning at his estate at Croissey,
near Paris. M. Deroulede was taken
into custody by four gendarmes and
was driven to Paris. On his arrival
there he was incarcerated in the Con-
ciergerie prison. The arrest of M.
Marcel-Habert is expected. The police
have closed the Offices of the Patriotic
league, which are now guarded by gen.
darmes. A number of members of the
Anti-Semite and Patriotic leagues were
also arrested
When an attempt was made to arrest
M Guerin, president of the Anti-Se-
mite league, he refused to surrender,
and barricaded himself in his house.
He says he is prepared to hold out for
three weeks, having a good stock of
food and firearms. The doors and win
dows of his residence are barricaded
and M. Guerin announces he will blow
up his house before he surrenders.
Plot Dates Back a Year.
A semi-official note issued in the
morning reads as follows: "A certain
number of arrests have been made
as result of a magisterial inquiry
and by virtue of article SO of the penal
code regarding a conspiracy organized
for the purpose of accomplishing
change in the form of government.
The persons implicated belong to the
groups of the royalist youth and the
Patriotic and Anti-Semite leagues. At
the trial of the Neuilly barrack affair
facts relating to that incident alone
were used as the basis of the prose-
cution, but searches were then made
and documents were seized which led
to the discovery of an organization
dating back to July, 1898, and of a
plot to seize the government by force.
The documents leave no room for
doubt, either in regard to the existence
of the plot or as to chief actors there
In. After very close watch organized |
proof was obtained for fresh attempt |
at an early date, the proof being such |
as to enable the disturbances to be |
averted by immediate measures. The |
investigation Of the affair is intrusted |
to M. Fabre, examining magistrate"
Deroulede Arrested Before.
Paris, Aug. 14.-MM. Deroulede, chief |
of the League of Patriots and Marcel
Habert, a member of the chamber of |
deputies, were arrested on the evening |
of Feb. % last on the charge of incit.
ing soldiers to INSTRUMENTATION in con-
nection with the election of President |
Loubet. On May 81 the prisoners,
who had been on trial before the as
size court in Paris, were acquitted, al
though during the proceedings M. De-
roulede admitted he wished to lead |
brigade to overthrow the parlia-
mentary republic, that his action was
fully p.emeditated and that he would
not cease his attempts to overthrow
parliamentarism. He acknowledged
he was guilty of all the charges ex-
cept the allegation that he wanted to
lead the soldiers astray without a
leader. He said:
demanded Pieblsciary Republic.
Il wanted general at their head.
would have preferred the commander
ln-chief. Unhappily, had no choice"
He finished his harangue by demand
Ing a plebisciary republic, asserting at
the same time that he never intended
to turn the soldiers from their duty,
but only wished to carry General Ro-
get, who was in command of the troops,
with him. NJ Marcel-Habert also adj
mitted that he wished to cause a revo-
luton, but denied having melted SOL
diers to disobedience. He said he
only sought to lead General Roget to
the Elysee palace and that the men
with him had been merely following
the officers.