Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-24
AFFAIR has A VERY FUNNY side
For These GiIded Youths DO Not
Relish Prison LIFE
CAS- ELLANE'S ESCAP E
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

mantle plot to brain a gray-haired presi-
dent of the republic with loaded canes
when he was their guest on the Auteuil
race course. They have been measured
bathed and photographed. In the end the
mass of them will be let off leiently; but
the end is not yet.
1t was a picturesque sight when the
BLACK Marias''-cal1ed the salad baskets
drove up to the little gardeners shanty
at Auteuil to take them, three wagons each
divided into twenty stuffy little cells. We
who saw it could not refrain from smiling
at the confidence of the gided youth as it
offered to pay for cabs. Into the salad
basket, every jack of your Numbered Po-
lice Commissary Martin. The Comte de
Dion was SO stout that they had to leave
his cell door open.
Henceforth imagine yourself a prisoner
awaiting examination at the Paris depot
You are somewhere in the great mass of
buildings called the Pa.ais de Justice stu
ated in the center of the city along the
south bank of the river. You are within
twenty steps from the Sainte-C hapelle the
towers of Saint Louis and the prison cell
of Marie Antoinette and all the tourist
haums, the Paris of the guide books
yet how differently situated. 1T is not
Paris here!'
Scant Courtesy.
"Serrez-la! Move up. Allez! Stand in a
line, crowd up, touch shoulders, answer to
your names! But will you move up there
mean you! your the red-faced guardians
scold at the new arrivals The jeunesse
royaliste were served 10 differently from
the ordinary fiotte, or push as we would
say, of robbers drunkards, beggars, ladies'
trends and rioters who stood around them.
They could only stick together with ariSto-
cratic dignity. 1t is a vast gloomy hall.
Take off your shoes, Take everything
from your pockets! Put everything in your
hats! Make ready for the examination
Men talk this way to dogs, but not to
horses.
Put your money in your hats well!
Do you hear? Take off those stockings,
tool"
Compulsory Bath.
One by one they were called UP. One by
one they were searched. Their knives and
watches were taken from them. They were
given a receipt for their money. Their
height was measured They were describ-
ed in a book. But the most humiiating
were marched to the bath room in the
basement, a grim cellar, where some TWEEN
ty heavy wine casks sawed in two serve
to catch the water from shower baths.
Take off all your clothes! Fake them
off, l tell you. Au poll! But won't you
take your clothes off? Delicate? III? Or
9ny %SGsst fo9s young Asd th 5a 5ay
your pockets into your hats again, Put
everything INTO your hats? Why? Be
cause We must disinfect your garments;
that is why. Here, take this number. 1t
is your number! 1t is the number for your
clothes! Hang it round your neck!'
1t is needless to say that their clothes
were utterly ruined in the process of hot
air ''disinfection." The prison guardians
all faithful servants of the republic,
themselves struck with the cane that
struck the president. That first evening
they were rather harsh with their aristo-
cratic prisoners. The next morning. when
the Comte de Dion was taken to his own
house for q / hour to open his safe for the
detectives, he was so euraged at his treat
ment that he insulted the police commits
sary over again. Put on your scarf" he
cried. ITO prove that you are a magistrate.
You look more like a tramp" But the
count was not looking so well himself
Plain Prison Fare.
During the first twenty-four hours the
noble prisoners had nothing but the prison
fare to eat. The 'cantine" of the depot is
not rich in dainties. Two pounds of black
bread, 4c.; . pounds of cold boiled potatoes
Be-; two onions, 1c.; beans boiled in lard
portion). &c; ditto salade, Sc; salad,
Be-; butter &c; salt, 1c.; pepper, 1c.; choco-
late, &c; black licorice, 1c.; smoked her
ring, &c, sardines, &c; sausage, &c. jelly
a dab on piece of brown paper 1c.; mus
tard figs prunes, lc.; two boiled eggs, 4c.;
omelette, &C.; milk, Sc; cheese, &c; ham,
&c; oil or vinegar, &c; wine, 4c.; beef stew,
&C.; coffee. &c. and sugar 1c. The wine, at
cents the portion, amounts to about the
third of a bottle.
None of the fifty are likely to forget their
and their measuring. The
curving trip, from vault to vault up stairs
and down. leads you AT last to steep
tower. with winding stairs. Up, up and up.
a iS he al
The Bertil1On System.
Here one makes acquaintance with the
great feature of the depot" and Of the
French police systematic service anthropo-
metrique, according to the method of NJ.
Bertillon. No one escapes it. The innocent
are measured with the guilty. NJ Bertillon
has dreamed that in time his system of
absolute, unmistakable and permanent
iden tification may lead to great blessings
to the establishing of anonymous condemna-
tons which will satisfy the offended ma
jesty of the law without throwing dishonor
on the name borne by whole family, with
out putting any obstacle in the way of the
future of the offender For the present
lnasmuch as these measurements are now
transmitted TO every city of France-the
result is to cast a stigma and danger on
each Frenchman who is unlucky enough to
get into the depot.
Take off your shoes and stockings! Take
oii yum coats, vests ana pants! StanQ In
your shirts and drawersr 1t is another
weary waiting while each prisoner in his
deshabille steps into the bright laboratory.
Criminal Records.
By the practical working of this system
suspected man in any part of France may
be looked up in half a day: and it is pos
sible to tell with certainty whether he has
ever been convicted or accused Of any pre-
vious crime or misdemeanor. And with this
a reference may be found to all that JUS
ice ever knew or suspected about the man.
all docketed in various pigeon holes to damn
him. Indeed, it is the ambition of French
justice to anticipate, as much as possible
the great and terrible day when all mems
acts shall he revealed and "a aeneral judg-
ment summed up of each Hfe-, For example,
none OF these young men can ever receive
the ribbon of the Legion Of Honor now.
Nor can they enter the diplomatic service
Nor could they become army officers And
when they come to marry it will be upon
their record that they were one, time ar
rested. N
After the first twenty-forr hours onlv
thirty of the rioters were held. The 9TH
ers, charged with simple .insults to au-
thorty," were given teir provisional lib
erty,' as We would say, on bail. No in
luence In France can get the others free
Charged with rebellion" without arms.
they will set-if convicted-from six
months to two years in prison. Baron de