New-York tribune., 1901-12-22
PARIS.
THE NEW FRENCH LOAN OVERSIZE
SCRIBED.
A GREWSOME MURDER TRIAL-HOLlDA1
ENTERTAINMENTS CAMBON
SAILS FOR AMERICA.

Copyright: BY The New-York TTbuneD
tBy CABLE TRIBUSE.l
Paris. Dec. 21.-There is unusual animation
to-day at the Ministry OF Finance, where
thousand persons. mostly thrifty shopkeepers,
artisans and InatronIy women, are assembled
in long files between gangways improv1sed by
temporary wooden fences, awaiting their turn
to subscribe to the new French 3 per cent loan
of S53 600 900 based on the Chinese indemnity
The loan is wisely issued in bonds of the small
denomination of $50 each, only So Of which Is
required in cash payment on to-days suoscrlp-
ton AS far as can now be calculated 1hls
loan is already covered thirty times over Presl-
dent Loubet NJ. Waldeck- Rousseau and all low
ers of good order in finance are delighted TO
see the Partisan workingmen investing their
savings in government bonds, thereby becoming
lava biding citizens and capitalists.
This is the sixth loan issued by the Third Re
public. and is the only French loan ever con-
tracted at par Statistics published to-day show
that during the First Empire the average rate
of interest was AZ per cent, during the second
Empire AZ per cent; the rate rose again TO o9<
per cent after the of 1871, and fell 10 ot2
per cent for recent loans under the Third Re
public Leading bankers express the opinion
that the present loan is the last one that VIII
be issued at 8 per cent, and regard ~ per cent
as +he rate of interest for any future issue Of
rate Of interest on money has during the last
century diminished by over one-half. The pres
ent loan is being taken up all over the country
| like hot cakes.
Public attention in Paris and throughout
France is absorbed by murder trial thdt
began on Monday at Chartres- The tragic
circumstances make 1t the most remarkable
criminal case that has taken place since the
Dreyfus court martial, and, owing to the ex-
traordinary inquisitorial attitude of the presd-
! ing Judge 1t serves as an object lesson, arous-
1 ing the Indignation of liberal minded French
men at what they consider terrible fault in the
| criminal procedure of this country. Balzac,
Victor Hugo and Zola have painted in indelibe
| colors the avarice of the French peasant. Ju-
| dical annals TEEN with cases of sons or daugh-
| ters doing away with their aged parents or
grandparents to enter upon the immediate en-
! joynent of their inheritance. But this is the
first time man has been tried in France Tor
numbering his five little children beginning with
the eldest by successfully cutting their throats
| while sleeping. in order, as the judge himself
| nroclaims to marry his mistress a woman OF
reputed wealth, who did not want to wed mar
with a family. Brierre, the accused, is hard
headed retcent peasant, the owner Of a small
farm near the picturesque village of Corancez
| He emphatically declares his innocence, statlne
that he is the victim of the hatred of his towns
folk VINO at the instigation of another peasant
one Lubin, the father of the woman he wanted
to marry-the man whom he accuses OF being
the real murderer of his five children-concealet
in his stable the blood stained blade Of a plough
with which the crime was committed. and placed
| other blood stained objects on the premises
thereby providing chain Of circumstantiai evi
| dence.
Rrerre's only surviving child a young Partisan
! shongirl strongly affirms her fathers Innocence
| The evidence so far seems decidedly agains
| Rrierre but this is paliation Of the conduc
of NJ. Beat the presiding judge, who at the cut
set nositiyely stated to the Jury that he wa
himself already convinced of Brierre's guilt. Th
5udge refused to allow the jurors to examine tn
| nrennises where the crime was committed an
: | conducts the trial as if he were prosecutin
attorney working tooth and nail TO bring hom
N the accused one OF the most inhuman crime
hoard Of since Medea of Colchis slaughtered tn
| children she bore to Jason
This extraordinary judge. whose method woul
under almost any other judicial procedure tina
that of France furnish grounds for new tria
| breaks forth in angry expletives, saying I'M
| &c how this murderer entered the room; this
, | the yyay he cut his childrens throats If yo
, don't believe it, why, do: and that is enoug
, | for Won TO convict him. And again: "Oh
| oh, Your pretended robbers only wounded yo
: | and did not kill you. Well, had L been
their place. would not have missed killing you
Won NAV feel sure of that" Strange to say
!. the conduct of the judge causes great deligh