Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-15

Feat of Father Francis, or, might be
said, The Graft of Uncle Frank is joked
about and understood Of the whole popu-
laton
A friend of mine, a young and vigorous
Partisan, played the part of victim in the
Coup de Pere Francois" on the full ave-
nue. of the Champs Elysees one night this
very summer, and he had his revolver in
his pocket at the moment
Walking beneath the horse-chestnut trees
that grace the central promenade of Paris
ease and elegance, one balmy starIit night
al am. he meditated on the beauty of
the scene and the complications of his situa-
ton. He had been offered a government
place in Indo-China and throughout the
week had been uncertain whether or not to
accept it. Suddenly he came to a decision.
Paris is good enough for met he muir
INJURED with enthusiasm
How the Game is Worked.
At this moment two hard-looking citizens
came walking briskly toward him from the
opposite direction. One stopped and alb
ruptly asked him, What time is it, friend?"
while the other walked on. Thus he got
behind his victim, while the questionar re-
malned in front.
The Partisan backed from the questioner
and reached for his revolver. At the same
instant a heavy silk handkerchief was
thrown over his head from behind by the
second robber, who then bumped his back
against my friends back, and, holding the
his two hands at the height of hi Stwo
shoulders, gently bent himself forward!
The thing frightened on my friends neck
and made his tongue stick out. The more
the robber bent forward, the more it pulled
my friend backward, sprawling on the rob-
ber's Blackjack to back-inducing a quick
case of spinal curvature
Reclining on the robbers back as in a bar
Der chair, his two feet just lifted from the
sidewalk, his arms waving helplessly, his
tongue pointing to the North Star, and all
the blood of his body throbbing in his era
mum. he felt the other rebber calmly going
through his pockets. He made a convul-
sive clutch at the silk handkerchief to
loosen it from his neck He remembers
vaguely that the villain in front Of him
grasped his two hands and pulled his arms
out straight. Then he lost consciousness.
When my friend came to he was lying in
the shadow of chestnut tree, with a
strained neck, but not otherwise damaged.
This latter detail makes the strong point
of the Coup de Pere Francois" it is not
liable to kill even disable the victim.
So the strangers of Paris argue (and per-
haps correctly that the judges will take
account of 1t in trials and give some years
less in prison to those who thus strangle
mercifully instead of crushing skulls with
lead pipe or cutting holes in backs or fronts
with long knives.
Indeed, this was the theory OF 'sPere
Francois" (can him Uncle Frank, the orig
fnal practitioner Of the method. According
to legend he was a mild, philosophical per-
son, with a patriarchal white beard, who
lived at ease and trained young men to
operate 1t in the days of Louis Philippe.
Why risk the guillotine?" he would ar
que. Why soil your conscience with MUIR
der?"
Varieties Of Feelings.
Fer impatient, bloodthirsty young thugs.
he had a psychological argument:
mo man can tell beforehand how he VIII
feel with murder on his mind" he would
LII
voluntary confessions by men reruted
tough. This was sixty years ago. The
Strangers of Paris of today have but re-
vived the method. Now their victim Is
strangled for good because he struggles
but death is no part of the plan proper.
OF the present-day practitioners-whoss