The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-26
STRANGE FOLK
~ QUEER THINGS
A CASE OF BURGLARY
ON THE CONTINENT


OF the five and fifty years so far allotted
70 me have spent fifteen IN foreign resi-
dence and travel. and every absence from
England has increased my: belief in the
truth of Emerson's verdict that she is the
best OF existing nations. believe myself
to have arrived at my opinion with my
eyes open. There are many things here
which are sadly in need OF mending, but
endure them better than endure the
things which are in need Of mending in
other countries. 1 may be an out and out
Chauvinist for anything I can tell, and
am sure that IL / spoke my mind to French
man, or German, italian, Greek or Turk,
or even to a citizen Of the United States
should wear that complexion 10 him. But
In che respect at least-in regard to one
actual basic fact in civilization-I know
that England has no rival Our admins
tration OF the criminal law Is the most pa
tent and the most just OF any in the world,
and its functionaries. big and little. are at
once the most amenable to the dictation
OF the public conscience and the most safe
~ sheltered from the assaults of popular
dIsaffection. do not propose to prove a
case by a little handful of scattered In
stances, for that would be absurd, but I
propose to recall a memory or two by way
OF bringing this informal series on the arts
OF the man hunter TO a close.
In England the unpaid magistracy Is not
perfect. 1t operates I'm obscure places very
often, and If there is one thing which is
more fatal than another to the spirit of
pure justice 1t is obscurity. The fat lux Of
the press has saved us from great evils in
great times. It's little rushlight. burning
in little places and shedding it's beams on
little cases. guides many a choleric coun-
try squire from the path Of injustice or
leads him to Mr.. Labouchere's pillory,
which amounts in result to the same thing,
because MS illuminated passage in that di-
rection warns other choleric gentlemen
away. Duty-doing, justice-loving men there
are amongst the great unpaid, OF course,
but no large body of men ever yet existed
OF whom 1t was true that they would all do
valuable work for nothing. But for pa
thence and zeal in combination, for sheer
hard labor in the course of justice there
IS no body of officials in the world who will
compare with our stipendlaTies. They are
tried day IN and day out with every kind
of stupidity, insolence and evasion, but they
very rarely forget that their business is to
preserve an open mind and to give a judg-
ment on the evidence.
Now that Is surely the very reason for a
magistrates existence, and this is the only
country in which the fact is constantly in
mind. In France and in Belgium, as / car
testify from some personal experience, il
does not seem to be held in mind at all. In
Spain, Italy. Greece and Turkey one knows
that 1t is not. The Juge de Paix is the
person with whom propose 10 deal. I dc
not know that by nature he is less quail
flied to find his way to the truth than hi:
paid Similar In England. hut 1 do know
that he takes the least direct and on the
whole the most difficult way to it. He is
counsel-in-general to every witness. Per
sonally he may be the most amiable of men
ofReially he is an incarnate insult. 1t i.
a part of his professional legend that hi
should be offensive. After the patient quie
dignity OF the English court, where only
the witnesses and the prisoner indulge in
occasional determinations, swiftly sup
pressed. 1t is something of an amazement
at first. to find the gentleman on the bench
the only comminatory person in the cham
Der, barking himself hoarse with accusa'
ton.
shall never forget my earliest expert
ence. 1t was at Rochefort, in the Belgian
Ardennes. A wretched tramp was in the
dock. The Judge had bully-ragged him into
contradicting himself "Ah, then," said the
judge. thou art liar. Say. then, art thou
q liar?" And at the third repetition OF the
question, the poor tramp said. But, yes
NJ. lie Juge. am liar in a voice so com
ically piaintive that everybody laughed
aloud. OF course he was a liar, and he
deserved his fifteen days, no doubt, but
what tickled the English onlookers was
the queer want of dignity on the part of the
presiding official.
But 1t fell to my lot at one time to be-
come witness. 1t was in case OF burg
larry. 1 had villa at Nice. plaster pal
of three stories just of the old TO az
TO Villa Franche. The lower story was re
served by the owners, and they were IN
residence when their quarters were broker
into, but they had gone out for a dinner
at the Garden House and an evening a
the theater. 1t became my business TO re
port the affair to the police, and from tina
hour until the criminal was condemned in
contumacium to two years Imprisonment
which he has never been ass enough I,
incur by going back to the scene of hi.
exploit-my life was made burden TO me
All I knew about the matter was that tn,
terrified proprietress of the house had sen
to me to tell me what had happened. tina
she had shown me rified plate chest an,
en empty jewel case and that / had volun
teered TO carry the news to the authorities
The bureau was in the Rue de Paille an,
thither went through the rain. The office
I'm charge made up an instant and eviden
mind that i was the burglar. solemn
gendarme, who shared his chiefs opinion
called for me the next morning and escort
ed me back to the Rue de Paille inform
ing me that / was expected by the judg,
OF first instance. which had a discomfort
Ing sound. There a solemn huissier (usher)
impregnated profoundly with the suspi
cxons OF his colleagues, took charge OF M
and instructed me 10 wait / waited from
10 o'clock TO /. and then. having courteous
~ explained that had business on hand
and would return when wanted. I wen
away upon my own affairs Another gen
darme came up the next morning with
my third visit to the Rue de Paille.
waited there until o'clock, and then
was told that i might go. but that 1 mus
present myself on the morrow at 10 a. m
1t was not my cue TO make disturbance
but / began to feel a little stirring of re