Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-04
HOT AFTER M. LABAUDY
FRENCH COURTS BUSY PROSE-
CUTTING EMPEROR oF SAHARA

Special Cablegram to The Star.
PARIS, March 4.-The French law courts
have apparently not finished with M Jac-
ques Lebaudy. Emperor of the Sahara. -
as new case is brought up against him
almost every week, the emperor mean
while keeping up such a strict incognito
that even his most intimate friends ignore
his whereabouts. The latest law suit was
Drought by shipping agent at Antwerp
Tor the expense of chartering and fitting
out the Frasquita, which was to open a
regular navigation and mail service between
Las PalmaS and TrOya, the "emperor' 81
capital. The contract price was 81, 900. and
the agent, alleging that Il had not been
paid, brought suit against M. Lebaudy in
May, 1905, for that amount at Brussels
At that time the "emperor's' residence
was assumed to be in Brussels as he had
established his '1eagtion' In his mansion in
the Avenue Louise, over which his flag was
noatlng. M. Lebaudy's lawyer put forward
the plea that the court of Brussels had no
Jurisdiction in the case. the shipping
agent had treated with M. Lebaudy as q
sovereign. In the contract NJ. Lebaudy is
agreed upon is described as subsidy such
as governments sometimes grant for special
purposes. 1t was, therefore, a question be-
tween a foreign potentate and his servant
a Belgian court. The judges however over
ruled this point and gave decision for the
full amount in favor of the agent.
Changes Residence Often.
But when it came to an execution of the
judgment a difficulty arose. M. Lebaudy
had changed residence, and the only way
to obtain satisfaction was to institute a
lawsuit in France to carry into effect the
decision of the Belgian court. When the
case came up before the first chamber of
the civil tribunal of the Seine Maitre Drey-
fus who spoke on behalf of NJ Lebaudy,
said that the sentence of the Belgian judges
ought to be set aside because in May, 1905,
NJ. Lebaudy had no residence either in
added, to the amusement of the court, that
six months before his residence was a
Turkish prison in Durazzo. To prove it he
read the following letter from M. Lebaudy.
who had been travelling under the name of
Count ArciS:
IT have got into a slight difficulty with
the Turkish authorities. l have appealed
for and obtained the protection of the Aus
TRAN and Greek governments. l beg you
to see the Turkish ambassador in London
and give him an exact description for my
identification, and also communicate with
the Austrian and Greek embassies. Tele-
graph to Durazzo-Count Arcis."
Sent Message of ThaLke.
A week later the emperor sent a mes
sage to the same address in London, with
thanks, and stating that he had been lib
Grated. His trouble at Durazzo. it APP
pears, was on account of some camels
about which he had a dispute with the
natives, and which the authorities deemed
most promptly and properly settled by
clapping one of the disputants into Jail.
M. Lebaudy went for some time to Italy,
and in April, 1908, he was in Cairo, whence
he wrote the following letter:
During the last few months l went to
inspect the work, accompanied by my off,
GERS, in Eastern Sahara. Their success was
greater than I had anticipated. 1 had
not the slightest difficulty in taking possess
sion Of immense areas of land which no.
body before me had dreamed of occupying
No foreign power will ever dare to dis
pute with me as to the possession of the
country, which consider of great value l
shall eternally rejoice at having chosen
for myself the position of an Independent
sovereign. Your most truly devoted
Jacques L.
The Sc letters the "emperor's'-lawy
claimed showed conclusively that his ma
1esty, Jacques I, of the Sahara was not
in Belgium at the time judgment was given
against him. The shipping agents law
yer, however. said that this did not mat
ter. At that period he still maintained q
LEGATION in Brussels, and therefore had
domicile in Belgium. The court has
not yet disposed of all of the details OF
the case, but 1t is commented upon that
the fact that NJ. Lebaudy has annexed the
Eastern Sahara to his empire is news,
and 1t is believed that his strict incog is
due to his being lost in some inaccessible
part Of his imperial territory.