The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-15
CONVICT WANTS
 ID BE RETURNED Is Not Satisfied With Presi-
 dents Pardon INNOCENT MAN SUFFERS 1t is Proven That M. Douva Was Not Guilty of Murdering Wife After Twenty-Five Years Spent
 m Prison.
BY PAUL VlLLlERS.


 Paris, March 14-(Speclal )-President Fallieres is doing some hard thinking be- cause of a letter he received a few days ago from M Jules Danval, who begs to be sent to the French penal colony in New Caledonia, where he, although ab- solutely innocent of any crime, has spent 25 years of his life.
 Thirty years ago M. J. Danval, chem ist and druggist, doing business in the capital, was sentenced to transportation for life on the charge of having, poi soned his wife. For 25 years M. Dan val, in his place of banishment, protest ed his innocence, drew attention to facts that had been overlooked in his case, and claimed a new trial
 Persistency finally triumphed, and his story was gone into The experts and the journalists came to the conclusion that M. Danval was innocent. The death undoubtedly resulted from an internal disease that had done it's work before the wifes marriage, and there was no sus- picion of arsenic as the cause of death.
 President Loubet came to the same conclusion The President had no power over the law courts. But he could par don. And so M. Danval was released. He returned to Paris after 20 years of convict life But the ex-convict was not satisfied with a pardon. T have done nothing to be pardoned for" he said. q demand the legal proclamation of my innocence" This he has been unable to get. The "chose jugee" is still, to some people, as much an object of superstitious reverence as it was when Dreyfus was eating his heart out in the Devils Isl- and.
 Baffled by the law, the ex-convict has also had the greatest difficulty in mak- ing a livelihood. His old procession Is closed against him. And now he writes a letter to President Fallieres request ing to be sent back to New Caledonia. An implacable destiny, he says, stands between me and the one object of my life-the legal acknowledgement of my in- nocence."
 The Imprisonment of Coauellin cadet the famous comedian of Theatre Fran cais in private insane asylum at Neuil- ly a suburb of Paris, which set all Paris talking a few weeks ago, because for a time no one knew where the stage favorite had gone, will have one bene- ficial result-it will surely bring about the repeal of the old law of 1888, which makes it possible to take a sane person to any asylum, where he may be kept prison CT for years without any chance of re- gaining his liberty.
 In Coquelin's s case an absolute rest was necessary to prevent nervous breakdown, but the fact that his friend M. Clemen- ceau, the French prime minister, only by making use of his authority as head of the government to gain access to the asylum opened his eyes to the necessity of proper legislation to protect the lib erty of French citizens, who at present may be deprived of their freedom on a mere lettre de cachet, you might call it, cfe htt nh xU1n naN seen the man he would put behind walls and bars. G 1e tA . Immediately after his return from Neuil- 1y M. Clemenceau caused a bill to be drawn up and introduced in the senate, by which an alleged insane person can only be incarcerated after a public ex- animation or upon evidence sworn to by five witnesses, who can prove that they have nothing to gain by sending him to an asylum.
 A Paris newspaper, which cannot be classed as sensational, claims that there are now more than 5000 people imprisoned in French private asylums who are per feetly sane and calls for the appoint ment of a special commission to investi- gate every institution of this kind in the country.
 For the benefit of country people who never have a chance to see high-class Qramdtlc art, SOclely Ol pTOHlhcHt actresses actors and playwrightS has been formed, which proposes to build in every town, village and hamlet cine matograph theatres, where real dramas will be produced at a nominal price.
 Sarah Bernhardt, Le Bargy, Mime. Re- jane. Elenore Duse and Dr. Ferandy will act before the boscope in plays written by Rostand, Richepin, Hervieux, Sardou and Uavedan.
 The idea originated with a cinemato- graph company which succeeded in get ting Sarah Bernhardt interested and after that it was smooth sailing.
 It was at first said th;.t the company was paying enormous salaries to the art ists, but this is not so, for all the peo- pie mentioned have given their services free that the plays may be produced in France, but they are to receive a royalty when they are performed outside of this country.