The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-08
APACHE LIFE SHOWS DARK SIDE OF LIE Police Reports. Describe Under World of French Capital END OF DEATH CHEAPER" Grim, LawIess Scene in a Dingy Bar r room Is Fully As Dramatic As
 otheIIo. - Gangs Being
 Broken Up.
BY VANCE THOMPSON.

Paris. February 29-AImost every one thinks of Paris as place of gilt tering boulevards and dancing-gi There is another Paris. Here, for in stance, are the police reports that came Into police headquarters-the old build ing with the pointed towers, which lies along the Seine-up to midnight last night You will understand that they were written word for word by the policemen concerned in each affair: merely translate-on1y promising that an Apache is the pale, little ruff fan of the Paris streets:
 First report: "A number of Apach es were drinking this afternoon in a bar Of the Boulevard Menilmentant.
 Among them was Jules Normand, 29 years of age, known in the neighbor hood as the Death Cheater.' Of & sudden he shouted Say you swinel I've had enough of this dirty lifel And since nobody has. had nerve to kill me. I'm going to show you how a man kills himself!
 Saying these words Jules Normand opened his clasp-knife and stabbed himself in the abdomen. He stood fir a moment but gave no outcry; tn he said: give my good little knife to Toto of the Courtille' With this he fell to the floor. Normand was removed to the Hospital Tenon, where he died at S:15 this evening.
 What do you think of that grin, lawless scene in a dingy barroom in the Menilmentant quarter of Paris? l think it is almost as dramatic thing as the death of Othello
 Second Report: -Four Apaches were lettering in the Boulevard de Belleville near No. so. One of these Apachcs said: We'll have to have a drink aud some one must pay At this momenr two honest men came by and the Apa- ches demanded twenty cents. The hon est men stammered a refusal and the Apaches ran on them with their knives One of the honest men was killed His name is Didier Bequee, tinsmith, living ut No. rue du Liban. His companion, a carpenter named Lorin, was only slightly wounded.
 .'The Apaches were arrested. They were Paul Gayet, 20 years old; Louis Finder, 16; Felix Savanet, 16, and Do- sire Balanque, aged IT. They have been lock up."
 Boys of 16 and 17 killing honest folk in the streets for the sake of twenty cents-to buy foul glasses of absintne. Of course Paris is the Queen City of the world and the mistress of civ1la- tion but is everything right with clvi' lization when four boys turn murdercrs for franc?
 Third Report. 1.-TWO hours later twenty Apaches, probably belonging 10 the same band, were in front of No 70 of the Boulevard de Belleviiie. Fer nand Pelleau a mechanic, living at NO. 30 rue Clave was going quietly home when the Apaches thronged around him. One of the gang said: Give us the price of a drink The workingman threatened to call the police, when the gang attacked him with knives and IeyolVefs.
 1.-TWO bullets entered the base of t"e brain There was a knife stab in the back which pierced the heart. The body is at the morgue.
 The police were able to arrest seven of the Apaches=Francois Lamoret, IT years of age; Albert Yammanes, IS, and Pierre Klein, 16."
 Before left the pointer towers by the Seine l had word with Monsieur Hamard. the chief of the surete-prcb- ably the greatest living expert on crime, a wonderful detective, kindly man. And he said:
 "Of course there are organized gangs of Apaches in Paris, but gradually we are breaking them up.'
 Possibly so.