Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-15
CHARGE OF FORGERY
N. Duez, Former French Of
fetal, Faces Indictment.
OTHERS MAY BE INVOLVED
M. Millerand, Minister Of Public
Works, Denies He Shared Cor
ruption Fund.

PARIS, March 15.-The public prosecu-
tor has decided to indict NJ. Duez, the
former liquidator of church properties,
for forgery and breach of confidence,
which charges involve criminal penalties.
The trial will be in the assize court. Other
arrests are anticipated.
The Interpolation concerning the opera
tons of NJ. Duez. the alleged embez-
zling liquidator of the properties of re-
ligious orders, was resumed in the cham
Der Of deputies yesterday. M. Mile
rand. minister of public works, posts
and telegraphs. took the tribune in his
own defense and characterized as fables
the rumors that he had received $4,000
in fees from M. Dues and that he had
accepted 5000 hush money. He ex-
planned that he had pleaded a case for
NJ. Duez in 1907. but only because the
suit involved complicated questions re-
lating to the law itself. For this service
he received fee Of $1,000.
NJ Barthou, minister of Justice, fol-
lowed NJ. Milerand and declared that
it was proposed to conceal nothing. He
then explained that M Duez had been
appointed upon the urgent recommends
ton of NJ. Inrbert and that NM. Lee
couturier and Manage, the two other
chief liquidators, had had the indorse-
IucuI VI t1lo puDuC prosecutor, dI TIC lOT-
NAL suggestion of the chancery. The
latter statement created sensation in
chamber M. Barthou. continuing, said:
Nothing will be concealed. We intend
to probe this affair and to ascertain
whether there is any gangrene in our
judicial organization
Not a Party Question
The minister paused for moment
during the applause that greeted this
statement and then added:
IF anybody is responsible he will
be punished, but 1t is not a party
question.
The speaker was interrupted at this
point by Mons. Delahaye, who shouted.
"fhat was the cry at the time OF the
Panama scandal
Mons. Barthou replied that parlia-
ment was equally responsible with the
government, and then announced that
it was the purpose of the government
to appeal from the judgment in the
liquidation cases wherever it was found
possible, saying that a circular con-
tanning instructions to this effect had
already been dispatched to the public
prosecutor, Mons. Labori. radical re-
publican, here interrupted with the
comment:
These measures come too late. The
government is responsible.
Hypothesis Rejected.
Midst violent and frequent Interrupt
tons the minister OF justice reviewed
the Chartreuse affair, arguing that the
government was powerless, as the
court at Grenoble had examined and
rejected the hypothesis OF collision
among Messieurs Lecouturier. Cusenter
and Duez and had condemned Mons
Mariner the head Of a rival concern,
to pay Mons. Lecouturfer 100000 dam
ages. He said that the case against
Mons. Lecouturier had not yet entered
a criminal phase.
In conclusion he announced that the
government proposed to reorganize the
corporation and that the official recelv-
ers, who now enjoyed a monopoly,
would Introduce the most rigorous in
1ectively responsible for individual de-
falcatiOns.
Mons. Paul Beauregard, progressive
republican, declared amid cheers from
belong to the majority, whose initial
mistake was the adoption of the policy
Of confiscation. He insisted that Mons
Barthou was not frank. What the
country wished to know. he said, was
how it happened that the Chartreuse
property, where liquods were manu-
featured by the Chartreuse fathers
and which was worth millions Of
francs, had been sold for 100000
francs ($100,00O).
Charge of Artful Dodging.
You told the country said Mons.
Beauregard, addressing the minister of
justice, that the property Of the congre-
cations furnished billions OF francs.
Where is it?''
Mons. Labor agreed that Mons. Bar
thou was lodging the real issue, and he
warned the majority, to which the min
lister belonged, that 1t couldn't afford to
be placed in an equivocal position before
the country. He added:
Promises by the government will not
suffice. The country cannot understand
renewal of such Scandals
At this point combination of the right
and center forced an adjournment.
The Journal processes to possess proof
that all of Mons. Duezs operations were
tainted with fraud and collision. The
paper says that establishments worth
500. 900 were sold for $4,000, while some
were leased for period of thirty years
under private understandings, by which
Mons. Duez was to receive large annual
profits
A cipher list of persons who Mons
Duez declares received hush money from
him promises to play in the present scan
dial a part similar to that of the famous
check book of Mons Therret, which
served to compromise so many French