Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-03
FIND GARNER DIARY
Contains French Bandits
Story of His: Life.
TOOK TO sTEAliNG AT II
More and More Bitter After Each
Period of imprisonment.
TELLS OF MEETING BONNET
Authorities Are Showing Great
Activity in Pushing Building
of Colonial Railways.
BY A. w. L'AMOURDAUx.



The Matin publishes extracts from the
notebook of GARNER which was found
pierced by bullet and stained with
blood in the breast pocket of the ban
dts coat after the siege of Nogent-
Marine. In its first page We're written
the words Why i robbed, and why
murdered There is no doubt that this
apology for his life had been drawn up
by GARNER for the use of his advocate
should he have been brought to trial.
This is document at once intensely in
teresting. and from another point of
view, utterly baual--interesting for the
light it throws on the psychology of the
criminal and Vet what piiful hash 1t
is of crude, ill-assimiIat.d socialism and
the platitudes of anarChsm.
At seventeen GARNER takes to pilfering
from the goods exposed in front of shops.
1t does not bring him iii much, and he has
to confess only three months impr.son-
ment. Later on he becomes a coiner, but
the tale is the same. Il couldn make
money at it. so l gave ii up Burglary
was little better. A haul of over 500 was
an exception, and the expenses We're
heavy. Many of our friends had been
bothered 10y the pol &c. and we had had
to give them pecuniary aid.
Hatred of Work.
Meanwhile the sentences had been
mounting up. and the end of each i'm
pr.sonment found GARNER more embit-
tered more in revolt and less inclined for
work This hatred for work emerges
again and again. Getting among an
archists, | soon made up my mind he
to work for others" If he works at all
it is only for a few days. The thought of
military serv CO is revolving. Il left
Paris when about nineteen and half,
for / saw with horror the regiment loom
ing ahead.
The meeting with Bonnet was turn
ing point. GARNER knew something about
driving a car and had been looking out
for a chauffeur chlm. In Bonnet he
found his man. Then comes the story.
told with ii brutal GOODNESS, of the first
''gros coup the murder of December Fl
in the Rue Ordener. GARNER and Bonnet
with two others. set out in the early
morning in their stolen car from Bou-
lo2ne. They drive about Paris till dawn.
GARNER at the wheel. lie IS rapidly gain
ing confidence IN the management of the
car tseful this. for we need two chauf-
feurs, should one Of us b. wounded.
At ? O'Clock they the bank mes
senger leaving Il tramway car accom-
panie.s a. usual. by another. 1t Is
serious moment. One must act promptly
or all is lost The car advances.
Il descend. withSone o. my compan-
ions. Bonnet remains at the vince. and
the fourth man stands lsy the car. /
walk along the pavement to meet the
messenger. About three Faces from him
| draw my revolver and mis- companion
flies, panic stricken. | pix up one bag
and my chum the other. which the TOOL
won't let go till he loses. consciousness.
Then we get into our car cnce more.
Shows Vanity of Criminal.
All the vanity and brutality of the
modern criminal are in that frigid mar
rative 1t is a document that Lombroso
would have been eager 10 add to his
collection.
report on the causes of aeroplane ac-
cidents has just been presented to the
French ''Ecole Superieure Aeronautique
by Maj. Renard He claSssfles the 1atall-
ties as follows:
TWENTY-FIVE per cent due to the want of
natural aptitude on the part of the avia-
tors.
Thirteen per cent due to the insufficient
training of the aviators.
Six per cent due to the desire of ava
tors to SHOW of.
Six per cent due to rashness and want
Of foresight on the part of aviators.
Thirteen per cent due to imperfections
in the designs of the apparatus.
Twenty per cent due to flaws or weak
nc sses in the machinery.
Ten or possibly twelve per cent due to
atmospheric currents and similar distub-
ances.
If that estimate be correct a reduction
in the percentage of accidents ought soon
to be brought about; view which is
held by the new French League for the
Greater Security of Aviation.
Humor of Burglars.
Some burglars with sense of humor
have successfully raided the courthouse
at Tours. The burglary was discovered
by the servant who sweeps out the rooms.
All the drawers in the desks of the regis
trar's office had been opened. or forced.
The safe alone detied their efforts. What
gives "a sort OF topical interest to the af-
fair is the fact that in the registrar s
office the chest which contains the
pieces of conviction, that is. articles
connected with different trials-revolvers,
knives, cudgels and jewelry of all kinds.
including the gold watch and valuable
ring of murdered NJ Guillotin. OF this
chest the burglars made clean sweep.
Nothing remained. Suspicion has fallen
on a young employee who year ago was
imprisoned for theft at the courthouse.
The French authorities are showing
great activity i'll pushing the construction
of colonial railways and the latest
project to which they have devoted their
attention is the West African railway
scheme, providing for rail transportation
from Dakar to Porto. in Nigeria, with
branch lines to BinServille and Conakrl
and several points in the interior. AT a
meeting of the colonial commission 1t
was decided to float a loan for $4,000. coo.
10 be guaranteed by the customs receipts
of the colony. The meeting was presided
over by NJ. Ponty. French governor gen.
eral. who said that the existing lines in
the colony had all proved profitable I'M
dertakings ana helped enormously in the
general development of the country.
Practically Two Lines.
There will be practically two lines
across the whole territory north OF
Sierra Leone Liberia, and the Gold
coast. Four of the lines. starting from
Dakar. Conakr Bingerville and Porto,
are already in operation. as we'll as a
splendid railway line from Djambour to
Bamako and Bougoumi, over distance
of some go miles, connecting the valley
Of the Upper Niger with Dakar. There
is only one small break of less than 100
miles which could be rapidly built.
The governor general states that in the
construction of the railways the native
labor is quite sufficient. the negro Ia
borers making good masons and IRON
workers. and being quite as capable of
constructing bridges and viaducts as
European laborers. The engine drivers
and stokers are also natives. and they
do their work We'll and as carefully
as white men. About $S,O00OOo of the
loan is TO be spent on the railway and
$2,UJ,tU on Tort works and Dakar,
Conakri and other points. In few
years. when the network of railways is
completed, II will lie easy to travel all
over the French Sudan for distance of
bar