Norwich bulletin., 1914-07-15
FAMOUS TRIALS
TRIAL OF NJ. DE LEssEPs.

Of especial interest at tfle present time, with the Panama canal so nearly completed, is the Ill starred attempt to ditch the isthmus begun by Ferdi- hand de Lesseps in 1881. his failure and subsequent trial and conviction. In 1876 De Lesseps with the glory of having dug the Suez canal still un- tarnshed became interested in the Panama situation. He and his friends had so far agitated the question flaw orably that in 1879 a congress as- sembled in the rooms of the Geograph- ical society at Paris. under the pres idsncy of Admiral de la Roncfere le Noury. which voted in favor of digging the canal
 De Lesseps was chosen to head the project. He was "A years old at the time. Politics. which De Lesseps al- ways avoided, was his greatest enemy in this matter. Capital for the con- struction of the canal was hberally provided, not by rich Frenchmen, but by the middle classes. The French and people rushed with their money into what they supposed was going to be q very profitable enterprise.
 Little by little, reluctantly acknowl- edgfng the task greater than he ex- pected, M. de Lesseps kept calling for new support and. in some way or other. kept getting 1t. He continued to color the Panama horizon a roseate hue, but it was sunset and not sunrise.
 At the end of 1888 night fell upon the hopes of the dupes, while day broke upon their senses. Panama was fatally malariaI; the cost of excava- tion was greater than was supposed
 Gross nnfsmanag ement marked every turn. Interest was paid out of the cap ital stock Locomotives ordered from Belgium were of the wrong gauge and !; could be seen rustfng by the railroad tracks. Worse was the unparalleled corruption resorted to by the desperate Hcity, endeavors which eventually failed. The populace of Paris was fur
 ious at the cumulative revelations. Over one hundred members of the French national legislature were smirehed, five ex-ministers befn g among those arrested. Enemies of the French republic, seeking for a scandal that would imperil the government forced the prosecution of the directors l Their attacks were so vigorously made that the government was obliged. in | self defense, to have judicial proceed l ings taken against de Lesseps, his son l Charles and two co-workers, Fontane and Cottu.
 | Charles de Lesseps, in order to pro- 1 tect his aged father, tried to divert | the storm upon his own head. He
 managed to draw down upon himself
 all the burden of the condemnation 1 pronounced. One of the consequences i of the prosecutions, of which he was ! the object, was to oblige him to spend three years. from 1896 to 1899 in Eng i land
 l The French had spent in all about l S60. 600, 0G0 and sacrificed about 2,00t I French lives before they drew theh fires from their dredges, left theil l steam shovels in the jungle and turned l the task over to the United States l Out of the sum expended the contrac. | tors and others had reaped a rich re- ward at the expense of the pool people of France.
 De Lesseps was fierceIy attacked or all sides on account of the woeful ex- hibit that came with the breaking O ] light into the project. Tens of thous. 1 ands of people who had trusted in hin were ruined. De Lesseps, his son, Fon tame, and Cottu were indicted, in effect for swindling and bribing legislators De IeSsePs was too feeble to b' dragged from his retreat at La Ches nave and every reference of the cas, was studiously kept from him.
 When he became suspicious becaus, 1 the newspapers were not given to hin
 to read, the family hit upon the pla1 of furnishing him every day witt papers just a year old So he prob
 ably never knew that he was accused of fraud, convicted in February, 1892 and sentenced to five years in priso1 and to pay a fine of $500. His so1 Charles. who had a like sentence. wa. released from prison after serving sentence of six months of his term but the count was not put in prison. The last three years of De Lesseps life presented him a pitable menta
 and physical wreck, his faculties grad
 ually failing until the end came, H.
 was confined to his room for over year before he died, his death occur
 ing on Dec. ', 1894. The famous Pan anna canal conspiracy trial lasted iron Jan. ', 1892. to March 21 of the sam year, and many others of the conspira
 tors were given sentences of from tw,
 to five years.