Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-05-28
PARIS PUTS BAN
/ ON WAR RUM0RS
Police MerciIessiy Hunt for Cos.
sip Mongers VINO Tell Wild
Stories Of Conflict.
SOCIALIST EDITOR SEIZED
Defeated Sehooltescnef No" races
Court.martial for Her Writings
Wealth o. Influence Cannot
Shield the Guilty.

ps-is.--It was a famous French psy-
biologist who said recently that rumor
was one OF the evils. AMONG others
If all wars. and especially oi this one .
He pointed out that rumorS we're as
had and sometimes did as much harm
rs the worst Of enemy plnpaGan'iiStS'
The truth of his ideas has apparently
impressed the project Of police. VINO
has he-,ln a mprCiless hunting down or
oil gossip mongers and rumor u.s.
pensers
The project hns decided to take dlas'
tic measures 20 stop nnthnklng chai- /
ter In public places aud the spread'hs
Of alarming reports aud defepti>t opin- .
Ions. A warming issued the either day
points out that henceforth any person
no matter how respectable h. may he,
will be arrested and taken 10 the near
est police station If he forsets himself
10 the extent Of talking not wisely hut
too well
The warning had hardly been posted
when the roundup began 10 show re-
suits. Roueyardiers of alI sorts we're
brought before the local commissareS
10 explain their individual acts of in
discretion. There We're some whose
sole offense, according 10 their expla-
nations, was that they had merely said
thec knew friend whose con-
cierge had been told by The post carrier
that on tho day after tomorrow the to
thas would surely carry out terrible
raid on Paris.
Wild Theory About e,g Guns,
Others were certain, and let II nc
known quite loudly on the terraces OF
the cafes, that the cannon which re-
Gently homharfed Paris was really not
at all as far away as the authorities
announced II to be. They we're sure
that somewhere not far from Paris,
hidden In forest were q number OF
Ordinary small.cniiber cannon when
bad been conserved In dngonts since
the battle of the Marue and were su,t
denly put into action by battery of
German prisoners who had escaped
from the camps in France.
These and other gosslpy bits of mis-
information dropped indscrectly by
some well meaning persons lnve been
found to prove source of extreme an.
uoynnce to the government authorities
aud have resulted in immense harm.
Perhaps the most sensational arrest
under this new cdict. although virtu
ally made MS tho result Of a law passed
on August J, 1914. was that of Charles
Leon Rappoport, one Of the editors OF
La verite and lie journal du Peuple
and member of the administrative
committee Of the unified socialist par.
ty. Rappoport was taking refuge IN
n cellar during an mir raid With him
were a number Of women and men
dwellers in the same house, Accord
ing TO q scho0lteachcr who heard him
Rappoport was directing many derogn
tory remarks against the government
and the army. The tpacheg reported
what he Ind heard to the project OF
police, who ordered the arrest Of tbs
socialist
Woman Teacher Faces Trial
After numerous interrogatlons h!
the military and police authorities
Rappoport was locked up in the SAINT
prison where Roio WINS detained anl
Cnillanx and Senntor Hllmhert are i'm
pEiSoned, rs well MS the latest arrival
Mile. Helen Brion, the defeats
schooltescher who faces court-martia
for her writings Rnppoport's arrcs
created much comment IN oil the new :
papers, paucularly in the radical an'
socialist press
The press Of this week to say moth
ing of The wholesale de,pntions, conyil
ilons and arrests of the last f.,
months, is bringing home to III
people mare clearly the Discriminate
OF the government to rid the countr
of It's opponents and enemies.
One thing has certainly become YER
clear and that Is that the promneuo
OF man or his wealth and polite,
influence in no way cause him to h
invnlnerable against charges of int
fering with the successful prosecute
OF the war Premier Clemcnceau's Il,
cison IL that no one shall be spare
who schemes 10 undo the work done b
the soldiers Of France In the field.