Year: 1871

A correspondent of the London Pdu


Mall Gazette, under date September 9th.


Paris, gives some interesting pictures OF


the trial of five women, the court OF


which Col. Boisdenemetz was president.


We quote as follows from this letter:


"It has been reported that there were


some young anl attractive women In the


first batch, but the statement proved only


half true. The women were young enough,
the oldest being no more than 81 and the
youngest q; but their appearance was re-
pulsiye in the extreme, being that of the
lowest, most depraved class OF women in
the worst quarter of large towns. Their
clothes were sordid, their hair undressed, !,
their features coarse, bestial, and sullen. !t
was difficult to get up much Interest IN
creatures so devoid OF all that graces their
sex, and was not surprised to see the court
gradually thin as the day wore on. Let


me here. however. make q remark which
is founded on personal observation. No


matter how hldeous may be the crimes OF
which man is accused, and let the man
himself be the most abject and despicable
being of his spec 'es. there is always some


woman who believes in him, grieves for
him, and woulda be ready to sacrifice her


self on his behalf, If by so doing she could


secure his safety. At every trial where a


man is being judged one may, by searching,


discover woman whose face Is fixed yearr-


inely on the dock, and who, when sentence


is pronounced, elbow forward alone to take


the criminals head between her hands and
sob some words of comfort into his ear.


But this Is not the case where women
are concerned. When woman falls


she seems to fall absolutely unfriend-
ed. Her crimes have not often been
her own. The rctribntion is all hers,


and there is nobody who cares either


to share it or alleviate it. During the two


days trial of the petroleuses, l heard not


single word Of sympathy pronounced in


favor of any of them-not one. went out


on purpose during the adjournment for


luncheon on the first day and mixed with


the crowd of workingmen who generally


hang about the public entrance to the court,


hoping that might pick up stray waif or


two of information respecting some OF the


women. AS expected, there were several


men who knew them, had lived in the same


street as they, and there was one who
seemed very precise on the subject Of the


youngest prisoner, who, said he, had acted
as ambulance woman and succored the


wounded at the barricades. But there was no
sympathy on their part-.rather the contrary;
aud this though they were almost lach-
rymose in alluding to former acquaintance


OF theirs who had got into trouble "for


usurping functions" To make all this
more pltiable. it appears that the women
are as much forsaken in their captivity as
they are in court. Every male prisoner at
the Orangerie has visitors who bring him


money or food delicacies; but scarcely one


woman in ten receives visits. Nay, there
is thing that would seem incredible but
for the curious contradictions in Woman'S


nature some of these bandoned creatures
had managed to save n few francs out of
their nameless misery and to conceal them
in the lining of their clothes while they were


being searched; but instead of spending


money OH their own wants, as men never


fail to do, their one thought was how to get


IT, couyevcd TO their paramOllrS