Show A celebrated CASE I 1 I 1 AN INNOCENT FRENCHMAN WHO A CO CONVICT there are many and just dm mp plaint lainta concerning the laxity of out methods i in n dealing with cr criminals ll 11 it is something however in their favor that they work on the side of the old f fashioned rule that it is better Vetter to let many of the guilty guilty escape aca pa rather than ti to b punish 0 one n e 0 of th the P innocent in older countries 0 on th the e other band the law usually leans on the side of severity there has been lucli complaint compla ift in Eniti england and of late years concerning the lack of facilities for appeal in capital dases cases which are so grievously abused abased in this country the time is yo so short between conviction and oxe execution auti hat the authorities have narrowly escaped on more than one occasion recently putting an innocent minto dento ard nd sometimes the revelation aaion ot 01 alc tlc lh WiIL AIA comes too late AT an extraordinary instance of the same tendency is seen in a celebrated ea case now before beford the french chambers the fhe story has aroused popular interest and sympathy to such an extent that it has been made the subject of i a drama va on the boards of a paris theatre it mates dates baek to the coup of napo leon tierre pierre vaux was a schoolmaster a at longepierre Longe pierre in fhe department of the caone saone et loire loire his stern id fidelity delity to the republican cause earned enmity of cr many adu of his bis neigh bo corb who went over like sheep to the side of the usurping inper or vaux was nevertheless elected a municipal councilor the emmit between the republican and imperialist factions wad intense sa suddenly d a series 0 fires in mysterious in their brigita spread through the community om attacking the homes omes althe rich and abd poor alike alak every cort to discover the supposed incendiary tailed until somebody t oak advantage ot of VON vaux unpopularity to denounce the revolutionist hs as he be wi was ss called cabled as the criminal he ings condemned in 00 tober to transportation lor for life without evidence and really upon botu ng more than the suspicions of Iris enemies ife he suffered twenty three years of ef mental and bodily misery in cayenne before he be died k but bat the real criminal had mea meantime been discovered several years bears before the con convicts viets death and proved to be a personal enemy of the schoolmaster and a village mayor he confessed not only the crime but his bis own false wa witness against his bla unfortunate victim but unluckily for pierre vaux his bis enemy committed suicide in hit his cell the day before his bis trial we say unluckily tor or perre vaux because according to one of the strange provisions of the code Nap oleona person unjustly condemned cannot obtain a repeal of his bis sentence until the guilty party is tried and judged the real criminal cannot exonerate the innocent man without a trial so 80 that while pierre innocence innocenc ewas was absolutely absolutes absolu tel IT established it could not be legally demonstrated and he wore agre his life out as a convict now that he is dead his status cannot be boade good without bill the cocq 0 N 4 11 wh with bov in mise miserably exile return returned ped to france upon his demb death twelve e years y airs a ago 0 and have ever since been engaged ev aged in 1 a petitioning the chambers or lustine his chil children r en aade now 40 essed a 4 pathetic a appeal deal to id floquet to carry through the bill wealch has been introduced ced at evely session on for this purpose but it tal la said bere there is 4 little prospect of its p passage the anch re regard ard the code NAp napaleon bleon with tel s reverence and t the e I 1 deputies feel that if they oice beg began n to alter it they do not know etere they will stop i mpr incident illustrates at es the severity of the rench sy system tem in dealing with criminals which is abhorrent to E english ideas of justice the judge is pros prosecutor autor and the prisoner is jiu aall c cally dil co considered I 1 ered guilty ty until he proves his innocence the he laxity of american methods 0 ds is c er to be con dined but we CA can a at t least derive derIvi some sa bialle n from the thought that such auch apart breaking g injustice as has been antl inflate acte cl upon the unhappy rid macli would on A not be possible e our oar country noo york Trib tribune wie 1 |