The better side of the French Press is illustrated by an event which followed closely on the death of Aurélien Scholl. Twenty years ago a country chemist named Danval was accused of poisoning his wife with arsenic. Very small quantities of the poison were found in her intestines, and strong medical evidence was given in the prisoner's favour, but he was nevertheless convicted, with extenuating circumstances (as if there could be any extenuation for a cold-blooded murder), and sentenced to transtation for life. He was shipped off to New Caledonia, whence he sent periodical protestations of innocence to the Minister for Justice, but the public heard no more of him until about three months ago, when M. Jacques Dhurr, a journalist who had paid a visit to New Caledonia and interviewed Danval, began to draw attention, to his case in the "Journal." Not content with this, M. Dhurr interrogated all the surviving medical experts and witnesses, and soon collected a mass of testimony leaving no doubt that the unfortunate chemist was the victim of a grave judicial error. The doctors and chemists' were very severe on their confrere (now deceased) who was the mainstay of the case for the prosecution, and some of them told extraordinary stories of the carelessness with which he was wont to carry out his examinations. Dhurr's articles attracted the attention of President Loubet, who requested that all the evidence should be laid before him. He read it through from end to ead, made up his mind at once, sent for the convict's partisans, and signed the pardon in their presence. M. Dhurr's account of the scene throws considerable light on the President's unostentatious character. "At five o'clock" he writes, "we were ushered into the President's study. M. Loubet came forward with his usual kindly smile. "He offered his hand to each of us and asked us to sit down. We seated ourselves round his desk, and he immediately said: 'I have followed this case with much interest. Immediately after reading M. Dhur's first article, I asked the Minister of Justice for the dossier. It was handed to me this morning. Here it is." At this point the President laid his hand on a bulky packet amongst the heaps of papers lying on his desk. I have carefully examined if,' he continued. There was a moment's silence. M. Loubet took up a few sheets of white paper, bound with a green thread, and affixed his signature to one of them. He raised his head and quietly said 'Here is his pardon.' With thatamiable simplicity which gives so much charm to his conversation, the President went on to say that he had observed that Danval had con-that he' bid ittle'-" confidence in memorials. M_ Loubet' then" chatted affably with his visitors," disused' the reform of the criminal law' with' thei, congratulated M. Dhurr on what "he done, again shook hands all round, and? sent his visitors away rejoicing. In this simple and expeditious way, without an legal formalities, and thanks to the sense of the President and the humane energy of a journalist, a great wrong WaS"as"™ far a5 possible atoned for.
Don Francis of Assisi.
We have lost one of our "Mf retired from business," Don Francis of i, who caught cold through riding in a brougham with the window: 4 quietly lay down and died 6f*piti after seventy-nine years of existence la world which was always too noisy, for his'! taste. Itwasso long ago since Don' Francis' 7 sat ona throne that most people hiad forgotten' who he was; yet he was Prince (or King) Consort of Spain for twenty-two years. He, married his cousin-german, Queen' Isabella, the celebrated, in 1846, accompanied her: into. exile after the revolution in 1868, although: he was often at variance with' her, and separated from her in 1870.. Since that: time the Royal pee had lived apart, Isabella, in her mansion close to the Are de Triomphe, and Don Francis in his country house.at Epinay, near St. Denis, where he managed to get along very comfortably on the <allowance of £13,00 a year made -hiur by; the Cortes at the request'of his son Alfonso XI. 'He was reconciled to Queen Isabella: some, yearn ago, but they, continued. to, live apart. Don Francis. was the; antithesis, df... his spouse and, had he been born. three or four hundred' years earlier, "iduld have made a very good abbott' of the learned type. Few men have ever been called: Upon to play so distasteful a.part in life, Don Francis fully realised the uneasiness of. the head that wears a crown. He effaced himself.to such an extent that his death... will not interfere with tha festivities lin honour of his grandson's majority.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.