M. LEON DAUDET.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19818, 4 January 1930, Page 13

M. LEON DAUDET.

♦ RETURN TO PARIS CELEBRATED. (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION'—ET EMXTKIC TELEGRAFH —COPYRIGHT.) (Rcceired January 3rd, 7 p.m.) PARIS, January 3. it. Lecu l)audet, who was recently granted an amnesty, has returned, and held a reception at the offices of the newspaper "Action Francnisc.'' which was crowded. M. Leon Daudet refused to surrender to the police in Paris in June, 1927, to undergo a term of imprisonment on tho charge of criminal libel. He wag besieged by the police in the office of his newspaper, "Action Franeaise." Hundreds of his fellow Royalists rallied to his support and fortified the office buildings. The police besieged them for two days, when M. Chiappe, the Prefect of Police, called upon M. Daudet to surrender to prevent unnecessary bloodshed. After discussion, M. Daudet gave himself up and was taken to prison. About a fortnight afterwards, the Director of the Prison received a telephonic message, which he believed to corfte from the Minister for Justice, ordering the release of M. Daudet, and he acted upon it and released him The message was a bogus one. and tho police upon investigation found secret telephone wires leading from the offices of the paper "Action Franeaise." In the meantime, the prisoner had escaped from Paris. M. Daudet had been involved in long and complicated legal proceedings since th« death of his son, Philippe, three and a half years ago. Tho body of the hoy with a bullet wound in his head was found in a taxi-cab in November, 1923. The Courts decided that it.' was a case of suicide, but M. Daudet alleged that his son had been murdered bv police officers, and that Bajot, the driver of the cab, was an accessory after the fact, and had given false evidence. As a result of a suit for libel brought by Bajot, if. Daudet and it- Joseph Delest were sentenced respectively to five months' imprisonment, and to a fine of 1-500 francs, and two months' imprisonment, and a fine of 500 francs, and jointly to pay 25,000 francs damages to the chauffeur. The "Action Franeaise" some time later revealed the fact that 15 members of the Camelots du Roi arranged the hoax. One went to the Ministry of tho Interior, and others to adjacent cafee. All of them telephoned to tho Sante Prison, thus engaging all the lines. The conspirator in the Ministry, however, was the only one who actually spoke. This man asked for M. Cutry, director of the gaol- To him ho said the Cabinet had decided upon the immediate release of M. Daudet and his associate Delest, also M. Semart. The joker said they must be let out immediately, before news of the decision got about, so as to prevent demonstrations. . . M. Catrv was suspicious, and rang off. Then he rang up the Ministry. As the conspirators were holding all the lines he was merely put-throuch to the Oamelot who was posing as if Sarraut's deputy. . ; The latter replied: I just tele- j phoned to you. Hurry up and carry j your orders, or I shall get into i hot water." „ . ~ , , Beincr row satisfied, M. Catrv bur- j ried to M. DaudetV cell and announced the news, rle tearfully em- j braced the prisoner, whose effects were made hurriedly into a parcel, and he left in a taxi-cab.