FRENCH TRAGEDY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 118, 20 May 1914, Page 11

FRENCH TRAGEDY

THE MURDER OF M. CALMETTE SENSATIONAL EVIDENCE "I SHALL KILL HIM." (HtOH OUR OWN CORRJSFONDINI.) LONDON, gth April. The preliminary investigation into the murder of M. Calmette, editor of the Figaro, by the wife of M. Caillaux, the ex-Mimster of Finance, is bringing in some distinguished evidence. For example, without any precedent whatever, the President of the Paris Appeal Court called on the President of the Republic at the Elysee and took his evidence on oath. The case was entirely without precedent. How could the evidence of the President be taken, if, for that matter, it coult s be taken at all? The problem was solved by M. Poincare himself, who had received a /Communication from the Minister of Justice. M. Poinca-re swept aside all judicial quibbles and formalities. "I am the first magistrate of the country," he said, "and as such must perform the primary duty of every citizen, that of telling the whole truth when justice claims its utterance." The Chancellerie then decided that, according to an ar- j tide 'in a Royal decree of Louis Philippe, M. Poincare's evidence would be taken, but taken at his residence. He took the usual form of oath, to tell the truth, the whole truth, sand nothing but the truth; and when he had read over the statement he signed it "Raymond Poincare." i M. Poincare related how ho was asked by M. Caillaux for a private interview before the meeting of the Cabinet. Council on the morning of 16th March. "He seemed much moved," said M. Poincare, "and told me that he feared M. Calmette would publish in the Figaro some private letters whose appearance would be most painful to Madame Caillaux and himself. 1 replied that I considered M. Calmette an honourable man, quite incapable of publishing letters which would involve Madame Caillaux. It was in vain that I tried to convince him of it. I pointed out that M. Calmette when he published the letter signed 'Ton Jo,' had been scrupulously careful to suppress all that was private in it. That was sufficient proof that M. Calmette would keep his campaign within gentlemanly limits. At one moment he even sprang up crying, 'If Calmette publishes the letters I will kill him.' "I advised him to see the lawyer who looked after his interests in the divoi'ce case, Maitre Bernard. Maitre Bernard actually came in that afternoon, and I told him of 'the fears expressed by M. Caillaux. Maitre Bernard replied that he considered M. Calmette quite incapable "of publishing letters involving Madame Caillaux, but that he would see M. Caillaux during the day, and, if necessary, M. Calmette also." In the afternoon the President of the Council, M. Doumergue, visited the Elysee and had an interview with the President, in the course of which M. Poincare told him of the morning's conversation with M. Caillaux, and begged him to do all in -his power to reassure and calm his colleague. But it waß too late. At the moment when M. Don- J mergue left the Elysee Madame Caillaux was entering the offices of the Figaro. TWO DOCUMENTS. Further important evidence was given by a member of the Figaro staff, M. Latzarus. He said : "On several occasions 1 had the opportunity of speaking with M. Calmette about the documents in his possession. People had blamed him for having the Prieu affair to light without any written proofs to back his charges. He said to me on several occasions that his intention had been to prevent -M. Caillaux from replenishing his electoral campaign _ fund, and that when he had achieved his end he ceased to take any interest in the affair. So little love had he for scandal for scandal's sake. One day, towards the end of ' January he spoke to me of the despairing entreaties made by financiers, who implored him to cease mentioning the pressure brought to bear by M. Caillaux on a credit establishment. He then gave me details as to the part played by M. Caillaux in the Agadir affair, and, taking two documents out of his pocket-book, he showed them to me. They were diplomatic papers, and their tenor was of so grave, formal, and crushing a nature that their publication would have meant M. Caillaux's immdiate fall from power without any hope of return, They bore a number in the top corner, and I believe it was the number under which they figure in the j archives. M. Calmette declared that he j could not publish them for fear of provoking foreign complications, and that he would not even publish a resume of them. MYSTERIOUS DOCUMENTS. , "Some days later my friend M. Rob- ! erf de Jouveilel begged him earnestly to keep silence. Such was the man ac-, cused of being ready to stick at nothing to overthrow M. Caillaux. He continued his campaign, and published the resume of the Fabro report. The same evening I asked him if he would publish the com 1 plete text. He replied : 'Perhaps, if Caillaux denies. I shall be authorised to publish it.' But M. Caillaux did not deny. Several days later M. Calmette published the political part of the letter signed 'Ton Jo.' Several of us read the proofs of his article, and discussed it with him. lie said to us, 'And now, if that is not sufficient, my pockets, are empty; I have nothing more.' I objected, 'But you have the Fabre report,' and he replied, 'yes, but I promised not to publish it.' He took out his pocket-book, and drew from it several sheets. He sat down at his desk and said to us, 'I am going to read it to you.' He read it, and replaced it in his pocket-book, saying, with a smile, 'I never Jet this out of my hands.' If lie had possessed other ietters they would certainly have been found, after his death, in his pocket-book, in which were discovered tho Agadir papers and the Fabre leport. " M. Frantz Reichel, sporting editor of the Figaro, said : "My colleague, Auguste Avril, could have told you that M. Caillaux had stated his intention, should Calmette's campaign continue, of killing him in a duel. 'I am a "very

skilful shot,' he said, 'and practise daily at Gastinne-Renette's gallery. I never miss the bull's-eye, and I shall not miss him.' M. CAILLAUX'S EVIDENCE. In his own evidence, given with great emotion, M. Caillaux said he had lived in perfect harmony with the present Madame Caillaux up to the time when she shot M. Calmette. His first wife, MadStne Gueydan, had already been divorced when he married her in 1906. "Misunderstandings," he said, "were not long in manifesting themselves betvyeen us. They have nothing to do with the present case. Suffice it to say that in July, 1909, matters came to a crisis between Madame Gueydan and myself. In September, 1909, during our holidays, a packet of letters placed in the drawer of my desk was stolen. This packet contained two letters which I had addressed to tho present Madame Caillaux, who was then the divorced wife of M. Claretie. The shorter one was written on the notepaper of the General Council of the Department of the Sarthe. The other, written on the notepaper of the Chamber of Deputies, contained sixteen pages, in Avhich I analysed my private life for years past. I set forth there the reasons, which were mainly connected with my political position, which prevented me at that juncture from dissolving the bond of marriage which I had entered into in 1906. BURNED LETTERS. "As soon as I discovered the disappearance of these letters I tried in every way to get them back. To persuade my wife to restore them to me I offered her in exchange either full reconciliation or a divorce, of which I would bear the expense and the discredit. Madame Gueydan chose the reconciliation. On sth November, 1909, at our residence, the two letters that I had addressed to the present Madame CailJaux wero burned, in the presence of M. Prrvat Deschanel, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance. At the same time we burned the documents on which I based the charges that I had made against Madame Gueydan. Before destroying these letters I required my wife to make a solemn declaration' before M. Deschanel that she had kept neither photographs nor copies of them. She solemnly declared that she had retained nothing of the kind. It was with the completest sincerity that I accepted reconciliation with Madame Gueydan. At that moment I had cast out all other attachments from my life. My attitude only changed some months later, when it became clear that I could not abstain from presenting a divorce petition. This I did in July, 1910, and on 9th March, 1911, by mutual agreement between my wife and myself, a divorce was pronounced. "In October, 1911, when I was Premier, my Ministerial Secretary, M. France Desclaux, told me M. Vervoort had informed hint that Madame Guey-, dan had offered him for publication tho two letters which I believed had been for ever destroyed. M. Desclaux gave mo such details about these \etters that I exclaimed, 'But those are the very letters which were stolen froni me !' The two letters which I had written to the present Madame Caillaux and tho one signed 'Thy Jo' formed a single series. Their publication was paintul to me, because of tho private details which they contained. "PERFECT HAPPINESS." , "Some months later I married the lady who is now Madame Caillaux. The marriage was ono of perfect happiness. My wife was the closest possible companion of my life, as well as a most watchful and useful helpmate. We lived in a close intimacy of heart and mind. I know that rumours were in circulation about our alleged disunion. We knew that these slanders were an essential part of the campaign that certain newspapers had 'been conducting against me. Nevertheless, we attached no importance to them. Many a time this winter we have laughed together at these stories, which represented me as the rival of M. Calmette for the affections of a lady."