TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 11326, 2 October 1930, Page 7

TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE.

FRENCH -METHOD IMPUGNED

There was never a more glaring travest.v of French methods of justice than that involved by an elaborate reconstruction at Te Tourquet of the Wilson murder of 1928. Tho accused, a boy of 16. named Le Loutre. arrived handcuffed to a gendarme. While a cordon of police held in check an enormous crowd of English girls and men in bathing costumes and smartly-dressed French women, who clustered excitedly near the scene, Le Loutre was freed of the handcuffs and told to sit where he is supjwscd to have been seen on the day of the murder.

Then with a dramatic-gesture 'ho judge raised his hand and M. Matins. who Aias supposed to have seen the youth just before 1110 murder, took Die centre of the “stage.” Smoking a cigarette, Mufras stalked along the train lines, while hundreds of cameras clicked, until 110 reached the youth, pale, nervous, sitting on the roadside. There Matras stopped. He told Le Loutrc how to hold Ins hands and how to place his tap and. vu riling to the judge, said. “Now 1 formally recognise. ■ him." ’ Le Loutre’s lawyer protested energetically, and he and the judge, had a healed argument, which the eroAvd enjoyed immensely. Meanwhile a sound-movie Avaggou had arrit oil to film the scene.

After that the unfortunate youth was taken to various places in the woods, the scenes of other alleged attacks. One of the women concerned had a tit. of hysterics. The judge refused the sobbing boy’s appeal and made him tell the story in detail. A physical wreck, the boy a\as then tcmuved to the police station, where the evidence of the reconstruction was Avriltoii devil.

Tiis crowd dissolved, thoroughly satisfied with its free “show.”

The victim of the murder thus “reconstructed” was a Airs W ilson. Matras, the chief' witness against the boy, was the loader ot the casino orchestra, and at the time of the tragedy ihe tvas arrested and questioned for 15 hours.