DEATH SENTENCE

Grey River Argus, 6 October 1945, Page 3

DEATH SENTENCE

ON A VICHY LEADER. PARIS. October .3. Joseph Darnand, head of the Vichy Militia, came up for trial at the High Court, which sentenced him to death and confiscated,' his property. He reeled and almost collapsed when the verdict was given. The charges were of high treason, namely of having enrolled recruits for a foreign Power against France, having participated in attempts to demoralise the nation; having in September, 1944, at Beffort, aided and abetted the fraudulent conversion of thirty million, francs and a certain amount of gold seized by his militiamen from the Bank of France by irregular requisition orders having as head Of the Vichy Militia, sent expeditions against the Maquis, and caused the assassination of former Ministers, Jean Zay and Georges Mandel. Darnand chiefly relied for his defence on the authority of Petain, contending it was his duty to follow him. Darnand denied that he belonged to the Cagoulard (hooded men) organisation, and said he mustered young men of a revolutionary type for militia, which he saw as the sole bulwark against anarchy. The special courts under his authority never, to the best of his belief, condemned members of the resistance movemen i, except when murder had been committed. He admitted that grave excesses and even crimes were committed by the militia, but said he condemned these excesses and punished those guilty. Pierre Laval will be tried on a charge of high treason to-morrow, carrying the death penalty.