THE MURDER OF PRESIDENT CARNOT.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 6063, 24 September 1894, Page 4

THE MURDER OF PRESIDENT CARNOT.

The following are some extraots from a long account m a Home paper of the trial of Uaserio Santo for the murder of President Oarnot s — The President of the Court traced the life of Ouiris before be became an Anarchist, and described him v a hard working youog man, but carried away by "exalted" Anarchist notions, ha became a violent and impassioned supporter of propaganda by deeds. He was further demoralised by the company vhioh he kept. Caserio here protested, and said he had never had any disoussion with his oomrades. Speaking of the general character of the prisoner, the President said it was that of most young men. There had been an attempt to make him out an asoetio, but that was not true. It had been further said that the prisoner was not responsible for hit actions. Oaserio, with extreme vivacity : ''Yes. sir, I am responsible. lem not at all ill." It appear* to be established, however, that your father was subject to epileptic fits. During the Austrian occupation your father was m prison for shooting his brother ?— Yes, but it wm the fright which he then experienced that brought on his epileptic fits. Sinoe yonr arrest you have written to your mother. Yon told her you killed the President of the Republic id order to fulfil your Ansrohiit ideal. Caserio replied m the affirmative m the most off-hand way, as if the question did not concern him. You attended the Communal Sohool at Motta Visconti, but you were not a faroou* scholar. Oaserio replied* Oh, that iivery remarkable, because if I had had more education 1 should have been a stronger Anarchist, and done much better ao?s. In conclusion he maintained, m answer to President Breuillto's lest questions, that though he was youog perhaps to aot as judge and executions, ho was »• old aa the soldiers of 21 who went forth to kill their fellow men and were foolish enough to obey. The following questions were submitted with regard to the crime i — The Presidont reminded Caserio that be arrived at Lyons on June 24, and asked him if he did not remember that that was the anniversary of the day when on tho plains of Lombardy French and Italian blood ran together m streams for the deliverance of Italy. The prisoner replied m the negative. ' You did not,' continued the President, 1 You, a son of those Italians oppressed by the Austrians, reflect upon that P No ! This thought did not stay your ateassin hand ' The prisoner t That war, like every war was a civil war. The President : You received at any rate, hospitality m France, and you have brought mourning and grief upon the country. The prisoner : I came to Lyons m order to execute my project. The prisoner explained to the jury, with the assistance of a plan handed to him, that the steps of the Presidential landau were very low, and almost olo«e to the ground. President Carnot had, moreover, given orders that the carriage wbb not; to ba surrounded by either soldiers or police. Thus it was an easy matter to approach the vehiole, and the oiroumstanoes were consequently favourable to Caserio for the accomplishment of hit crime. The President: Tell us now about the crime, Oftserio. The prisoner : As soon at I saw the oarriage of the Frssident I drew my poinard and threw away tbe sheath. When the oarriage oarae alongside I rushed forward, jumped on the step, and holding on with my left hand, I plunged the poinard into the breast of tbe President with my right. Yes, right up to the hilt— sixteen centimetres. (Mentation ) | Tbe President : And you cried, " Vive la Revolution? You told the Juge d'lnatruotion that President Oarnot looked you straight m the face, and that hie look made a curious impression upon yon. The Prisoner (coolly) : I folt no sensation whatever. The President : Aooording to your confession you were led to become an Anarchist after the trial of the Anarohists m Borne P — lt was m 1891 that I became an Anarchist The Italian advocate Bori has said of you : "He came very rarely to our meetings ; he was a dreamer and very reticent." But you attended some of these conferences.— l was sin Anarchist before that. You were reading Anarchist pamphlets m 1892? -I never looked at the name of the writer, but took note of what was written. Your mother did ail she could to lead you to renounce Aoarohiom ?— Yes. But you did not listen. You quarrelled with jour family ? -I loved ray family, but j could not submit to them. From that time you began to break with yonr family. —There is a family greater than (bat. You belong to an Anarchist group m Milan of which Mandolli end G'rolomo were members ? — I do not belong to the polio?, and ii I knew these men I would not tell you. The judge then reminded (be prisoner how m 1898 he was sentenced fc > tight m nine' imprisonment for distributing Aoarohitt pamphlets to soldiers, and of the incident at the theatre, when he burnt into tears st the scene of the execution < f Mario Antoinette. | In 1893 you left T«-n i * io order to tsoapei the eentenoe of the Courc of Milan, »nd m ord«r not to serve as ft sjldier. You disowned your oountij after forsaking your fttm ly.— For mo any country is the whole world. Prisoner's description of hit e.inoe revealed cyclical and brutal instinots. Ha may evon be «aid to bare become loquacious over this porthn of hi? interrogatory. There wat a dim flu. I.1 '. Hlmost of pri ie, whea iho knife! was handed round to the jury, with itt broken and still bloodttaiued tip. With mnob get* tnre Caserio showed how he bad plaotd hit left hand on the door of tbe Presidential landau, after having flung away the scabbard His dagger was masked with a pteoe of paper end he did his best to rip up his victim, as Italians do m a street affray, The President : Was there a plot to kill tbe President ? I have no hope that you will deocmaoe your acooropliois, but luk you the question. The prisoner : I acted alone. I had no accomplices. The President » On the morning after tbe orime, a photograph of Etnile Henry wat teat to Madame Carnot, upon which was written theßO words, " He it well avenged." Do you approve of the sending of this photograph P Ihe prisoner : Yet, I approve of it all The President > By whet right did you oonstituto yourself the anassin of the head of the State P When the law deals death, it does so at any rats with proper justification. But you had none. , lbe prisoner : All Governments take life. The soldiers also. We know all about it. The President : But you killed not only the bead of the State, but an excellent husband and a good father. From this point of view alone the orime is an abominable one. _ The prisoner : All the Anarohists who have beea exeouted had families. Valliant had a mother, a sister and a daughter. At this point the examination of tbe prisoner closed.

At the Paddington (Bydney) Police Court on Auguit 25tb, Thomas Wioks, aged 34, was oharged with assaulting bis son Frederick, aged six* The child had played truant, and his fatbsr, to punish him, tied a rope round his waist and suspended him from a beam. He then tied another rope round him and also tied it to the beam, afterwards tying the boy's hands over his head. The boy was found by the police m this position, and was out down. The Magistrate intimated his intention of awarding a flogging to the father; the boy, however, cried and begged the Magistrate not to do so, and to forgive his father. The Magistrate said that the man had to thank his son for escaping a flogging. Never m his life had he heard of such wanton cruelty. He fined him £10; or three months' imprison* meat. .