CONTEMPT OF COURT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1543, 27 April 1887, Page 3

CONTEMPT OF COURT

I An extraordinary Incident has occurred at the Roueu Court of Appeal. • ''iii.cc men who had been sentenced tit Havre to various terms of imprisonment, appealed Ito the llouen Court. They were brought m together, and on the first prisoner being askrd.tha quea'ion, " Have you appealed?" ho replied, "Ye? 1 do ao to see if the Rouen judge* Are as great rascals aa thoai of »*avro " Thia pi«ce of impudence produced a great soneation, and the m»n was i -rthwith condemned to one .year's imprisonment for ioDultiug the magistrate*. What was tho general BUrptiso when the second prisoner, on being a^ked the same questior*, returned an ideatical reply. This time the jad^-ei doalt out m double penalty, and ho was sent off with two yeira' imprUonmt'Ct to hi» book. No on* dreamt that the third man would dare to face the Court m this insolent fashion after the punishment to which his two companions had been treated, and a thrill of amazement ran through the audience when, m answer to the formal query 1 " Have you appealed ?" ha returned the same reply, " Yes, I did so to see if the Rouen judges are as great rasoala as those of H»vro," The Court ■ontenced this man to three years' imprisonment. Such an incident must be almost without a preoedent m the annals of justice.