CLEMENCEAU'S ESCAPE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 172, 15 April 1919, Page 7

CLEMENCEAU'S ESCAPE

FIRED AT NINE TIMES EYE-WITNESSES' ACCOUNT OF THE CRIME INDOMITABLE OLD MAN How narrow was ,the escape from death of !M. Clemenceau will be realised from the, following account of the crime of February lit. It was at ten minutes to nine in the morning that the attack was made. As M. Clemenceau left his house to drive down to the Ministry his assailant, Emile Cottin, emptied a Browning pistol into the car as it slowed at a turning.' "The Times" correspondent, in describing tho affair, says: By half-past nine, when I arrived, the Hue Franklin was blocked with motor-cars and callers. The ordinary public, kept at some distance from the house, eagerly questioned everyone coming away for news of M. Clemencoau's condition. Outside on the pavement French Ministers wore holding a sort of Cabinet meeting. There were M. Pichon, M. Leygues, and nearly every other member of the Government. M. Benizelos was among the first Conference statesmen to drive up to inquire, and throughout tho morning there was a constant stream of Allied representatives.

The most envied person in tho quarter I found to be a seventeen-year-old barber's assistant named Moulin, who ran after tho would-be murderer, and claims to have ten before the police in putting his hand--and, as he told me with prido and great .personal satisfaction, also his boot—upon the person of Emile Cottin, The attempt had evidently been well thought out, and tho Prime Minister's habits studied for some time. His house is in the courtyard of 18 Rue Franklin, and in driving down to Hie Ministry in the morning the car had to slow down at tho corner of the street to turn into the BoulevaTd Delessert. Hare it was that Cottin had taken up bis position, and lay almost in ambush for M. Clemen* ccau behind one of the circular iron urinals which disfigure' the streets of Paris.

Criminal Chased by a Boy. In describing what occurred I cannot do better than quote the story told me by the barber's assistant, who said: "I had just noticed M. Olemenceau drive past with his agents afta cyclists in front of his military cm, anil was turning- away from the window when I heard a revolver shot. My hrst thought was that it was some -American amusing himself, as lliey do, iritu a motor-cat. A second shot, fired at once, mado me connect it with SI. Ciemenceau, aiifl, shouting out in thb shop: 'They art as. sassinating Clemenewiu,' I mado a dart for the door and flaw a man just across the road in the Boulevard Delessart. firing into the back of M, Clemencean's car. I rah for all I was worth, and, cutting across tho corner, started shouting. Tlit; man fan after the ear, firing as he went. The oar put on speed for a short_ distance, and the man, evidently realising that he could not reload in time, tried to save himself by flight. ' I kept on running hard, without thinking of what I should do when I got up to him. There was two policemen panting just behind me. When I first touched tho man's back he dropped us revolver and did Kamerad with his Hinds. I atonco hit him, and kicked 'inm hard, the dirty beast, and I assure vou that if the policemen had not come uji in strength there would not be much eft of him now. But unfortunately for him there have been a lot of police all round this district siuce M. Ciemenceau became Prime Minister. He's an ugly fellow with reddish hair, and looks rather a Russian. That's all." In the course of the morning I obtained further details frosi policemen concerned in the matter, one of whom I met coming away from the police station with his left eye bandaged. Ho was on dutv at the refuge in the middle of the road iust nt the corner of the Rue Franklin and the Boulevard Delessert. He had just seen M. Clemencean's car i'slow down for turning when the first shot was fired by Cottin. The bullet shalered the wind-scroll and, richochetting, hit and wounded the policeman, hut not too seriously to mar his evident satisfaction at having played some part, if only a negative one, in the day's ovent.

A uniformed agent do police and a plain-clothes man, who, with Moulin, seized Cottin, declare that Cottin's only words were to the effect that'he was an Anarchist from Montrougc—a noted Anarchist centre in Paris; and tlmt he had intended to "remove" M. Clemenconn because he was an enemy of the working classes.

An Indomitable Patient. The chauffeur in M. Clemenceau's car, although hit, when he realised what was happening p,ut 011 speed. Then M. Uemenceau endeavoured to get liirn to stop the cur, and wanted to get out in order to turn back to see what had occurred. The driver turned round and drove straight back to SI. Clemenceau's Muse, where M. Clemencenu got out of tha car. leaning lightly upon an orderly's arm, and, saying "Ce Vest rien, ce 11 est nen," .walked into the house. Br. Gossett was at once summoned, and shortly afterwards the great French surgeon M. Tuffier was sent for. They found their indomitable patient much more cheerful than they wert, themselves 011 their arrival, and soon from M. Clemenceau's study on the ground floor there filtered through the news that the "Grand l.oung Man of France" was not badly wounded. This reassuring statement spread like wildfire among the rapidly-growing crowds, where the comment npon the attempt would not have pleased those agitators who hove bfen preaching discontent with criminal irresponsibility for some time past. Could they be shown motoi'-car No. 95,025, they would.' be able to see how miraculous was M. Clemenceau's escape. Ihero are 110 fewer than Jne lieatlv punctured holes in the back of the ear, and the bullets all passed right through. Another shot, fired from the front, was deflected by the wind screen, and, aa I have said, wounded a polireman standing in the middle of the road.

"Condition Excellent." M. Clemenceau s.pent the morning receiving visitors, who included President Poincare, with whom he chatted for some ten minutes, M. Pains, Marshal Foch, and a host of Allied representatives, including Lord Derby. Mr. Lloyd George telephoned his inquiries from London, and other British Peace delegate? called. M. Clemenceau's chauffeur Abrabant gives the following account .of the crime:— ■ "We had just left the house and the car was turning to the left to get into the Boulevard' Deles-serf when we had' to slow down in order to take the turn. Just then a man of medium size who was hidden behind a urinal came forward and fired at the carriage. His first shot went through the wind screen and as the car continued nir.e other shots hit it, some slanting and others full in the buck of the car as it computed its iurn. The third shot hit M. CJemeneean, but. as it had gone through the cushions of the car it. together with two others which also touched' him, inflicted no wound. Two bullets in fact were found in his overcoat. The shot which wounded the Premier was fired at the slant." . This man was himself hit by one bullet.

T:t offering his services to a committee of British and American journalists who are lo consider ihn adaptation of university curricula to journalistic needs, Sir .Arthur Quillei'-Ciiiugh writes: "The bad writing perpetuated by undergraduates and by Ihe slurietils of the women'* colleger who are wor "\ is enough to break the linai't." The public schools, lie says, hrc at the bottom of the evil, and universities should insist that boys should be as carefully trained as jn-e French bo.yx in writing I heir mother tongue.

There are 4501) picture houses in the United Kingdom, with an annual attendane of 1.,075,000,000. The average number of visits to the motion pictures for the entire population is one every two weeks for each person.

(The cable news Ic this isßue accredited to the London "Times" has appeared in that journal, but only whero expressly itated is such news the editorial opinion gf the "Times.")