Madame Humbert in Court.

Manawatu Herald, 14 April 1903, Page 2

Madame Humbert in Court.

The Paris correspondent of the New Yo k World Writes on February 14 : -By her brilliance and magnetism Mmei Theresa Humbert has turned the hostility of Paris Into applause. In danger of the mob two months ago, she is now a popular heroine? This magical change she has wrought by the spall of her personality in the two days she has been in court. She has dominated the Whole proceedings. She then took the case Out .of her own lawyers hands, From the moment she swept into the trialroom, calm; dauntless, determined, followed by Frederick Humbert and H'Aurlgnaes, trembling and dejected, she was in command of everything. She completely turned the tables on the Paris banker, whose suit it was that brought her into court. It was a mere side issue to the main trial, , hilt it has served to gain for her popular sympathy to such an extent that it inevitably will have a tremendous effect on the bigger trial when it comes on.

Mrae. Humbert’s domination of her audience is well described in Figaro, by Yarennes, who says—- “ Her magnetism is amazing. You listen to her, you believe her. If you wore the-judge you would be on her side. If you were a millionaire, you would lend her your fortune.” Applause rang out in court several times while she was in the witnessstand. Calm, majestic, self-com-posed, she never lost her poisa, while several times patting to discomfiture Cattani, the Paris banker, who has sued her for libel in calling him a usurer. ,

When the banker became entangled in his facts and dates, and was floundering helplessly with his memoranda, trying to remember, she calmly supplied every detail, remarking coldly, “ I forget nothing.”

Her skill, adroitness, and apparent sincerity won over the people in court, who plainly showed sympathy with her. The audience showed its enjoyment of Banker Cattani’s discomfiture.

She quickly put him on the defensive. Before the case was fairly under way, she had convinced the listeners that she had been the victim of an unscrupulous usurer. Telling her story in tones that commanded sympathy and belief of her bearers, she attributed her financial ruin to usurers. She said the excessive interest charged her by Cattani ran the sums she borrowed from him up to 600,000 dollars. The climax came when, pointing her finger at the shrinking banker, she cried—“l’d rather be within the four walls of a prison cell than in your place ”

The details of her transactions she related with striking accuracy. She forgot nothing. Where Cattani, even with the aid of his papers, had been foggy about the transactions of ten years ago, she glibly recalled everything.