The Parisian Police-Court Reporter.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 439, 22 January 1890, Page 4

The Parisian Police-Court Reporter.

Reporting the Paris police courts is a speciality for which every journalist is not fitted, says Mr J. O. Gallighan, in ‘ The Humours of Paris.’ The French public demand in the public reporter both dramatic and comic powers ; his reports of crimes must be sensational, and his account of minor offences either humorous or sentimental. It is, therefore, a matter of con siderable importance for a French newspaper to choose a chroniquer den tribunaux. A Paris paper, where there was a vacancy, dropped on a very promising debutant. His first article was quite a success. Here, in brief, is my new covjrere's first case. An old woman, calling herself Marguerite, was brought before the correctional tribunal charged with vagrancy. She had given herself up to the police, stating that she had no resources. The proceedings went on in the usual commonplace way ; the aged prisoner was examined, she admitted the offence, the policemen and witnesses were heard, and the court deliberated. As the sentence was about to be delivered a young man in his working clothes entered the court and uttered the cry, *Ah • my mother !’ The court interrupted its deliberation, the public was moved, while the young man, rushing forward, clasped his aged parent in his arms, exclaiming : ‘Ma mere ! at length I find you; I have been looking for you these three days.’ All was explained; the poor old woman unwilling o be a burden to her poor son, had herself arrested in order to be boarded and lodged gratis. Acquittal: freedom; curtain. But after that denouement, so cleverly brought about by the debutant, there wa3 an epilogue which he had not foreseen. His story was reproduced in several papers besides his own ; subscriptions were opened and were liberally responded to in favour of the self * sacrificing and venerable female. The sentimentally charitable of all classes of society contributed most generously to the relief fund for old Marguerite. The difficulty now was how to place the money in the hands of the deserving object of the subscriptions, for she, her son, and the whole case were unknown at the Palis de Justice. The young chroniqueur , who was busy on a melodrama for Sarah Bernhardt, and who knew nothing of the effect produced by his first article, was sent tor the other day by his editor, and asked to give further and necessary particulars of Marguerite’s case. Of course, be had none bo give, and he confessed at once that he had drawn on his imagination for his facts. The editor fainted. When he came to he assembled the board of directors (the smallest Paris paper has a board of directors), and they all deliberated. It was decided that it was not necessary to let the public into the secret, that the alms should be distributed to various charitable institutions, and silence encouraged to grow over the whole affair. It was further decided that the reporter’s salary should be raised 25 per cent. ; but he was made to swear solemnly, on the head of the most aged member of the board, that henceforth his chroniqtm should be scrupulously true.