MILLIONAIRE BRIGAND.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10033, 2 May 1910, Page 4

MILLIONAIRE BRIGAND.

The story of Jean Valjean is strikingly reproduced in real life by the case of the German millionaire, Karl May. May, who had attained the age of seventy, and made a name as a philanthropist and social reformer, has just been identified as a notorious brigand who served two penal sentences for crimes of violence, committed over forty years ago. Society never finds itself in a greater quandary than when it accidentally meets with the reformed but unpunished criminal. A case of this kind occurred in Australia when the exbushranger Gardiner was discovered leading the life of a peaceful country storekeeper. There were circumstances which made it unsafe to trust to his remaining for ever in that capacity, yet opinions were divided as to the proper course to pursue regarding him. He was arrested and sent to'gaol, but liberated before the completion of his sentence, for which act of clemency the Government of the day lost its life. The case of Karl May, however, belongs to a somewhat different category. For over fortj years he appears to have led an exemplary life, during which he rose to high eminence amongst bis countrymen. Ought that to atone for his past misdeeds, or is there any use in going back to them? inspector Javert, on learning tbat

the highly respected millionaire, M. Madeline, was Jean Valjean, who years before escaped from the galleys, pursued him until the ex-con-vict heaped so many coals of fire on his head that in despair about reconciling the claims of gratitude and what he deemed to be duty, he committed suicide. May, the German excriminal, whose sins after 40 years of a blameless life have suddenly found him out, is reported to have 1 "collapsed when placed under supervision to prevent him from comitting suicide." It is a pathetically insoluble problem this of the criminal who underjnore favourable auspices is transformed into a good man leaving unpaid his debt to the outiaged law. The law cannot say to everyone go and commit crime, and if after its commission you reform [ and elude capture tor a certain time it will be forgiven. The logic of that, however, breaks on human feeling and commonsense when a man has done so, and when for justice to demand satisfaction from him would merely destroy a useful citizen and punish perhaps an unoffending family. Still for justice to let herself be seen deliberately winking under any circumstances is impossible, and when sense, humanity and expediency unite in asking ,itto do so, is when the crux of this question is met.