Foreign News: Prince's Enemy

(2 of 3)

"Understand gentlemen, I am not accusing M. Pressard of any part in the Prince murder or even making such an insinuation. I am merely drawing the logical conclusion between what Judge Prince said and his death." The son and widow of Judge Albert Prince were far less circumspect. Through their lawyers last week they issued a 10,000-word statement, going all over the same ground and concluding: "After his interview with Judge Lescouvé, Judge Prince said to Max Buteau: 'Between Pressard and me, there is hatred to the death.' How is it possible not to place this remark in juxtaposition with Judge Lescouvé's declaration before the Parliamentary commission." Never until Stavisky was a breath of scandal attached to the long, unexciting career of Georges Pressard as a criminal lawyer and provincial judge. Called before the investigating commission last week he maintained stoutly that he never knew Stavisky or ever performed any favors for him. "On the death of Judge Prince I have no opinions," said he. "I was very sorry when I heard of it." The Stavisky investigation has already linked the swindler to one famed murder of many years ago, the mysterious death of Jean Galmot, Deputy from French Guiana, in 1928 (TIME, April 2). Indirectly last week it brought to final conclusion another financial scandal that 23 years ago shook France almost as deeply. Henri Rochette was another swindler to hold his own. Starting as a waiter in a French hotel with a $1,000 inheritance, he pyramided strange financial operations until in 1908, aged 29, he was the organizer of a dozen companies, one of which had 60 branches and had sold $24,000,000 worth of securities. The entire structure crashed and investigation showed that, like Stavisky, Henri Rochette had bribed his way through the entire French political system.

Paralleling the Stavisky-rooted murder of Albert Prince, the great Caillaux-Calmette affair grew from Rochette roots. Because Editor Gaston Calmette of Le Figaro waged a bitter campaign against Joseph Caillaux, Minister of Finance, largely for his alleged part in the Rochette scandal, Mme Caillaux walked into Figaro's office and shot Editor Calmette dead.

Henri Rochette was sentenced to two years in prison, which he never served, fleeing to Mexico instead. During the War he turned up in the Verdun trenches, fighting under an assumed name. Later he appeared as a character in the Oustric bank failure. Last month French justice, smarting under charges of laxity in the Stavisky affair, hauled him into court, sentenced him again on his ancient swindle charge. In 15 years Henri Rochette has lost most of his spirit; he wanted only to be left alone. He lost his appeal last week. The original sentence of two years in jail was upheld.

Wildly facing a crescent of judges, Henri Rochette cried:

"If you condemn me there will be blood." Whereupon the judges raised his sentence to three years for contempt of court.

Henri Rochette whipped out a razor sharp knife. Right in the middle of the court room he slashed his throat from ear to ear. Carefully tucked inside Henri Rochette's hat was a note:

"I have postponed my suicide for several weeks to finish correcting the proofs of my book, The Regeneration of France."