Miss Booth and Capt. Becquet repaired to Neuchâtel on the 15th
September, where they presented themselves for interrogation by the
_Juge d’instruction_ (Police Magistrate) with reference to the meeting
at the Prise-Imer, (in the forest).
Miss Booth stated that she had held the said meeting on Sunday
afternoon, the 9th inst., and that she was aware that in so doing she
had violated the decree forbidding the meetings of the Army.
The Magistrate: What explanation have you to give?
Miss Booth: The decree is illegal, it is a violation of the
Constitution.
The Magistrate’s Secretary demurred to enter this reply, upon which Miss
Booth, addressing the Magistrate, asked:
Is it I who am writing this document, or is it you?
The Magistrate: Certainly, Mdlle., it is you.
Miss Booth: Then I request that you will put down what I say textually,
or I cannot sign.
Miss Booth here repeated Article 49 of the Federal Constitution,
“Liberty of conscience and worship is inviolable,” adding: “This is true
or it is _false_. We are also under the protection of Article 11, as our
methods had nothing illegal in them. We could not, as a religious
association, be legally restricted or forbidden.”
The Magistrate: Do you intend to continue to hold your meetings?
Miss Booth: Yes.
The Magistrate then remarked that he would consult other parties,
seeming much perplexed to know what to do with his prisoners.
No further attempt being made to detain them, Miss Booth and Captain
Becquet walked out.
On the following day, Sunday, Miss Booth took part in another private
meeting near the same spot in the forest of Rochefort, and although two
policemen were present no official notice was taken of this meeting. She
accepted the hospitality during the two following days of the family of
M. Aimé Humbert. The _Val de Ruz_ stated that “the Magistrate sent her
to the Public Prosecutor, and that he, unwilling to take upon himself
the office of conducting her to prison, sent her in turn to M. Comtesse,
President of the Council of State, who accepted the responsibility.”
On the 17th, the Secretary of the _Parquet_ waited upon her therefore at
M. Humbert’s and requested her to walk to the prison, as she had freely
constituted herself a prisoner, and the bail had been withdrawn.
(The following is related in a letter from a lady of Neuchâtel.) “Miss
Booth was a little reluctant to follow this officer, and asked why they
did not send gendarmes to fetch her. It was explained to her, however,
that it was much better for her to go at once without waiting for the
gendarmes, as she would have been obliged to be marched by them through
the streets to the Préfecture, there to be questioned and searched (her
pockets emptied, &c.), which was too revolting to think of. After a few
moments’ hesitation, Miss Booth made up her mind to follow the secretary
to the prison, which is in the Rue du Château. My sisters and I
accompanied her, and Miss Patrick, who was allowed to share her cell in
the prison. The jailer’s wife received us rather kindly, and said she
had prepared the best cell for these ladies. The police officer then
left us after having delivered his prisoner to the care of the jailers.
We ascended silently three stories, following the woman with her great
keys. Miss Booth was grave and somewhat impressed, having never seen a
prison before. We stopped before a huge door, which the woman unlocked
with a great noise; this door led to a little passage, in which was a
table. The woman took another large key out of the drawer, and unlocked
another door, saying, ‘This is the cell, mesdames.’ It was 14 feet by
7—two little windows high up, doubly barred,—no chance of getting too
much air, as they can only be reached by climbing on a chair. By doing
this one can get a view of the lake, mountains, and part of the town. It
was nearly six o’clock when we entered, almost dark, and the place
looked very dismal—the walls quite bare, and dirty. A table, a few
wooden chairs, two little beds with straw mattresses and coarse brown
blankets, were all the furniture. (We brought her a few cushions and a
piece of carpet.) Our little company looked round, not much comforted,
and the tears came to our eyes as we thought of the frail being who
would have to live in this place for days, perhaps weeks. ‘Let us pray,’
suddenly said Miss Booth. We all kneeled down, and the first words which
were uttered in this cell were addressed to the Throne of God, to the
Father of all mercies, on behalf of His beloved child who had been
called to suffer for His name. As we were concluding our little
prayer-meeting, the jailer’s wife entered, and requested the
_demoiselles_ to leave the cell. As we went out, sadly saying good-bye
to our dear prisoners, we noticed that it was not without emotion that
Miss Booth realised that she would be locked up, with no chance of
stepping out of her cell. Twelve long days have been spent there by her
and her companion. A few friends had the privilege of seeing her
sometimes. Whenever I went I always found her perfectly peaceful, even
cheerful, happy in the Lord and working for Him all the day. Prayers and
hymns have been echoed from these walls, and could tell many a tale. ‘O!
how I love these walls,’ said Miss Booth one day, patting them with her
hand, ‘I could kiss them, they have been such friends to me. Jesus has
been with me here. He fills the place with His presence.’”
Knowing the intense anxiety felt on her account by her parents in
England, Miss Booth most carefully abstained from mentioning, or
allowing to be mentioned by her friends, certain facts connected with
her imprisonment. She represented her position in the brightest possible
colours, for their sake. She had nevertheless to endure a good deal,
which only came to our knowledge later. She was in very weak health at
the time, and suffered extremely from sickness, brought on every day by
the unwholesome odours and other discomforts of the prison, so much so,
that at one time fears were entertained that she would not have
sufficient strength to appear at the trial. When very faint and sick,
she could only obtain a little air by standing up on a chair and
stretching upward towards the small barred window. The journal, the _Val
de Ruz_, had the following remarks on her case:—“Our prisons were made
for locking up malefactors, and all in them, is in uniform harmony with
this object—discipline, utensils, régime. To throw into such prisons
young English ladies accustomed to care that is not given to criminals,
and especially accustomed to perfect cleanliness—to make them lie upon a
palliasse upon which has lain who knows who, and put their heads upon a
sack of straw, eat from a rough platter the ordinary food of
malefactors—(Miss Booth has not wished to be given better food than the
other prisoners)—certainly that is not all very cheerful for them, nor
is it for the honour of the Canton.[33] Regard for England and for these
young ladies, who have committed no other fault than to obey their
consciences—a new crime which had to be coined in order to imprison
them—might have prompted a more gentle treatment of them.”
On the evening of the third day of her imprisonment a few Salvationists,
wishing to give her a glad surprise and a sign of their loving
remembrance of her, gathered in a group on the terrace of the prison,
about 300 feet below her cell, and sang together one of their familiar
hymns:—
“Soldats du Christ, le Maître nous appelle!
Serrons nos rangs, que chacun soit fidèle!
Si de Satan la force est redoutable,
Le Dieu des Cieux est puissant, secourable.”
At that moment Miss Booth was on her knees, seeking renewed force,
during one of those moments of sadness and darkness which are permitted
sometimes to those who labour for souls; permitted indeed to a degree at
times which seems momentarily to justify the mocking assertion, “He
saved others; himself he cannot save.” The sweet sound of this singing
far below, falling and rising on the breeze, was to her at that moment a
message of reassurance and joy. She stood upon her chair, and reaching
up, waved her white handkerchief[34] from the small barred window, as a
sign of recognition. To this sign the singers replied by a fervent
_Amen!_ and again they sang: “Jesu, seul refuge de mon âme.” M. Cornaz,
whose residence is in the neighbourhood of the prison, hearing the
sound, called for the police, who took the names of those who sang. They
and the prisoners were accused of having arranged this previously as a
kind of challenge to the authorities, which was not the case at all. The
next morning the jailor threatened to padlock the windows, which would
have prevented the only means of obtaining a little fresh air. Police
were placed around the prison on the following night to prevent a
repetition of the singing; but they did not prevent the gathering round
the walls of a formidable band of roughs, who yelled and hooted, and
shouted threats and curses which fell painfully upon the ears of the
poor prisoners. At one time the violence of the crowd was so great that
a kind of trembling came over Miss Booth; it seemed as if, but for the
prison walls, she would have been given up to these people, as to a pack
of wolves, to be devoured. There seemed to be no police interference in
this case, and the disturbance continued to a very late hour, when their
wild songs and cries were heard dying away in the distance.
This incident caused the jailer and his wife a good deal of annoyance,
and they allowed their irritation to express itself in rough and uncivil
language to Miss Booth who was in no way responsible in the matter. The
jailer came with a placard containing the prison rules, which he nailed
up, commanding her to note its contents. It related to singing, smoking
and other matters. Miss Booth fastened up under this a paper with the
words: ‘My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ When the
jailer next entered, he stood opposite these words, staring at them for
some time. But he did not appear to conclude that there was anything in
them dangerous to prison discipline, and left them there. The worst
undoubtedly of the discomforts Miss Booth had to suffer, and that which
seriously affected her health, was the horrible odour which arose at
certain hours from the passage. This brought on violent retching every
morning, and made eating out of the question.
After a few days, Miss Booth observed, however, a marked change in the
conduct of her keepers. This was probably owing in part to external
influence. It is said that the visit of Mr. Wilbraham Taylor from
England had something to do with this amelioration. Mr. Taylor holds an
office in the Queen’s household; he visited Neuchâtel, and asked to see
Miss Booth’s cell, taking notes of all he observed. It is stated, also,
that the Prefect about this time summoned the jailer and said to him
“Are you aware that you have distinguished prisoners in your charge?
There is a report in the town that you act as a _veritable demon_
towards them.” Miss Booth speaks gratefully of the jailer’s daughter,
who waited on her and Miss Patrick; she ministered to their comfort in
such small ways as she was able. Her father’s manner also became
respectful, so much so, that it began to be said that “the jailer’s
family had been converted through the influence of the Salutiste
prisoners.”
It was touching to many of us who were present at the meeting for prayer
called at Exeter Hall on the 25th September, to hear the prison song of
our friend sung by the vast throng assembled on that occasion. They were
simple words, composed by her in her prison, and echoed in London by
some thousands of voices from hearts in sympathy with her own.
“First Beloved of my soul,
I am here alone with Thee,
And my prison, ’tis a heaven
Since Thou sharest it with me.”
I venture to give a few sentences from one of her letters to me at this
time, reserving what is more confidential.
“In Prison. Neuchâtel. Sept. 19. Your letter reached me by the hands
of Mdlle. Humbert, who has permission to enter once a day. I am most
thankful for this. It was the Lord Jesus who prompted you to write as
you did. It was such a comfort to me.... Yesterday I was in great
sadness. Many things pressed on my heart in connection with His
business and touching His kingdom. Satan attacked me sorely; thick
darkness surrounded me; my body was wearied out, and my spirit was
overwhelmed within me.... I cried out of the depths, and He heard
me.... All at once I heard singing. It was our people! The singing
sounded glorious in the silent night, and the burden fell from my
heart as I listened.... Your sympathy and help, above all, your
mother’s heart towards me, are a great consolation to me. I see in you
an answer to many prayers offered so long. You understand our aims;
_your_ work is _our_ work—_one_. It is all to bring home the lost, to
save the nations, the world. Jesus has wonderfully upheld me since I
left my home and country. I have been led by a way _I knew not_, or
ever dreamed of. He has pointed the way, guided me, and given power to
endure reproach for His name’s sake. Our one desire is to get at the
masses, the lost, the outcast, the rejected, the vile, the chained,
the prisoners of sin and misery—to break their chains and proclaim
deliverance to them in the name of Jesus. _To speak out the whole
truth_, to open their eyes. In doing this, we must expect to meet all
the fury of hell and of wicked men, who find their gains lessened and
their interests endangered by our warfare.... May I, like Paul, not be
‘disobedient to the heavenly vision,’ but go on. It is heartrending to
see how ‘all men seek their own,’ and how frightened they are to risk
anything for God!... Pray for me during the Trial. God will teach me
what to speak; I will not fear.... Surely God has a great work in
these latter times for women to do. We need an army of holy,
consecrated, _brave_ women who will dare to obey God. What a shaking
the world would have!... I slept last night, and am thankful, so
thankful. I thought of you, and of what you said about _her_—your
‘Evangeline,’ and of all your words.... My prison is all brilliant
with the presence of Jesus.... My dear mother has been so comforted
because you were with me.—Your loving CATHARINE.”
The following, written by Mrs. Booth to her daughter, in prison, I am
permitted to publish.
“114, Clapton Common, London, E.
“September 19th.
“My Precious Child,—
“Words cannot convey what I have suffered about you during the last
twenty-four hours, only hearing that you were in prison and not
knowing whether anyone was with you, or how you were being treated.
This is a test of one’s consecration certainly; still I can say my
soul does not draw back, and I _know yours_ does not. I am now
relieved to find that Patty is with you, and that friends are allowed
to see you. I do hope you are not so ill as when I heard last, though
I fear all this strain will bring a fearful reaction. Oh! how gladly
would I change places with you if I could. I feel that I could bear it
more easily than you, although I am worse than usual just now. I would
come if I could be of any use, but I am so poorly that I should be
_compelled_ to take three days for the journey, and by that time I
hope you may be at liberty. Be sure to insist on having comfortable
food and _bedding_. Give those officials to understand that although
we do submit to suffer for the sake of Christ, nevertheless we have
influence in this country which will make itself felt if they treat
you unreasonably. Even if your imprisonment was legal you have a right
to be treated as a State prisoner _before trial_. Take care you insist
on your right, and don’t suffer unnecessarily, because of _your
health_. Paul said when his persecutors wanted to hide their shame,
‘Nay verily, (Acts, xvi. c., 37 v.) There are times when it is as
needful to claim our rights as it is at others to sacrifice them. The
Lord wants you to fight another day, and perhaps for other nations
besides Switzerland; so take all the care _you can_. It is an
unspeakable comfort to me to know that Patty is with you; give her my
tender love. You must solace yourself by thinking of the deliverance
which God will work out for many of the ignorant and oppressed and
_lost_ by your sufferings. The more I see of the world, the more I am
sure that the redemption of the people from all forms of oppression
and suffering, can only be accomplished by saving them from their
_sins_, and they can only be saved from sin by people called and
energised by the Holy Spirit; and on such people the Devil and his
agents will always set to do them hurt as far as the Lord permits.
Saviours must be sufferers, and sufferers just to the extent in which
they are given up to be saviours. We must fill up that which is behind
of the sufferings of Christ. It is hard work to flesh and blood,
especially when our bodies are so weak; but, dearest girl, His grace
is sufficient, and it shall be sufficient, both for you in the prison
and for me lying awake in the night _imagining_ what you are passing
through, which latter I sometimes think is the hardest of the two. Do
let me know the particulars. Instruct some one outside to write me
daily; I cannot endure suspense if it is possible to avoid it. Be sure
we are all praying for you, and doing all we can also. Your darling
father is much harassed in many ways, but he talks about you
continually when at home. He says he fears nothing but your health; if
you can only be calm and confident, he is sure that God means to work
out great results from all this. He comforts me continually by showing
me that this is only what is involved in full consecration, and,
praise the Lord! though my heart bleeds at every pore, I am able to
keep it on the altar for Christ and the world. Pray for _me also_ that
my faith fail not. Dear Mrs Butler! how remarkable that God should
send her to you just then! If she is near you, give her my tenderest
love, and tell her that I admit her claim to be mother No. 2.
“Give my love and mother’s gratitude to all the dear friends who have
stood by you in this your ‘first answer.’ How much better off after
all were you than poor Paul, whom ‘_no_ man’ stood by. The Lord knew
your weakness, and so He found you a supporter. May He reward all who
helped you for His sake! HE WILL! They also shall be partakers in the
reward!
“To Him who hath loved you with more than a mother’s love, and to whom
I gave you fully in the first hour of your life, I now commend you in
the love that knows no change.
“Your mother,
“CATHARINE BOOTH.”
Captain Becquet was absent at Berne on the Tuesday on which Miss Booth
went to prison. He was summoned by letter to come, but owing to a delay
in the post, he did not arrive until Thursday night a little before
midnight. He walked in with the cheerful air of a man returning home
after a brief absence, rather than of one going to prison, apologizing
gaily and courteously for being so late! The jailer afterwards
acknowledged that he never in his life had had to do with prisoners like
these—so peaceful, happy and lighthearted; never was a complaint heard
from their lips of anything. Becquet’s cell was a small, poor one on the
ground floor. A little incident worthy of being recalled occurred in
connection with his imprisonment. During the meetings held at Neuchâtel,
one of the foremost of the ringleaders of the roughs who broke in and
insulted the Salutistes was a young German, about twenty years of age,
who understood no language except his own. This poor fellow had behaved
shamefully, covering the speakers with mud, and insulting them in his
rough and brutal manner. At one of the meetings at which Captain Becquet
was speaking in French, he appeared to be in some degree affected,
although he did not understand a word. Captain Becquet observed this,
and proposed to pray for him. As he did so, the face of the young German
began to wear a subdued expression. Towards the close, again prayer was
offered for him; and such was the spiritual power present in that place,
that, though the poor fellow did not understand a word of French, he was
seized with remorse for his sins, and with a strong desire for
deliverance from them. He followed Becquet from the door, and addressed
him pleadingly with tears in his eyes. Becquet, not being able to speak
a word of German, but seeing how the matter stood, took him by the arm
in a friendly way, and marched him along the street to a German
evangelist, who could speak to him in his own tongue. The youth became
quiet and gentle, and afterwards asked the forgiveness of those whom he
had treated injuriously. Hearing, in September, that his friend and
teacher was in the prison, he came day after day, after his work was
over, and stood near the window of his cell, which was on the basement
floor, calling to him in the two only words he could say in French,
“Hallelujah; Amen!”
Capt. Becquet knew his voice, and responded. In this way alone was the
young German able to express his gratitude and sympathy for his friend;
but it was eloquent enough to Becquet’s ears—eloquent indeed to the ears
of all who could discern the beauty of the transformation through which
that poor soul had passed.
Mrs. Booth reminded her daughter that she ought to claim the treatment
due to a State prisoner before trial. In connection with this “_prison
préventive_,” to which she was subjected, the following facts should be
here recorded.
The meeting in the forest was a private gathering of the soldiers and
friends of the Army. Being at some distance from the town, and in a
secluded place, it would, in all probability, have passed off
undiscovered and undisturbed but for an act almost deserving the name of
treachery. The meeting had been convened by private interviews and by
letters. One of these letters was addressed to a Mr. Touchon, the
envelope bearing his full address and his occupation. There was no other
person of the same name in his street; notwithstanding this, the letter
was delivered by the postal carrier to a member of the Council of State,
of the same surname, but having a different business, and living in
another part of the town. This Councillor handed it to the President of
the Council of State, although perfectly aware for whom the letter was
really intended. This fact he subsequently admitted to Mr. Touchon in a
reply to his demand made for the surrender of the letter.
The President of the Council of State having thus received information
of the meeting, and going altogether out of his province and beyond his
authority, issued a warrant ordering the Prefect of the village of
Boudry to arrest Miss Booth and Captain Becquet, and have them
immediately imprisoned. The _Suisse Libérale_ of the 27th September,
contains the following remark:—“According to our laws, imprisonment,
prior to trial for _contraventions et délits_, is not inflicted in the
case of contraventions. It is an exceptional penalty inflicted when the
facts considered as delinquencies present a special and extreme
character and gravity, or when the person has not a fixed domicile; then
imprisonment before trial MAY be ordered.”
In the latter case, of a person having no fixed domicile, the accused is
imprisoned before trial under the law of _vagabondage._ Miss Booth
therefore was considered as a vagabond. It was stated in several of the
public journals that the _Juge d’Instruction_ and the Public Prosecutor
alike, declined to take the responsibility of this act. M. Comtesse
therefore took upon himself the whole responsibility, and acted singly.
The _Suisse Libérale_, of Sept. 25, had the following:—
“We have received the following article, and though we do not care to
make ourselves the defenders of the proceedings or opinions of the
Salvation Army, we give the article below because we consider it our
duty to defend the principles which are dear to us as Swiss citizens.
‘Miss Booth is in prison, and will shortly appear before the Tribunal
with Mr. Becquet and others. Some persons are glad of it, others are
deeply afflicted.... For ourselves that which troubles us and that
which ought, we think, to trouble every citizen, whatever his
religious or political opinions, is the fact itself, independent of
the consequences which may accrue, that at this hour in our country
there are persons in prison for conscience sake; persons dragged
before the tribunals for having held a religious meeting, not in a
town where it might have been said that they disturbed the quiet of
the inhabitants, but at a distance, in a forest, without noise, in an
entirely private if not secret manner. They tell us, of course, that
this is not altogether a question of religious liberty, and that Miss
Booth is imprisoned not for religious reasons entirely, but for having
contravened the decree of the Government. We wish to emphasize the
fact that in no religious persecutions recorded in history has the
question been presented in any other manner. Protestants who were
imprisoned in Spain and in France in the last century, or who were
sent to the galleys, were never thus punished on account simply of
their opinions, but for an _infraction proved of certain royal edicts,
or decrees of Parliament, or even Constitutional laws of the State
forbidding their assemblies_. If persecution could be made lawful, or
legitimized by a decree, or even by a law, it may be asserted that
with very few exceptions there has never been in this world a
religious persecution, and that the word ‘persecution’ should be
struck out of history, and if necessary, out of the dictionary. If we
still continue to blame the condemnations pronounced against
Christians in the time of the Roman Emperors, or of the Reformers of
more modern times, we cannot consistently do so in the matter of the
punishments inflicted. We might occasionally deplore the severity of
those punishments, but we should be obliged, according to this
newly-expressed view, to acknowledge them as legal. How often has it
been repeated as an incontestible verity that it is a just and wise
policy to avoid all appearance of persecution. This verity seems to be
forgotten now amongst us. What we are witnessing at present is
something more than an appearance of persecution, it is in good sooth
the beginning of a real persecution. We should take care not to
attenuate the gravity of an injustice of which we ourselves may not be
the object. If we do not take alarm at these positive manifestations
of religious persecution, we shall probably be obliged to face much
greater ones in a short time. ‘That which is _called persecution_,’
said Bossuet, in speaking of the ill-treatment of the French
Protestants. Such was then, and such is, alas, now also the power of
self-deception, even in noble minds, leading them, instead of looking
straight at principles, to allow themselves to be biased in their
action by their sympathies or their antipathies. Is it needful to
remind Christians of that word of Christ, ‘All that you would that men
should do unto you, do ye also unto them;’ or to remind the citizens
of a free country of the saying of Montesquieu, ‘An injustice done to
the meanest citizen is a danger to all.’ Can we continue to
contemplate calmly the rising tide of intolerance, and phlegmatically
to say, ‘Why should we trouble ourselves about all this? it is only an
affair of the Salvationists, and does not hurt us.’”
The following are extracts from a letter, written by Miss Booth while in
prison, to the members of the Salvation Army in Switzerland and France:—
“MY DEAR COMRADES,—Within the four walls of my prison I have time to
contemplate our present position, and perhaps in my solitude it is
easier to do so than when in the midst of the battle. I feel it a duty
to communicate to you some of my thoughts. Far from being discouraged
by the difficulties which we are now encountering, we ought to be more
determined than ever to go forward under the banner of Jesus Christ.
But in order to go forward with success, the first thing needful is
that we should be ‘Saints according to the will of God’—that is to
say, freed from the power of sin. Think well what this means. Never
forget that the war in which we are engaged is against sin only, and
if you desire to be strong in this war it is absolutely necessary that
you should first be pure. Purity and power go hand in hand. Hence we
must give no quarter to the enemy, no, nor yield by one
hair’s-breadth. Let us have done with all excuses in favour of our
defects. Sin is sin, by whatever name it is called, and whether open
or concealed in the heart. Dear officers and soldiers, it is necessary
that you should be delivered from all the power of sin. Then, and only
then, will you be able to accomplish your work as true soldiers. You
must have a cleansed heart in which Jesus Christ may himself speak,
think, and reign. All must see that you indeed walk with God, that you
have the spirit of Christ, that your words, your actions, and your
whole life announce him and proclaim him again in the flesh....
“It is not enough, however, to be holy. You must be militant. It is an
excellent thing to be a saint, it is very good to enjoy perfect peace
in one’s soul, and to look forward to an entrance into the golden
city. This is indispensable, but it is not enough. It would be an
egotistical religion which stopped there. It is a contemptible thing
to try to load oneself with every blessing, while one is doing very
little for the outer world. It was not thus with Jesus. He was a saint
and a soldier. And if you wish to do your duty to a perishing world
you must become like him. Let it be well understood that our army has
no place for drones, and that it needs courageous men who are not
afraid to fight, to suffer, and to die; men and women who will abstain
from weeping over their own sufferings, and who are resolved to hold
on to the end, come what may, and to die at their post.
“In the midst of this fiery opposition you should not lose sight for a
moment of the fact that these men who are against us—our sworn
enemies—are just the men whom it is our duty to gain for Christ Jesus,
who lived, suffered and died for those who cried ‘crucify him!’ You
also must be ready to suffer and to die for the salvation of these
rebels. We must show to the world a reality. We see how little these
poor masses of the people are reached by any good influences; that
they are without God and without hope in the world, the slaves of sin
and Satan. Oh comrades, rush to the rescue! I find no words in which
to express my conviction of the greatness of the opportunity now
presented to us if we are faithful to God and to our principles.
Public attention is directed towards us. Ears are opened. ‘Salvation!’
that is a word of which they do not yet understand the meaning though
it is always in their mouths; but they will understand it. In the
presence of all difficulties then let us be up and doing, to declare
to those that are ignorant of its meaning the great deliverance
through Jesus Christ. We must look far beyond and below the external
manifestations of this popular anger. This crowd which howls and
rages, these men who swear at and curse us, only reveal by their
attitude the desolate, troubled and unhappy state of the hearts and
consciences underlying this tumult. Look always below this rugged
envelope to the starving souls which it clothes. The other evening in
contemplating them I could only cry to Jesus through my tears. It
seemed to me that in place of their howling and cursing I heard a cry
for mercy and pardon at the moment of death. I seemed to see their
faces blanching before the tribunal of the Supreme Judge, and my own
heart was shaken in realising the anguish of theirs at such an hour.
“Only one word more. Look towards Calvary when you feel yourselves
weak. When you are slandered,—when you suffer, look to Calvary. All
these things will fall back into their proper dimensions, and into
oblivion in the dazzling light of the cross. March straight forward,
as our great captain did, faithful to the end. Be deaf, blind, dead to
all except the will of our Father.
“This is the message I send you from my prison. The eyes of God are
upon you. The great ‘cloud of witnesses’ is regarding you.
“Yours devotedly,
“CATHARINE BOOTH.”
Many of the journals had asked the question why it was that only six
persons were summoned to the trial (four Swiss had been arrested as well
as the two English), when several hundreds of others were equally
guilty, and why only two out of the six were selected for imprisonment.
A cry of indignation, however, rang through the country when a violent
article appeared in M. Cornaz’s paper, _dictating, in despotic and
threatening terms to the jury, concerning the verdict he desired them to
return_. I quote the following passage:—“Those who are charged with the
judgment of these guilty persons must take care that they act in harmony
with public opinion, and that they do not attempt to brave that opinion.
To do so would be more than impolitic, it would be immoral.” “Is it
possible,” remarked the _Suisse Libérale_, “that a jury can thus, in our
day, be so intimidated? If, as it is stated, the Director of the
Department of Justice and Police (M. Cornaz) is the director of this
journal (the _Reveil_), it ought to be thoroughly understood that the
tribunals, according to him, exist not to perform public services, but
to pronounce decrees at his dictation.”
The _Nouvelle Gazette_, of Zurich, had an ironical article on the same
subject. It reported what M. Cornaz deemed a most shocking fact, namely,
that certain persons sang before the prison of Miss Booth, and that the
prisoners made a sign from their window with their handkerchiefs. “The
_Reveil_ adds, with a comic seriousness, that measures have been taken
to prevent the repetition _of such a scandal_. We earnestly hope that
the trial of Boudry will put an end to the scandal of these prosecutions
by a victorious acquittal; for, far above the decision of the Grand
Council which has authorised these prosecutions, there stands the Judge,
the Constitution itself, and the Supreme Law of our country. It is
impossible to reconcile with the guarantees of religious liberty which
the Canton of Neuchâtel enjoys, such intolerance as the present, worthy
of the dark ages.”
The _Journal de Genève_ wrote:—
“It is well that we should call to mind the words of the oath which
the Neuchâtel jury and judge have at this moment taken: ‘I swear
before God to respect the rights and liberties of the people and of
the citizens, rigidly to observe the Constitution and the _laws which
conform to the Constitution_, and to fulfil faithfully and
conscientiously the duty of my charge.’ The Legislature which indicted
in this manner the expression of the duty of the Justiciary power, had
no doubt before its eye the motive of preventing the suspension at the
good pleasure of any particular party in any given case or under any
pretext whatsoever, the permanent guarantees which are the birthright
of the people and each citizen.” (The _Genevois_ itself testified to
the fact that a violation of the law in our day is an infinitely
graver matter than it was in the time of Louis XIV., and says that the
law was formerly the expression of the arbitrary will of the despot,
while now it is the expression of the deliberate will of the people.)
“This is very well said,” wrote the _Journal de Genève_; “but why then
does the _Genevois_ forget that in Geneva as well as in Neuchâtel, and
throughout Switzerland, the laws which are the expression of the
deliberate will of the people, are precisely those which proclaim and
guarantee the right of meeting, the liberty of the press, and the free
exercise of public worship. The measures which violate these emanate
not from the people but from the Council of State, which is not at all
the same thing. This prosecution at Boudry has an immense political
significance in the highest sense of that word, and the decision,
whatever it may be, will take its place in the history of Republican
public rights. Even if that jury at Boudry, yielding to the injunction
of a journalist who is none other than the Director of the Department
of Justice and Police of Neuchâtel, should consent to render to him
the service so odiously demanded, the question could not be thus set
aside. There remains an appeal to the Federal Tribunal, and it may be
hoped for the honour of Switzerland that such an appeal would not be
addressed in vain to that high authority. This prosecution at Boudry
also has great importance in the matter of showing to what point
official pressure is allowed to influence the administration of
justice in quarters where authoritative radicalism rides
triumphant.... We see young girls of irreproachable conduct shut up in
a common prison for a crime which no penal code in any civilized
country has ever punished. But the greatest shock of all (proving that
people never stop when once they begin to descend on a wrong path) is
the article in the _Reveil_, in which the chief of the Neuchâtel
police calls on the jury of Boudry to give a verdict of condemnation
in language the cynicism of which has awakened throughout the whole of
Switzerland a cry of astonishment and indignation. Surely this fatal
succession of arbitrary acts ever becoming more and more unjust will
contain a serious warning for those who in the future may be tempted
to enter upon such a dangerous course. The first false step was in
allowing the police to remain inactive in the presence of violence
which it might have stopped. The next was the violation of private
houses in order to hunt up suspected persons, and the last is a
private order given to a jury to punish offences which are not
mentioned in any penal code. From the very beginning of this terrible
Governmental campaign we exposed this series of injustices, but truly
we never pretended to aspire to prophecy, for the end was only too
easy to predict. We learned long ago that liberty and justice avenge
themselves on those who violate them, in forcing them, so to speak, to
push on to the last extreme of tyranny.”
On Saturday, September 29th, Miss Booth and Captain Becquet, were
conveyed from prison to the court-house at Boudry under the charge of a
jailer. Miss Patrick was not allowed to accompany them, but managed
alone to reach the court-house in time. Many Salvationists filled the
entrance an hour before the opening.
A number of persons had begun to arrive at the Neuchâtel railway station
very early in the morning, among them being several jurists, advocates,
and well-known literary men from different parts of Switzerland. The
doors of the court-house were soon surrounded with a dense crowd of
persons eagerly awaiting the beginning of the trial. It was said that
the English language was heard almost as much as the French in that
crowd. According to the Neuchâtel custom, the doors were only opened to
the public after the jury, the accused, the witnesses, and the advocates
had taken their places. After this there was a great rush, and the
gendarmes could only just manage to keep order. The first day was
occupied by a revision of the list of jurymen. It was contested that the
jury had been irregularly constituted, and that it would be necessary to
eliminate from the preliminary list of nineteen men from which the
choice was to be made, all those who had signed the famous petition
against the Salvationists, because, in doing so, they had expressed an
opinion hostile to the accused, and could not be expected to judge with
impartiality. Finally, the jury was constituted of persons who had not
signed the petition, but had been neutral.
Two able lawyers of the Neuchâtel bar, Messrs. Monnier and Du Pasquier,
had been engaged for the defence, and had thrown themselves into the
question heart and soul during the week. Two long sittings on Saturday
were chiefly occupied with the discussion of the protests of these
lawyers, in which they exposed the succession of illegalities and the
measures of unnecessary harshness which had marked the arrest and
imprisonment. 1st. The arrest had been performed by a functionary of the
Government acting entirely beyond his powers and out of his department.
2nd. Though the order to seize and imprison Miss Booth and Captain
Becquet had been issued on Sunday, the 9th, it had not received until
the 17th the official signatures necessary to make it of any value. 3rd.
Even then it was a measure of extreme harshness not required by the law,
and not authorised save in cases of the greatest emergency. 4th. The
knowledge of the intended meeting in the forest had been betrayed to the
authorities by the violation of a letter. It had been given into the
hands of a Councillor who hated the Army. The _Juge d’Instruction_
having refused to order the imprisonment, the matter was sent to the
_Procureur-Général_. He having also refused, the Councillor beforenamed,
breathing out vengeance against these people who dared worship God in a
forest contrary to his decree, illegally ordered their imprisonment
_himself_.
The lawyers for the defence also declared an appeal to the Federal
Council against the decree of the 16th July forbidding the meetings,
which was in violation of the Cantonal and Federal constitutions.
During the morning adjournment of the Court, the Salvationists spent a
pleasant time in quiet conversation. Mr. Herbert Booth, brother of Miss
Booth, arrived from England at this moment, and there was great joy when
he appeared amongst them.
At a second adjournment the Hotel de Ville was immediately invaded by
the former occupants of the Court, to such an extent that there was
scarcely a vacant seat. In the dining-room there was assembled a motley
group of literary men, advocates, reporters, witnesses, &c., and,
according to the correspondent of one of the local papers, one of the
accused Salvationists also figured among this crowd. The remainder of
the accused, however, were together apart in a private room, where they
sang hymns and were perfectly at their ease.
The Public Prosecutor had shown much unwillingness to perform the duty
imposed on him of being the accuser of the Salvationists. It is said
that he had even protested that he would resign his post rather than
accept that duty. His conduct throughout the trial was that of an honest
man endeavouring to make the best of a situation in which he felt
embarrassed, and of a cause with which he had no real sympathy. His wife
had shown some gentle attentions to Miss Booth, sending her flowers and
grapes while she was in prison.
He began his speech for the prosecution by a description of the
antipathy felt for the Salvation Army among all classes of the people,
chiefly the most cultivated, and those who formed and guided public
opinion, and then said:—
“If the common people have been shocked there are also élite spirits
who have shared these feelings. We may remember the opinion fulminated
by that eminently Christian woman, Mme. de Gasparin, in a passionate
pamphlet, but in which, as we might expect from her generous
character, she does not go beyond the truth. (I see a smile on the
lips of the _Maréchale_.)”
Opening the book of Mme. de Gasparin: “Listen,” said he, “to the
passionate words of a lady, a Christian, if there ever was one. Listen
to the charges which she fulminates with a quivering pen against these
‘saltimbanques’ (clowns). He then read for about twenty minutes from
that book. It was thought that he could not have helped the cause in the
eyes of every right-minded man in a better way; all felt how utterly
flat fell those furious, passionate phrases and descriptions, and how
utterly opposed they were to _truth_.”
He then continued:
“If cultivated and refined persons have expressed so strong an
antipathy as this, how can one expect the mass of the people to remain
calm? It is too much to ask of them. Our people, however, are not so
very intolerant. We remember the crisis of 1873, when there was a
division in our church. At that time, however, there was no violence
nor great disorder in our streets. From this we may gather that the
Army inspires a most special horror. At Paris, they do not care much
about it, for on the one hand the people are sceptical, and on the
other hand they are Catholics.... But our people have seen in the
Salvation Army the caricature of that which they hold dearest in the
world, and therefore they have risen against it. The Council of State
began by proclaiming the true principle in a manifesto which is
recorded to its honour. The people, however, refused to listen to it,
and from one end to the other of the country there has been an
ever-increasing agitation. Then came the great petition. It is not
known how it took its birth. It was first begun by young men not
publicly known, and yet it was rapidly filled with signatures. Public
opinion is evidently exasperated. What could the Government have done?
Call out the troops and fire on the people? Could we consent to have
corpses in our streets? What a cry of vengeance there would have been
against the authorities responsible for a massacre! Our Government is
a Government of public opinion. If it had acted in this manner it
would have been swept away. There are necessities of Government, and
one of these necessities was to re-establish order in the streets. The
Council of State fulfilled that duty as well as it could. It proposed
the decree which has been voted by the Grand Council. Miss Booth
declares this decree to be unconstitutional, and refuses to obey it.
This decree has been examined and resolved upon by competent
authorities. The people have not claimed for it the _Referendum_, nor
has there been any appeal against it. Even the minority of the Grand
Council did not declare it to be contrary to the Constitution, but
only asked that article 72 might be examined a little more closely.
And this is the moment in which a young English woman chooses to fling
this insult in the face of the Grand Council, saying to them, ‘You
violate the Constitution.’ It was necessary, they said, to appeal to a
superior authority, and they invoked the authority of conscience
against a law legally resolved upon. This is the more surprising
because the English never rebel against law, however unjust the law
may be. Miss Booth and Mr. Becquet have not therefore even the excuse
that they would have acted thus in their own country.... Would the
Salvationists, I should like to know, themselves make any protest
against Governmental interference supposing that the unedifying
worship of the Goddess Reason were to be restored amongst us, and that
it provoked disturbance? Or would they complain if the Government were
to forbid a Congress of atheists whose presence aroused general
reprobation? The Salvationists are fanatics, consequently they are
intolerant. Their pretended Constitutional zeal is only adopted for
self-defence, but it is impossible for them to transform their
violation of a law into a Constitutional question. They say that the
decree violates the Constitution; but that is not the question. The
question is, Miss Booth and her friends have disobeyed a decree—are
they aware that they have done so? The reasons for their doing so do
not concern us. The religious person cannot supersede the citizen, so
as to get rid of an obligation to obey the laws. A religious man must
like others pay taxes, go through his military service, and take his
place as a witness, or on a jury, &c. (Here the speaker made a
considerable digression concerning religious fanaticism.) Fanaticism
contributed one-third of the patients to the lunatic asylums. If the
Army were not suppressed they would have to enlarge their asylums.
Calvin was a fanatic of the worst type. As for himself (prosecutor),
he was against all religious associations. Voltaire and Rousseau, and
the enlightened nineteenth century had put all these things right.”
Concerning public prayer, he said: “I would substitute for it my
ideal—solitary and individual adoration. Christ, who was perhaps the
most religious man who ever lived (here Capt. Becquet laughed) advised
men to retire into their closets in order to pray to God. He who lifts
up his soul in this manner is more religious than he who thumps on the
pulpit, or shrieks ‘I am saved!’ Miss Booth who thinks she has more
science than our Constitutional authorities, places herself above the
law. Now, no one is above the law. The President of the Council of
State is as much bound to obey the law as the lowest of the people.
The Queen of England herself (who is not, however, a Marshall of the
Salvation Army), is obliged to submit to Acts of Parliament. The law
may be bad, but no human being can rise against it. It never entered
the ideas of the conquered minority in the country to adopt such an
attitude as that. The jury may possibly resolve in a negative fashion
the question of culpable intention, by proving that the Salvationists
have acted in good faith in ignoring the decree. But they did not
ignore it; they deliberately violated it. They must bear the
consequences, and no doubt they will be very happy to receive the
baptism of martyrdom.”
The great point, however, made by the speaker was that upon which the
decree had been based, _i.e._, that the Army was a “religious
corporation,” and, therefore, must have a special authorization for its
meetings. But this plea, (previously fully discussed, and its falsity
exposed in the press), was utterly annihilated by a telegram received
during the trial, addressed by Lord Granville to the British Ambassador
at Berne, as follows: “The Salvation Army is not a Corporation.” This
message fell like a bomb-shell into the midst of persons assembled at
the trial at Boudry. It completely cut from beneath their feet the false
ground upon which the persecutors and prosecutors of the Salutistes had
stood.[35]
The policy, however, of the opposition seemed to be to endeavour to
ignore even that authoritative decision of the English Foreign Office.
Towards six o’clock in the evening the atmosphere of the Court became so
suffocating that many persons were almost overcome, and Miss Booth
appeared very faint. She and Captain Becquet were set at liberty for the
following day (Sunday) on the condition that they should present
themselves before the Court on Monday morning, and that no meeting of
the Salvation Army should take place in the interval. Col. de Perrot had
his carriage in waiting, and took them to his residence in the vicinity.
When this permission was declared there arose in the Court a hoarse cry
of “back to prison with her” frequently repeated. It took some
considerable time for the gendarmerie to empty the Court, which was
crowded to excess. The benches, also, were so battered and damaged by
the scrambling of the crowd that it was necessary to replace them by new
ones on the following day, by order of the municipality.
During the day one or two incidents had occurred—trifling in themselves,
but which seemed to produce a certain impression. In the morning, when
the Prosecutor was at the climax of one of his most scathing
denunciations of the fanaticism of the Army, the window near him burst
open with a sudden gust, sending his papers flying in all directions,
and drowning his last words in the general hum of voices. A disorderly
voice dared to say—“It was from heaven!”
When the Judge had pronounced the sitting adjourned, a
dissipated-looking man, who had mounted upon a sort of shelf in a
corner, cried out, “_Au clou!_” “To the lock-up!” He had scarcely
uttered the words when the fixture came down with a crash, striking upon
the head of an officer of the court, and precipitating the man himself
to the floor, where his name was taken by a gendarme.
On Monday, the jury—grave, respectable-looking men—took their places.
The Court was again filled to overflowing by a rush of people waiting
for the moment when the doors should be opened. The proceedings began by
the examination of the accused. Captain Becquet was called:—
Q. Do you acknowledge to having broken the decree of the Grand Conseil
of 15th June last?
A. Yes!
Q. You knew that decree?
A. Yes!
M. Monnier (one of the lawyers for the defence): What caused you to feel
that decree not binding upon you?
A. I thought it a violation of the Constitution.
The Judge: You therefore took upon yourself to judge the Neuchâtel
authorities.
Captain Becquet remained silent.
M. Monnier: Did you not consider that in acting according to your
conscience you were not committing a punishable act?
Captain Becquet: I considered that the Constitution gave me this right.
I acted according to my convictions _after_ as I did before the decree.
The Judge: The decree was one of police administration, which did not
touch the question of conscience.
Captain Becquet: I prayed to God after my fashion. The police forbade
me. I continued to do so notwithstanding.
Miss Booth was then called. Complete silence was observed.
The Judge: Do you acknowledge to have broken the decree of 15th June?
Miss Booth (slowly and distinctly, in a calm, clear voice): It is true
that we have prayed and spoken in the name of Jesus, notwithstanding the
decree of the Conseil d’Etat. We esteemed the Federal and Cantonal
Constitutions, which guarantee religious liberty, to be above any decree
framed in violation of those Constitutions. The Conseil d’Etat by its
decree created, and the Grand Conseil established a state of things in
which it was absolutely impossible for us to obey God without disobeying
these councils. Our reply is that of the early Christians before the
Council of Jerusalem, “WHETHER IT BE RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF GOD TO
HEARKEN UNTO YOU MORE THAN UNTO GOD—JUDGE YE!”
Q. Your violation of the decree was therefore wilful?
A. We had not, and we have not, any wish to break a _law_. In obeying
this _decree_, we should have been unfaithful to God, to our
convictions, and to our consciences.
These answers fell upon the most profound stillness, and evidently made
a great impression. Many felt that before such answers, given by one of
God’s chosen messengers, with all the calm, penetrating power of the
spirit world, they themselves were summoned before the great Tribunal of
the King of Kings, and that the accuser had become the accused.
Madame Boillot, a Swiss, and a sergeant in the Salvation Army, was next
called. She replied when questioned: I am aware that there is a decree
which forbids us to meet to pray. Our Constitutions guarantee liberty of
conscience and of meeting, and the decree violates the Constitutions.
The dwelling of the citizen is inviolable in Switzerland (alluding to a
Salvation Army meeting held in her house). I have a right to ask my
friends to meet at my house. As a Swiss I shall never renounce my
rights, or obey such a decree.
The Judge: You therefore set yourself up as a judge of the Neuchâtel
authorities?
Madame Boillot: It is not for me to enter into that question. All I know
is that, keeping the Lord before my eyes, I cannot obey that decree.
The Procureur-Général: Are you a member of The Army?
Madame Boillot: Yes! I have the honour to be one! (Sensation.)
Monsieur Robert Convert was called, and made a spirited statement of
some length: “I had knowledge of the decree. It was especially notified
to me by a letter from the Prefect. Immediately upon the reception of
the order, forbidding me to hold any meetings in my house, I protested,
appealing to the Constitution which guarantees the inviolability of the
citizen’s dwelling. I received no reply. I took part in the meeting at
the Prise-Imer, and prayed to God and sang with the others, and as I am
here to-day for serving God, it is to God I shall have to answer for my
acts. I glory in being a Swiss and a Neuchâtelois, in belonging to a
country which imposes upon its every citizen the duty of respecting the
conscience of his neighbour.”
Q. Do you belong to the Salvation Army?
A. No.
M. Monnier: Did your father suffer formerly for his religion?
A. Yes; in 1832 he was condemned by the Quatre Ministraux to three days
and three nights of prison for being a Mômier.
M. Monnier: Did you not consult Jurists, who told you you were within
your right?
A. Yes.
Sergeant Cost, when questioned, replied that he had attended the
meeting, and as Sergeant he had called the Soldiers of his district to
it.
Sergeant Hess was next called.
Q. Are you in the Army?
A. Yes; I have that honour, and as was my duty as Sergeant, I called the
soldiers of my division.
The Public Prosecutor: “Hess, have you not appeared on that seat
before?”
Sergeant Hess: Yes, Sir, I was here once before and for a different
cause! As painful as is to me the thought of having been here before for
serving the devil, my former master, so happy am I to be here to-day for
having served Christ, my new Master. I was then a drunkard, now I am a
total abstainer, and by the grace of God I shall be faithful until the
end.
This reply, pronounced in a cheerful firm voice, made a great impression
in Court.
The Foreman of the Jury wanted to be clear on one point: Did not Mr.
Convert declare that he had consulted jurisconsults, who told him he
acted within his rights in persevering in spite of the decree?
Mr. Convert: Yes; I consulted three or four. They all told me that a
special and exceptional law could not supersede the Constitution.
M. Monnier then spoke in the defence.
The following is an abridgment of his speech:—
“The great question before us to-day is the existence or not of a law
which we are alleged to have disobeyed. If a law is unconstitutional
it is no law, and ought not to be obeyed. In the present case there
are two laws which are in contradiction to each other. The choice had
to be made which was to be obeyed; and from the moment the accused
persons made the choice they made, they must be considered to have
been acting in good faith. We fall back on the Constitution itself,
before which every law should bend. The jury, I acknowledge, is not a
competent authority to decide a Constitutional question, but it will
have to examine it, since it is necessary to know exactly whether we
have infringed a legally imposed prohibition. (M. Monnier then read
again the decree of the Council of State, followed by the decree of
the Grand Council, forbidding the meetings of the Army, down to the
words “_seeing that any corporation_.”) The decree and the warrant of
arrest are based therefore upon Article 72 of the Constitution which
refers to corporations. Now this Article 72 was absolutely abandoned
on Saturday by the Public Prosecutor. With a loyalty which is to his
credit, he threw overboard this article. From that moment the whole
groundwork of the decree is overthrown. Article 72 being suppressed,
the restrictions imposed on the rights of the Salvation Army are
worthless, and the decree falls to the ground. What follows? Our
judges are no longer bound by it, and no citizen can be held guilty
for transgressing it.