Courts
Cocaine Trafficking

It was in the midst of a strange audience that the proceedings for possession and trafficking of cocaine were judged yesterday against Mr. Roger Gaillard, a former resident of the Comédie-Française, and MMmes Boutry, known as Carlynne, and Philippi, née de Fava, who was also at the Comédie-Française for a while.

An audience almost exclusively female, and composed, for the most part, of unfortunate drug addicts, although very elegant, crowded into the room from the beginning of the hearing. The most violent perfumes transformed the usual atmosphere of the correctional police, and a poor devil, accused of a theft of thirty francs, gazed in astonishment at this stamping audience who, on many occasions, showed their impatience to see the debates of the trial delayed.
Finally, President Thorel called the defendants. Mr. Roger Gaillard, who had gallantly kissed Mrs. Philippi's hand upon his arrival, came forward to the dock with Messrs. Boutry and Philippi.
The prosecution accuses Mr. Roger Gaillard of having, in October, sold to Mrs. Boutry, for the price of 2,500 francs, 50 grams of cocaine that Mrs. Philippi had allegedly provided him.
Mrs. Boutry, known as Carlynne, was questioned first. Very moved, she admitted to having, on October 12, in a bar on the Champs-Elysées, asked Mr. Roger Gaillard to provide her with cocaine. Three days later, he gave her 50 grams for 2,500 francs. She gave the actor a gram of the drug in recognition of his good offices.
Mr. Roger Gaillard, with impeccable elegance, replies casually:
- "Mrs. de Carlynne told me that it would be nice for her to have some cocaine, I had the means to get it for her, I did it. I acted out of pure complacency."
The president wanted to know the origin of the bottles that had contained cocaine and came from Darmstadt and were seized at the actor's home, Mr. Gaillard refused. They were not given to me, he said, either by "a practitioner or by a trafficker."
In closing, Mr. Gaillard spoke out against the press campaigns that, he said, had ruined his career and led to his departure from the Comédie-Française.
Mr. Thorel, the president, intervened: "These campaigns," he said, "were conducted against cocaine; they are useful and necessary."
Finally, Mrs. Philippi protested indignantly against the prosecution and against the police reports which noted that she was leaving Mr. Gaillard's house when Mrs. Boutry came to get the drugs.
A police inspector stated that, although he was convinced that Mrs. Philippi had brought the cocaine to Mr. Gaillard, he had no proof of it, and therefore Mrs. Philippi's acquittal was assured.
Mr. Grison, Mr. Pierre Wolf, Mr. de Porto-Riche and Mr. Silvain came to praise Mr. Gaillard.
After the indictment and the pleadings of Mr. Henri-Robert, President of the Bar and of Mrs. Paul-Boncour, Mr. Izouard and Mr. Campinchi, the court acquitted Mrs. Philippi and sentenced Mr. Roger Gaillard to a fine of 6,000 francs and Mrs. Boutry to a fine of 4,000 francs.