LABORI, Fernand Gustave Gaston, fer niii giis-tiv gas-toii French lawyer and editor : b. Rheims, 18 April 1860; d. 14 March 1917. He studied at the Rheims Lycie and for two years in Germany and England; took his degrees in the law faculty of Paris in 1881 and 1883, and was enrolled at the bar of the Court of Appeals in 1884; was secretary of the conference of advocates iii 1887-88; took a high professional rank; and was especially prominent as counsel for the defense in notable cases, as the libel action by Compayre against Numa Gilly, and the trials of the anarchists Duval and Vaillant. In 1898 he was chosen deputy for Fontainebleu. In the same year he defended Emile Zola (q.v.), accused of libel ing the army and the President of the republic in the letter concerning the Dreyfus case. He was junior counsel to Demange in the defense of Dreyfus at the trial at Rennes in 1899, and thoroughly confuted his opponents by his logic and his brilliant cross-questioning. He did not
make the final plea, but his 'Notes de Plaiderie) were published in the 'Compte-rendu Stenog raphique In-extenso du Proces Dreyfus a On 14 August, while on his way to the court, he was dangerously wounded by a revolver bullet fired by a fanatic or mercenary. He was shortly enabled, however, to continue the case. In 1903 he defended the Humbert swindlers (see HUMBERT SWINDLE) and in 1914 defended Madame Caillaux (see CAILI.AUX CALMETTE) and secured her acquittal. He was editor-in-chief of the judicial daily La Gazette du Palais in 1888-94; established the Revue du Patois and Grande Revue in 1897; and is joint author of 'Repertoire encyclopedique de Droit Francais,' in 12 volumes (1898). See DREYFUS, ALFRED.