The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-06-04 00:00:00

THE MURDER OF A FRENCH
CORRESPONDENT.

The Times of Wednesday published the following from
their Paris Correspondent, under date May 31:—

The war correspondent of the Telegraphe, M.
Seguin, was yesterday, in the most unprovoked
manner, according to all accounts, assassinated at
Beja by an Arab fanatic. While waiting for the
train, by which he was to return to Tunis, he went
to take a stroll outside the town, and at a few
steps from the gate was attacked by the Arab, who
struck him with a huge stone. He drew a dagger to
defend himself, but the Arab snatched it from him,
stabbing him in eight_ different places with it.
M. Seguin expired shortly after from his wounds.
The murderer, who is a deserter from an Algerian
regiment, and who always had a reputation in his
regiment for being of a highly excitable character, has
been secured and is to be tried by court-martial before
General Forgemol.

The Paris Correspondent of the Daily News writing on
Tuesday night, says :

General- Eorgemol has addressed directly to the
Telegraphe the following :--" I regret to announce
the death of your correspondent, M. Seguin, who has
been assassinated by a fanatical native. He died
this morning, at six, of his wounds." A Correspon-
dent of the journal telegraphed at eight last night to
the Editor:
I am going to visit M. Seguin, who I hear, has been
frightfully wounded. This morning, after having
breakfasted in a holstery at Beja, he left the town to
go in the direction of the camp. .4 about fifty yards
from the gates of Beja a native detaehed himself from
a group of Arabs and rushed on M. Seguin to pommel
his head with a big stone which he had in his hand.
When he had knocked him down he plunged his
dagger several times into his abdomen. There are
eight terrible wounds. The doctors yet hope to save
our poor friend. The assassin, all covered with
blood, has been arrested, and taken before the
General.
Another correspondent's telegram runs thus :
Beja, 4.0 p.m. Seguin is dead. He suffered fright-
fully, but with admirable constancy. His stoical
energy of character never for a moment deserted him.
The crime is inexplicable. M. Seguin had gentle man-
ners, and there was nothing haughty, harsh, or offen-
sive in him.
From another source we learn :

Many Europeans witnessed the murderous assault,
which was so rapidly executed that they had not time
to intervene usefully. A lot of soldiers were hard by
and hastened to the rescue. One of them seized the
assassin. When they gathered round M. Seguin they
found his head and face contused and bleeding. The
waistband of the trousers was cut through. A
French doctor, M. Duponchel, came up and de-
spatched men to the staff-surgeon to bring him to
the spot and to fetch lint, towels, and bandages.
M. Baudoin, the Head Surgeon to the Forgemol
Corps, soon arrived with a litter and men to bear it.
Dr. Serval also came and held the edges of the stomach
wound together. While the litter was being carried
to the hospital, Seguin moaned as if in agony, and
said "How dreadfully I Buffer." The cloth over his
face to protect it from the sun became in a moment
red with blood. There was a halt. M. Duponchel felt
the pulse, and spoke hopefully to cheer the dying man.
After a slow march of half an hour the ambulance
was reached. It was there ascertained that eight
knife wounds had been inflicted in the abdominal
region, three in the neck, one which perforated the
nose, and another in the shoulder. Dr. Baudoin sewed
up those of the abdomen, and performed an operation
on the stomach. No chloroform was used. M. Seguin
groaned much, but did not cry out as the needle was
going through his flesh. M. Baudoin said there was
not one chance in a hundred of his life being saved, and
was indisposed to give what, it appeared to him, would
be useless pain by operating. The cuts were inflicted
by a clasp-knife belonging to M. Seguin, who took it
out of his pocket to defend himself. On seeing this
the aggressor tore it from him, and furiously stabbed
him. The la.st thrust was in the shoulder, and was
inflicted with such violence as to twist the knife.
M. Seguin passed through the Ecoie Normale
Superieure, in which M. Paradol, M. About, and so
many other celebrated authors learned the mechanism
of the literary art. He, like them, had a greater
vocation for journalism than for teaching; and
he liked, although a man of gentle and almost
shy manners, the adventurous existence of a war
correspondent. His experience in military campaigns
was very great. Before he went to Tunis he wrote a
book entitled "The Next War," which has been, it
appears, much noticed by the German military papers.
i
His careeer as a war correspondent began n 1870,
when he was twenty-two years old. When attacked
be had gtrapped on his shoulders an old Kroumir
firelock, which a Zonave gave him as a souvenir of a
chasse aux Kroumirs which he witnessed. The sight
of this weapon may have exasperated the Arab.