The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-04-13 00:00:00

MURDER IN LONDON.

. --
On Monday a most atrommis murder was discovered
to have been perpetrated in Park-Lane, Pica&lly, Lon-
don. the victim being a French lady, and the perpe-
trator of the crime, there is little room for doubt, her
own domestic and fellow-countrywoman.
The murder was discovered under circumstances
which gave an additional horror to the erine
Mademoiselle Kiel. who is a member of the French
emnpany now performing under M. Felix, at the St.
James's Theatre, returned from Paris by Monday's
mail, mid arrived at her mother's residence, 13, Park-
lane, at about eight o'clock in the morning. Sin was in-
formed that Madame Biel, who was a widow was not at
home, and at find it MN thought that she had gone to
meet her daughter. But subsequently it was found
that certain doom were lucked, and that the cook and
the keys were also missing. This led to an examina-
tion of the dressing-room, and Madame's outer gee-
cents being therare vly for her to put on showed that
he had not left the house. One of the places locked
ip was the pantry, and it was opened with duplicate
Keys in possession of the young lady. On the floor lay
the dead body of Madame Rid. Her death appenrml
,o hfive been caused by strangulation, for the tightened
.ope was about her neck, and marks of violence upon
les body left no doubt as to her having been murdered.
The murder was evidently committed in some other
dace than the pantry. It is probable that the body
vas first plaoed in the coal cellar, and thence dragged
it carried to the pantry, for Elizabeth Watts, the
musemaid, en being interrogated about a converse.
ion she had with the c ink, mentioned that she had
poken about fetching up male after her mistress
vas thought to have gone out, and that the cook
lesired that she should not do no. The danger of the
rely being seen while itwaa in the coal cellar must hove
truck the murderess, end she took an opportunity of
rimming it to the pantry, as a place over'iwhich she
ad direct control. In the coal-calks were found little

articles suck as a hair.pin and a key the deceased lady
always kept and there were marks on the body so if
It bad been lying on the coals. '1 he hair was full of
cinders, and the appearances F•bowed that death had
not been caused without a struggle, for there were
many violent marks besides the deep indentation
causel by the tightness with which the rope, which
woo in a slip knot, hail been pulled, and this inibinta-
tion was particularly deep beneath the ear where the
knot itself came.

---- -----
Suspicion at once rested upon Marguerite DixbLanc,
the cook, whose conduct onthe previous day was thought
to be occasioned by the crime, especially when taken
in connexion with her disappearance. It seems that
on Sunday morning Madame Kiel was seen in her
dressing-room by the housemaid dressing as if to go
out, as was her custom, and tho girl then went to the
top of the house. On returning to the basement she
met the cook, who told her that her mistress had gone
out. The girl said that it was strange her inistress
had not taken her favoutite dog with her,
as she usually did; and to this the cook rejoined that
Madame had gone out for the day, and that there was
no necessity for Watts to stay. The girl sulniequently
went out, the cook having sent her with orders to take
the dog for an airing, and when die returned she was
kept waiting at the door. At night, about eight
o'clock, the cook went out, and, apparently, did not
return, for her bed had not been slept in, and the keys
of the safe where the deceased lady kept her valuables
and of the area were also not to be found.

An inspection of the safe showed the inducement for
the murder. All the valuables except jewelry, which
it wars perhaps thonght might lead to detection, were
taken. Bank-notes, French bonds, and railway shares
are believed to base been stolen • the jewelry left be-
hind was not left by any oversig'ht, the articles being
placed cu sue side as of no acconnt. it is believed,
too, that other valuables have been taken, and with
whatever she took the woman has for the time gut clear
off.

_
Dtxblanc ia said to have been in Paris during the
siege, and to have been anociated with the Com-
munists in theft struggle after the German occupation.
She is described as being a very powerful woman. The
police describe her as twenty-eight years of age,
51 t. sin. in height, and stout, with a fresh complexion,
red face, dark hair, aad brown eyes. She is believed
to have had on at the time she left Park-lane a green
dress, waterproof cloak, anti brown bonnet. She is
also supposed to be in possession of Bank of England
notes anti French bonds.
The police have been actively engsged trying to find
the accused. On Monday night a description of hez
appearance was circulated throughout the metropolis,
and sent per telegraph to every town in the provinces.
The following is the last description issued :
Wanted, on a charge of murder, Marguerite Dixblanc,
aged about 24 I ,r 23 years; stout built, red complexion,
dark eyes. When she lett 13, Park-lane, was dressed
in a brown gown, and wore a green waterproof cloak."
14rom the irap-ction of the house since made by
the police, there seems souse reason to suppose that
the unfortunate lady suspected that the servant was
robbing her. Bank of England notes and French bonds
had been removed, and the suspected murderess, it is
I considered probable, was in the act of concealing them
in the coal-cellar of the house, when Madame Ridl
went downstairs, and tried to regain her property. The
appearance in front of the coal cellar leaves unmis-
takable evidence that a desperate struggle must have
I ensued, and that the accused woman succeeded in
overpowering her unfortunate mistress, and while she
was helpless placed the rope round her neck, and
having strangled her, then dragged her lifeless body
too the place, a-here it was subsequently found.

Wednesday.

The police have ascertained, almost beyond doubt,
that Dixblaue had been driven, on the evening of the
day on which the murder was committed, to Victoria
Station, in time to take the Continental mail train.
It now appears that though the woman was known as a
Frenchwoman, she is by birth and family a Belgian.
She lived formerly in Verdun. She was in Faris ,
during the reign of the Commune, mid she came
to England as a distressed foreigner after the sup
presdion of that party. She was taken* out of charity,
to assist at a house where French cooked food is sold
in nindes-strdet, Leicester-square, and she gave Oat
name of an abbe as recommending her, but of him
i no in-
quiry was made, for it was not intended to keep the
woman more than a few days. She gave the name
of " Dlichlanc," saying in French that she was
"ten white " and not 'ten black," her name having
been entered as "Diblanc." She was in this situation
about six months, and so got recommended to
other service. She could speak but a few words
of English, and, as her victim sptke English only
indifferently, the English servant, Elizabeth Watts,
did not clearly understand what was said to her by
either her mistress or her fellow servant. This accounts
for her not having taken much notice of her mistress's
absence for the day after being told that Madame Ilia
intended only to go for a short walk, and also for her
having readily accepted any statement which Diablanc
made. . . . . . .

There is little doubt that the murder was perpetrated
by only one person, and that it was committed at a
time when Mads.me Rid went down to the kitchen to
give instructions abwit dinner. It is considered cer-
tain, now that the police have hail time to go over the
circumstances thoroughly, that the murderess first
stunned hi r i.ictina by giving her a heavy blow upon ths
skull with a mallet of wood, and then limed her neck
in a slip-knotted roe, which she kept drawn tightly
until death ensued. file body was then thrust into the
Diablanc must have locked the door leading
from the kitchen to the area on the inside, and then got
out of the kitchen window to finish her crime, so as to
make sure that it was completed, and also to avoid being
overlooked. She was seen in the area, and the door was
thus locked without the key in it. She gave Elizabeth
Watts to uti derstand that her niistress had pnshed herout
into the area owing to a quarrel, and had locked her
out. From this position she gave into the kitchen,
through the window, all the fuel which was needed,
! and so prevented Watts fiom going to the coal-cellar,
' while she herself returned into the house through the
window.

All the facts imply that the crime was premeditated,
and by all accounts the woman was flue who bad a
taste for the horrible. She is stated to have boasted
about the deeds she took a part in during the reign of
the Commune.