The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-07-25 00:00:00

A TERRIBLE MURDER IN FRANCE.

Two women, Marie Flentot, a domestic servant,
aged 24, and her mother, Marguerite Mcrlette, have
just been tried in Paris on a charge of murder. The
victim waa a lady named Chants-term, aged 50, and
unmarried, but who for more than 20 years had
cohabited with a person named Forest, a builder,
and passed as his wife. ehe resided during the
slimmer at a pleasant villa on tbe banks of the
Marne, at IA Val-entre-St.-Hilaire, a short dis-
tance from Paris; M. Forest. being detained in
town by busine wart always absent from his
country seat during the week, and only arrived on
Saturday evening to stay otn t the Sunday. At
als nt talf-past one on the rro ruing of the lOtb of
A ngust last the house at I a Varenne AV!n, ili3OV.-red
to be WI fire. The flames were cot rimier in about an
la am. after which the body of Mille. Chat blew' was
found on a bed sylioh had only here part;ally tan tin;
the head on. conplete y carbonized. hot, ci, gnbsrly
enough, the Issly was,nlyseeder?, and the uneiee.,...
on whirl, it 1 •v eel, tart destroyed. Ti!' fact stint k
the pare, r.s a ho I ad c.tue v r.cer aatiata.a.*, ad ti,

Test—
impeeselon wa- that • crime his! been wow 1
milted, sterpSeition falling on the servant Fleutot,
who was alone Yel'h Mdlle. Claude] eau at the moment
, of the di-aater ; but as M. Forest found hi. l'° i
, party in toe hot a-, to the amnt of (iv, r 300,000 f. ,
in cash aid tectunies, tvnailing intact, and es t. 1.0 1
body I ore no ins.. ks of s.lolence, that an pp .-Lion fell '
to the ',round, and the fire awl the death of Millie. I
Cilantro-eon w.re concluded to have been the result
of accident. In February last, however, from in-
formation which M. Forest had received, a search
was tirade iii an apartment at Eercy osteilpied by the
mother of the g.ll Fleutot, and a large quantity of
property was found, cot•isting of beddinz, linen,
jewellery, artick-e of weaning apparel. &e., of
the value of frotn 4,0 'Of. to 5,000 f., all of which
had belonged to the deceased lady. A judicial
inquiry earn thou opened, and showed that the
murder must have been committed I.y the wuntan
Fleutot, waisted by Ler mother, who went frequently
to visit her. and they were in consequence both
arrested. The investigation weed flea thy had
endeavoured to drown the unfortunate lady es hile ehe
woe taking a lath, and the fingers of the younger
trio 'nor still bore marks • f is Lite • hieh she hal evi-
dently received from Mdlle. Ctiontereau u Idle the
'atter woe erruggling in the water. li• crime had
apparently been etfeetal liy means of Ilona on the
Ilea . 'lie two w, men hail titen rem., ed a goantity
of property to the tailw ay station to carry it off, and
had final y set the Lonny tu fire to a meal the wonder
sal mist., y. I
The uteoical evidence showed that the head of
Millie. Chantereaii must Lave been Wont, probably
to remove traces of the violence used, to-fore the body
s wee placed on the bed wbere it was found.
I The previous career of each of the two women
showed a ch
that they ere of a aboneA and deployed
rbaraete,. The daughter has aliessly undergone a
' cold, mnation to six months' Mit risonini nt or theft in
Illirevious situation, and alien with anothei emitter had
set f.re to the apartment to conceal some diaLOtwat act.
, She hail borne an illegitimate child, and since leaving
the service of SE. Forest had cohabited with a man in
' the same room which her mother oecopied. She
' showed great assurance on the trial, pairying the
' questions put to her with some ability. Tle circum-
stantial evidence was, however, conclusis is, and the
: prisoners were each cond. umed to bat it lai cur for life.
' Oa heath g the sent.nce the girl Fleutot, who had
' probably expected a cetera' punialunont, could not re-
' etrain a smile of satisfaction, which excittsl the
1 indignation of the pull c p; remit, and wine erica of
', "Death ! death ! " were hand from the audience.