The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-18 00:00:00

_ . A PARISIAN MURDER.
(From La Pdtrie.) :• r- ~. • •
The Court of Assizes was occupied on Tueseley and
Wednesday with the trial of the man, named Lafour
' -
cade for the murder of an aged maiden lady named
Lebel, and the attempted murder of another, named
Ribault, en the 31st of December last, in the
Rue Bourbon-le Chiteau, No. 1. The case excited
extraordinary interest, and the court was crowded
to excess. Madlle. Ribault had for some time sup-.
plied designs of fashions to the Journal des Demoiselles
and the Petit Courrier des .Dames, for which she re-
ceived
200 francs a month. M. Thierry, the manager,
was accustomed to send her her money by Lafourcade.
In the course of 1850 a month's salary was not paid,
bet ,M. Thierry had receipts for every month.
The fact was, as it subsequently appeared, that
Lafourcade had embezz'ed the money and, had forged
a receipt. Mademoiselle Ribault having demanded the
money, M. Thierry told her that it was paid, and to
convince her, directed Lafourcade to present the receipt
to her. Ltfoureade having delayed to bring back
the receipt, M. Thierry demanded it. He had not
presented it to Mademoiselle Ribault from the fear
that she would denounce it as a forgery; but, on
the 31st December, he went to her house and
showed it to her. She saw at once that it was a
forgery; but, feeling a sort of vague terror, she hesitated
to say so. Lafourcade then raid that the receipts of the
two previous months had been mislaid, and asked her to
give him others. She was about to write when she was
struck several times on the back of the head with some in-
etrument. She fell almost senseless to the ground. She
was then kicked and struck, and stabbed in several places.
Immediately after she heard a struggle between the man
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aud,another person. She fainted, and remained senseless
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and called for bladlle. Lebel, who lived with her, but re-
ceived no answer. At her feet she felt the body of some
one, and after a while ascertained it was Madlle. Lebel,
and that sheunable.
She
was
gtlitede
rattledad. She attempted to rise; but
an area chair with all the
force she had, but no one heard. ' In this way all this
evening and several hours of the night passed away.
Every hour she became fainter, and, not doubting
that she was about to die, she dipped her finger in
the blood which had flowed from her wounds, and
wrote on a chimney board, " The assassin is the clerk of
M. Th—." The next morning alarm being felt at the
non•appearance of the two ladies, and at no answer
being given to the knocks at the door, some persona en-
tered the apartment. All was in darkness', and the
concierge, who marched at the head of the party, asked
if there were any one. " A murderer!" answered Madlle.
Ribault faintly. The shutters having been opened,
it was discovered that Madlle. Lebel was quite
dead. She had received several terrible blows over
her head, and had her jaw broken; but death had
been caused by the assassin having thrust the es 2
of Madlle. Ribault down her throat, and having pressed
her tightly by the throat until she was dead. Medical
assistance was immediately afforded to Madlle. Ribault,
and she recovered. She at once stated that the mur-
derer was Lafourcade, and he was arrested. When
shown the body of Madlle. Label he declared that
he was not the murderer, and, being led into the
room of Madlle. Ribault, whom he had evidently
expected to find dead also, he started on hearing her
exclaim, " that is the man, that is the man who struck
me!" Shortly after being arrested he attempted to
commit suicide. He repeatedly protested his innocence,
but in addition to the testimony of Madlle. Ribaulte
several persons had seen him enter the house just be-
fore the murder was committed, and leave it just after;
blood, also, was found on his clothes and boots, and
in this blood were some of the grey hairs of his victims.
After several witnesses had deposed to different circum-
stances, all inculpating the accused, Madlle. Ribault gave
a remarkably clear account of the two crimes, though,
in doing so, she displayed great emotion. After, she
said, speaking to the prisoner about her money, and
having mentioned to him that, in a previous payment,
he had given her five francs too little, she began, as
already stated, to write him a receipt to replace one that
had been mislaid. At the same moment she was
struck on the back of the head, and fell to the
ground. " I heard the noise of blows and of
a struggle before I became quite senseless," she
said, " and I remained insensible a long time. hen I
recovered a little I found a napkin stained with blood
thrust into my mouth. I thought myself labouriug
under a frightful nightmare. I endeavoured to rise,
but was unable to do so. I, however, managed to raise
my head, and I saw at my feet the body of Madlle.
Lebel; she did not complain; and I saw she was dead.
(Here the witness became much affected.) I rat-
tled the arm-chair for help, but no one came. I attempted
ten times to rise, but had not strength to do so. I
thought I was about to die, and regretted that I could not
denounce my murderer to justice. I also thought of write
ing in blood on the chimney-board. A candle was then
burning. I did not know the man's name. I at first
intended to write, "It is the collecting-clerk of M.
Thierry," but that phrase seemed to me too long, and so
I wrote, "It is the clerk of M. Th—." I then lost my
consciousness. I afterwards slightly recovered', and re-
membered that I had not completed the name, but it
was then dark, and I could not find the place. Besides,
I feared that I might compromise M. Thierry
iu writing his name in soother place." The
President then asked the witness if the prisoner were not
the Iran who struck her. " Oh! it is he, I swear it !" she
answered. " Without hesitation!" " Witheut hesitation,
Le c'..use it is the truth!" On heating this, the prisoner
remained cold and impassible, but gazed on the wikness.
The President asked him if ho had any ihirg to say?
He answered, " I was not in her house Lei the :11,t. De-
cember, the day iu question." " But she affirms that you
were." "She affirms that because it pleases her." The
President, with seine indignation, sty( rely rebuked the
prisoner for speaking in such a way. Mademoiselle Ri-
bault stated that she had lived forty-two years in the
same house. After the pleadings and summing up, the
jury retired to deliberate, and in about two hours re-
turned with a verdict of guilty. The accused did not
understand the technical terms in which the verdict was
riven, and asked a gendarme what they meant, but the
Officer did not reply. The court condemned him to death.
He heard the sentence without emotion, and with a slight
bow to the court, walked firmly away.