The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-14 00:00:00

THE LEMOINE INFANTICIDE.

(From Galignant"s Messenger.)
We briefly mentioned on Saturday morning that
the trial of Madame and Mademoiselle Lernoine, Of
Chinon, had commenced the preceding day at Tours,
the charge against them being the burning to death
of the newly-born illegitimate child of the latter,
the father being the coachman in the mother's ser-
vice, a young man named Fetis. The case was con-
tinued the next morning and yesterday, the inte-
rest, if possible, increasing as the proceedings went
on. The court was each day crowded to excess, not
only the principal inhabitants of the neighbouring
country being present, but. the Prefect of the de.
partment and the principal functionaries having
seats in court.

When the judges had taken their places the pri-
soners were introduced. Mademoiselle Lemoine
entered first. She is rather below the middle size,
has fine eyes and a good colour. She was dressed
in black, and at first hid her face with her pocket-
handkerchief, sh&lding tears. Madame Lemoine
folloWed ; she has also fine eyes, a high forehead,
regular features, and black hair. The expression
of her fate is somewhat haughty, and her bearing
ladylike. She was handsomely dressed in dark silk,
and had a veil arranged roand her face.
• In answer to the usual questions, •
Madame Lemoine said, in a somewhat strong
voice, that her maiden name was Victoire Mingot ;
that she is the wife of M. Lemoine, her age 43, and
her birthplace and present residence Chinon.
Mademoiselle Lemoine, in answer to similar ques-
tions, said that her Christian name is Angelina, her
age rather more than 16, her birthplabe Chinon,
and her residence with her mother.
The indictnaent was then read, and stated these
facts :—The elder prisoner belongs to a very respect-
able and wealthy family, one of the members of
which, at the beginning of the century, belonged to
the Legislative ASsembly, and another was a judge
at the Tribunal of Chinon ; but in 1835, to the sur-
prise
of her friends, she married a 'man of a sta-
tion 'lower than her own and without fortune.
This marriage was not a happy one, and in 1851
she obtained a legal separation from' her husband,
who then quitted Chinon, leaving her the task of
educating her two children, a girl and a boy, and
taking care of her own fortune. Angelina (the elder
child) was idly brought up, and when she became
old enough to understand what she read, manifested
a passion for novels and other light works, and even
contrived to get possession of the " Confessions de
Marion Delorme." Her mother had her educated at
home, but was rarely present at her lessons, and let
her go out _as she liked, visiting the shops of work-
men, associating with the servants, and indulging
in improper familiarities with them. - Before the
age of 15, the boldness of her manners was made the
subject of remark. About that time her mother had
in her service as coachman a man named Fetis, and
' though he was completely illiterate, and not pre-
possessing in appearance, she (according to his ac-
count), often romped with him, and spoke familiarly
to him, even in the presence of her mother; then
she took liberties with him ; and at last, on the Ist
of October, 1858, when her mother was absent at
Tours, he at her express request went to her cham-
ber. The intercourse thug commenced continued
afterwards, and she promised to marry him.; she ex-
pressed the desire to have a child, because then she
said her mother could not refuse to let them marry.
After awhile reports 'that an improper intimacy
existed between the girl and the coachman beaame
current' in the circle in which Madame Lemoine
moved—the best -in the neighbourhood—and a
priest, a friend of the family, mentioned them to the
mother, but she took no further notice than to say
that they were calumnies. The coachman, on his
'part, made no.secret that he was in the good graces
of his young mistress. He announced that she would
'in the end marry him. He even talked of the
allowance the mother would make them, the num-
ber orservants they would have, &c. The young
lady having become enciente, the coachman formally
demanded on: the 29th of January her hand in mar-
riage from her mother. Madame Lemoine, not
knowing her daughter's state, thought he was
jesting; but when he said that her daughter was
encialite, she turned pale and gave him no an-
swer. The next day she paid him'his-wages and
discharged him. She also discharged her eook, who
must have suspected the daugEter's Slate. Just be-
fore the discharge was . given, Mademoiselle Le-
inoine said to the man, ," Mamma is going to dis-
. charge both you and Louise." " What ! " he said,
" Maclaine will not let me marry you ? " "No !
mamma says she, will get rid of the child ! " • The
indictment then went on to allege that, from this
moment the intention of Madame Lemoine was to
destroy the child ; and in proof it stated that while
making her daughter wear dresses and crinoline
calculated .to disguise her situation, she adopted
measures destined in her . situation to produce a
miscarriage=such as making the girl take very
hot
_bathe, long walks, gallop on donkeys, make
violent efforts, and even fall down a steep hill ;
nay, more, she actually proposed to the girl to roll
down a staircase, but the latter refused from 'fear
bf being killed. In spite of all t hese acts, hoWevet,
Madeinoiaellei Lemaine Was -on the 29th' of •Julfde-
livered of a child, her mother alone assisting her.
The-in'dictment 'asserted that the cyld was born
alive, and that Madame Lemoine was so struck by
its size and healthy, appearanee that she cried "See
how big it is ! " It then described how she thrust
the little creature into a large fire in. the room, and
held it therenntil burnt to. death. It ; added that
though she denied that•the Child was.born alive,
the daughter admitted that fact, and had remarked
" The little thing only wanted to be allowed to lire."
When the indictment had been read the elder
prisoner was renioved, and Mademoiselle Lemoine
wasiaterrogated: After admitting that she had
been a great novel reader, . and that she admired
Marion Delorme, the President asked " Did you
not, shortly after you attained the age of fifteen.
feel interest' in your mother's coachman, Fetis ?
" I committed the imprudence," she said, "of
allowing him' certain familiarities which I ought
not to have done." " Was it not you who prac-
tised familiarities with him ?" " No, sir." " Wit-
nesses say that 'it was you who began romping
with him, and who ended by allowing things to
go farther." ".I admit that I did wrong in
permitting him -certain familiarities,• and that is
all." After the familiarities commenced, did yod
not p:opose to Marry him ?" "'No, Sir." But in
your preliminary examination you admitted that
you did." " I was so agitated that 'I knew not what
[ said." The President put several questions for
the purpose of getting her to admit that she had
promised the man marriage, but she persisted in
denying that she had done so. " When 'did 3 our
intimacy with `Fetis commence ?"- At the end of
September." " How happens it that that intimacy
arose, if there was no queStion 'of marriage be-
tween you ?" "It came from the famiiarities I'
allowed him to take." " What were those familia-
ritiee ?" The accused returned no-answer. " Where
did your intimacy first take place ?" "In the
cellar; but I only yielded after a very long resist-
ance." '" Do you pretend that violence was used ?"
" I do not say-that." " Why did you not mention
what had taken place ?" "Because the man seemed
repentant, and I feared that my mother would be
very indignant." " Bnt, then, why did you continue
your connexion ?" " Because I was afraid of him."
" Fetis says that it began in your chamber." " No,
it was in the cellar." " He pretends that it -.vas you
who enticed•him into your chamber." " No, sir."
" When did you find out that you were enciente !"
not Fetis z.,dvise
a:nether?"l.er,to ‘:(l.:teycoatui sienalrNiv. ashainflrapi!
Isctad
" In Docember.". " And why did yon not tell your
thatal."
him )d
you to speak to your mother, and
I would do neither—thaytlie was a scoundrel. Then
he said, I will ruin you,
en
tiAfty efleaavra rt s a ldi em poke e
ptuo b
cy.
aud will force you to
o
i
marry pie Intl;
Int
hoa t y(;11
proposed to marry the
ther "
man ; be it so. What
did your mother say after the demand of Fetis to
marry you, when she learned the connexion you
had .had with the man ?" " She said that he must
be discharged, but I did not approve that, because I