The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-07-17

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months previous to the time write, livct
a worthy habcrdasher Of the name of Mau
rice. His family consisted of himself, hi.
wife, one child, and a servant. They were
quiet, respectable people and very much
respected by all their ncighbors.
NJ. Maurice did good business and fire.
qucnly had considerable sum of money
IN his house. lie had an extraordinary
run OF custom on Saturday, and when the
iabors of the day were over he felt very
much tat'g"ed. lie shut up his shop aud
proceeded to Il small room, where his wife
and servant were laying the cloth for SUP
/! per.
MY DEAR" said his wife, as soon as he
entered the room. 81 should very much
like some oysters for supper tonight.
u am afraid it is too late" replied the
husband looking at his watch. 1t was a
| quarter past eleven.
"Ol no, Justine says there is Il shop
open round corncr.''
"lf that bc case let Justine get some at
once, for am as hungry as Il hunter"
1hereupon Justine put on her bonnet
and shawl, and went for the oysters Lcay-
t"g tie door oyar, that she might not dis
turb her master or mistress when she re-
turned.
Now it so happened that the place
! where she expected to be able to obtain
the oysters was closed 4; but not wishing to
diSappoint her employers, she determined
she would 90 and seek them elsewhere.
In pursuance of this object: she entered
the Grandc Rue, but had to walk consi,l-
derab!c distance before she could obtain
what she sought. She hurried home a
gain, and noticed when she arrived at the
door Of her masters house that the chimes
OF Il ncighboring church struck quarter
to twelve. She had, therefore, been absent
just three quarters of an hour
She was surprised to find the door slut,
but supposing that the wind had blown it
to, she raised the latch. The door was
fastened on tie inside. She thought this
rather strange, but then again she reflected
that it was doubtless only necessary pre-
caution on the pat of her master. She
rang the bell, and was very much concern
ed when, after waiting few minutes, no
reply was made. '.Ihcy have gone 10 bed.
she said to herself, and felt rather angry
with them for having locked her out. She
again rang the bell much more violently
than bcforc-stil no answer. She now
became alarmed, and rang long and vio-
lently-no answer! Her fears were thor
ougtly aroused, and she related the cir
eumstanccs to some persons passing along
the street. The presence of two or three
gcndarnes were soon procured. and they
proceeded at once to break in the door.
The passage into which the door opened
was perfectly dark but one Of the gen.
darmes stumbled over something, and put
ting out his hand to save himself, it came
IN contact with something wet on the
ground. A light was Immediately obtain
ed, and horrible sight presented itself.
Laying across the passage was the dead
body of Monsieur Maurice, with his throat
cut from ear TO ear. The floor was swim
ming in blood. In the little room was the
dead body of his wife, presenting the same
ghastly wound. Even the little child in
the cradle had not escaped, for thessn,erci-
less assassin had taken its life by tie same
horrible means. The house was ransack.
cd from top to bottom and everything of
value stolen.
shall not attempt TO depict the horror
or the persons who witnessed this shocking
sight it can be more easily imagined than
described, and to tell the trntll don't like
dealing in the horrible it is pandering to
morbid taste, and i'll have transsrcssed
my only usual mode of narration in this
sketch, my only excuse is-it IS true.
The most strenuous efforts were made to
detect the murderer, but without any sue
cess. All that could be learned was, that
a man had been seen to look in,ently in
the shop windows about the time Mr.. Maui
rice m was counting ont lis days receipts.
Inc whole town Of Dcppe was Mortified,
and when night came many heart trem-
blcd. After a few days the feeling of fear
began to decrease, when they were again
awakened i'll a tcn-told manner by another
shocking murder.
About ten days after the catastrophe in
the Rue dcs Arncs, some belated pcdes-
trains were making the best of their way
home abont o'clock in the morning.
They were walking very rapidly down
fue Grcnard, when they were aslopished;
by seeing a man on the roof the house,
with nothing on but his shirt, crying out
with all his strength murder J" murder !"
murder y lie held a young child in his
arms.
ThetAimmediately called to him, but all
they could gather from him was that mur-
der a. was being committed in tho house.
They directly made for the door, and found
it fastened on the inside. They burst the
door open with a few rigorous kicks, and
,penetxated into. the house. They rushed
sepepirs, and on the first landing thew
acupd the body Of man with his throat
seq8 He was dead. They entered bed
half out Of bed tho body
'ota woman, mutilatcd in the same horri.
be manner, and stone dead, But they
had not yet discovered all. the horrors of
That house Of blood. Ip. tho kitchen was
discovered the inanimaie form Of the SER
yantTgirl, who had been killed by the same
means. The assassin was evidently the
same who committed the f6tsder in the
Rue des Armes. Tive wounds inflicted
were exactly Of the same character, and it
was evident the same instrument had been
used.
The young man seen on the roof of the