The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-07-16
An Execution IN France.

The execution of Very, aged 81, the murderer
of the servant girl Marguerite Leconte, re-
place on the let inst. 1t may be remembered
that this man, Journeyman halter, when
alone with the young woman during the alb
sence OF her master and mistress, cut her
throat, in the hope of finding large sum of
money i'll the apartment He took away some
jewels, plate and silver coin, but missed So
00Uf lying in the drawer of a small table,
which he omitted TO break open and search. as
he did the other pieces of furniture. On the
trial, although the circumstantia evidence
against him was unusually strong, he con-
stantly denied his guilt On Friday morn
ing, at O'Clock, when two of the turn
keys of the Prison Roquette entered his
cell to inform him that his last hour was
come, he burst out into violent imprecations
against the injustice of men condemning
an innocent man. He refused all religious
consolation, and died impenitent. When
he arrived at the foot of the scaffold he
paused an instant, and then ascended the
steps with firm tread. The moment he reach
ed the platform he cried ont with a loud voice
to the crowd; Il die innocent; go and see the
piece called the CaHrrter de Lyons!' ~ He then
gave himself into the hands Of the execution
ers, and in an instant after had ceased to ex-
ist. The Paris correspondent of the Star,
writing on the subject, says: "The execution
of Very, the murderer, which took place on
Friday morning, is destined to cause another
pause i'll that terrific responsibility, which the
law-givers of every civilized country assume
man deserved the worst fate few will doubt
He was a william of the worst description-of
the hlackest dye-murdering his mistress for
the sake of lucro and seeking TO throwi the
guilt upon an innocent comrade. Buf wax he
sane! Does not his whole life disclose n Sc.
cret melancholy, eplenetic madness, which the
murdered woman herself had often men toned
to her friends as being likely, afNone time or
another, to lead him either TO suicide or mur-
der I His brain was all on fire With the study
of romantic novels and dark and bloody meo-
dramas. The very night before the COM
mission Of the crime he had been TO see the
Courier de Lyon 5; and so great was the I'm pres
sion produced upon his dsordered brain, that
during the whole Of his trial for this most foul
and unnatural murder, one fixed idea OF .Le-
surQue and his unjust condemnation seems to
have been ever present to his mind. AT the
and exclaims turning to the audience: THE
innocent is condemned-the guilty is let free.
Go and see the Courier de Lyoas On the
scafiold he raises his eyes to the fatal mach chine
and utters, with o deep sigh 'Ah, jastllike
Lesurque-I die innocent OF this crlme.' And
at the very moment Of lying down npo1 the
basket he exciaims, with q terrific Shout I,
which echoed over the heads OF the .trem llling
crowd-'Once more, am Innocent go ana see
Courier de LyOSs-the case OF lesurque yen
will find'-and the knife fell while yet the
words were on his lips. The circumstance
has produced most painful impression, and
the multitude-which, during the whole time,
had behaved with the greatest decorum-with-
drew fully persuaded of the inutlllty OF these
frightfui exhibitions in preventing CRIME, and
of their demoralizing effect upon the younger
portion of the popuiaee there assembled"