The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1861-10-19
Fearful Depravlty.

The following details, extracted from
the Courier de Lyons, France, disclose the
most tenitLl dcpravity ever, perhaps, re-
corded IN the annals Of crime. They are
10 extraordinary that We nrc tempted tO
give to- our readers u translation Of them.
The scene Of the occurrences is IN the de-
partUnent Of l. Ain. On the 26th Of Mny,
little before midnight. girl, with dis
hcvellcd hair, her clothes COVERED with
mud, her cOuntenancc wild with fright,
ran, brcathlcss, into the village Of Balan,
ncar MOntluel, und implored aid and pro-
lection Of driver Of II chaiSe, who hap
prneti to he entering his house ut this late
hour. She stated that shr had just es-
capped from being murdered. The c"nStn
stable Of the iStrict was sent for imncdl
atcly. aud after having heard her story, he.
ut once conducted the sirl to the police
at MOntluel, There, utter having rrcov.
cred herself little, she stated that in the
morning she had been nccostcd by an in
divi,iual, who appeared to be a peasant,
and who asked her to tell him where he
could find an office Tor engaging servants.
lie represented that he was the gardcn-
or Of n chateau near MOntlurl, and that
his master had order ed him to find SER
want to replace one that was about 10
leave. lie said that the place was All ex-
celent one. the wages high, perquisitcs
frequent, master aud mistress kind, and
the duties light aud easy. II SO happened
that the girl, whOSe name was Marie ri
ch"n, ~AS ut that time nbnut To quit
situation which she held alta GuillSti' re;
her weeks notice expired that veIy day,
and Ehc WINS dRzzlrd by the fair prospect
offered by this unknown individual. I"
| had hnd to deal with n gentleman" she
Said, afterwards, ~ should hive suspect.
ed some trick, hut peasant give the no
uncaSiIcSs." She packed up her trunk at
once, the fellow prr>uading her to take
with her everything she had. AccoWpn-
med by him, she went tn bid gond-bvc TO
a relative who resided III the qnartiere
Pierre Srize; the two then bought some
lunch, for which Marie paid; and the man
cOntrived So to occupy the time that there
was no taking the truin to their drstina-
ton until seven o'clock in the eveKing
Thus they did not arrive at Mon;luel un-
Ill nightiaIl. The unknown took the girls
trunk on his shoulders and told her to fol
lOw him along solitary pathway leading
to the fields. After walking about quar-
ter Of an hour, he complained Of the weight
of the trnnk, and proposed to the girl to
hide it in q clump Of thick brushwood,
promising to fetch II in the morning early
with his masters chaise. She consented,
and the trunk having been duly concealed,
they continued their journey. now down
solitary lanes, now across fields, on pre-.
tense Of shortening the distance.
The night was dark, and the poor girl
began to grow frightened; she avoided
walking in front. But nt length, about
eleven o'clock. iatigucd with walking
three hours, she asked if thcv9would soon
reach their destination. "Here II is,'
said the man, and at the same instant he
threw q moose over her head. Marie had
presence Of mind enough to throw down
her bandbox and umbrella, and to raise
her hands in time to prevent the moose
from being drawn tight; then violently
pushing off the man. she took TO flight
across the fields, sometimes meeting with
falls and bitches, and tearing her face and
hands with the thistles. AT length the
moon began to appear above the horizon,
and the poor girl Naw across the plain the
white houses Of village; a light was
burning in one Of the houses, which serv
I'd her nS n beacon. She could now di.
rect her course more certainly, and al
length she arrived, out Of breath, at thC
village Of Balan.
On hearing her story the entire brig0d,
"f police turned out, and the men wer'
sent in different directions. At daybrenl
the girl was taken to the railway station
ut which she had got out, In order tina
she might retrace the path she had ira
-versrd. On reaching the field where tn
trunk had been concealed, the signs d
broken tWigS were discovered, but tn
trunk WAS gone. The ncighbOrinG roads
] lanes. ferries, and 10 On, were searched
hut without result 4 statement Of tn
flair having been made to the magistrai eS
: the Court Of rrevOux directed an inquiry
The particulars obtained nt Lyons cOrOh
GRATED the story Of Marie Pichon. Tn
u officers then went with her over lh
ground which she had navrrsed with tn
assassin; this shewas enabled to trace b.
some observations She~ had made, bu
u there was no vestige OF anythiNg tha
r could put justice on the track IL the Criul
I imal. The bandbOx and umbrella whic
the girl had dropped were not to be fount
l. Yet the guilty man was close BY all tn
time. II was discovered Afterwards thI
he cIuld watch the proceedings OfthO Q
ticers Gr"m the top Of his vineyard, On
nVighbOring eminsnce.. -.
This attempted crime made The eIoAt'
J. impression on the nvighb0ThoOd, bscAVl
it seemed to be the work, OF an Sssaa&
% who had enmTDitttd, six years previOdSl
II similar crime, as yet InpuniEhed. AhO'
! Ihe end "f February, 1866, sCvne tedrt
" -Hn"n f"und 10 wNOd, SelOugine nt0' "a
'e commune Of TrasHOyO, which bOFdusS4c q