Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-06-08
A Great Crime In France.

a .SEGAI OElEne IN EEAnoos
Our readers will remember an account
we gave, a short time ago, of an interest
ing French criminal trial, n which one La
Pommerais, physician, vas charged with
poisoning his mistress. fo- the purpose of
obtaining the sum of 100000 from the life
insurance companies of Paris, on an iusu.
rance which he had effsGed on her life.
He induced Madame d. PauW to feign
illness shortly after the insurance was ef.
fected, deluding her with the hope that the
insurance companies may then be induced
to exchange the insurance for an annuity,
but his design was to poissn her, using her
feigued illness as q means to accomplish
his ends. -..s .rl
The London Daily Meps speaks as fol-
lows Of the result of this interesting cause:
At length La Pommsrais, the French
doctor, has been found guilty of poisoning
Madame de Pauw, without "extenuatinE
circumstances,n andh been condemned
70 death. It is difficult to believe that
the jury could have come to any other
conclusion. Only few days ego, howev.
er, man who had been proved 70 have
murdered his mother. in,laH, appealed 70
the jury on the ground that RtfoF4WentS i've
years Bhe had lived In hi6lfSaSs, - -
auARsr to bis appeal the jury quali6ed'thsir
verdict by finding "extVnuating circum.
stances" 1t would have excited little
surprise, therefore, if the ingenuity of La
Pommerais had suggested some equally
available excuse.
Following the ordinary practice Of French
wi ia nR ha nj III
the fne dramatic instinct and epigramatic
smArtness OF his race, questioned La Pom
merais as to his life and actions during the
whole of TWO days. He seems to have been
turned out of medical societies-he had
applied, through friend, TO the Pope for
some holy decoration-anda advertised for q
Wife-and had succeeded in marrying a girl
of some fortune by borrowing shares from
friend, of which he represented himself to
be the proprietor. The man seems to have
been philosopher in bis way. He pro-
fessed the grOssest materialism-denied
the existence of a future state--and gave
the strictest injunction that If be were i'll
no priest should on any account be admit
ted TO bis bedside. l -a .nr
But he was something worse. For hav.
ing taken advantage of the passionate love
with, which he had Inspired poor Madame
de PAW, % obtain fortune by robbing
| the insurauce Offices, he denounced her as
an abandoned profigate. La Pommerais'
conduct during the trial exhibited Q COOL
ness and audacity that rose with the oc-
cAsion. 1u prison be seems 10 have writ
ten a comedy, in which he cariactursd the
witnesses produced against him; and when
the President told him that he had at
tempted 70 commit suicide by putting some
copper pieces into vinegar in order 70
generate poison, the prisoner said: "You
may add also add that l endeaVored to
open my veins, but failed in the attempt"
The case against La Pommerais was sc
strong that escape was almost hopeless
He was defended by 81. Lachaud, who also
defended Madame Laffarge, and who prob
ably made the most OF a hopeless case.
The facts stated in the indictment were
lceuclusive. aud The sprosetntioh seems TO
have succeeded in establishing the material
portion of them. One great difficulty
which NJ. Lschaud bad 10 explain was the
fact that La Pommerais had insured Mad
anne de PauW's life for G2O, 900. What
possible explanation can be given of SC
Singular proceeding7 Here was mis-
cradle woman living in q gsrret at Paris
with her two children Assume that she
was the mistress ot La Pommerais-admil
| auab NC BnNo dSA h4OuOy SOulu ud Vt
her ereditor7
As the Advocate General said, 'sthe loan
Of money TO a mistress, ee nest pas Fran
eGis. No one lends to q woman whom BIZ
loves or ever has loved" But even II such
q thing could be, he had given her only
some fVe.and twenty pounds, aud for thai
the Infatuated wretch had battered heI
body and her soul. Indeed, La Pommerai
bimselt did not venture TO claim more thar
G4OOI And what creditor for. E4OO would
insure his debtpr's life for G2O .OOO2 YerJ
true, said M. Lacbnud. 1t is absurd &C
suppose that La Pommersis was creditor
of his mistress. But then Madame d.
Paw knew the whole matter was a swim,
die. And abe was ready to join in o con.
spiracy to defraud the Insurance Oompa,
MES. II Madame de Paw, by feignine
illness, could manage 10 extract an Income
oct of those companies, she would not on
ly CRAFTY her paFsmour, but would raisl
herself to comparative comfort. Tha
Madame de Paw did feigu illness is ad
mittsd on her own confession. The ouIy
question was whether she died by poison
The PROFITS somewhat singular. D.
1t was impossible TO fnd by analysis an,
traces of the poison. The body was eE
!, Rmined by the physicians. They could int