The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-28
Wholesale Poisoning in France.

Another case of more startling character
than Lamirande's is engrossing public attention
in Paris. The case is on trial at Mort, in the
department of the Two Sevres-a dependency OF
the old English province of Anjou. The prisoner
is a farmer of Pressigny, large village in the
neighborhood. called Martin Reau.
From the ace dGccusdtiCn it appears that in
1853 the prisoners brother-in-law, Pierre Reau
then in his thirty-second vH"r, died fearful
death. He had gone out dday's shooting on
Martin Reaus grounds, and had lunched at the
farm-h house; he alone partook of the meal. He
then went out to resume his shooting, but was
seized with sensation of burning and iltole-
rable anguish in the chest and throat, and he
died on the I'd of February. His brother-n-
law, Martin Reau, inherited his property.
There has been, moreover, constant quarrels
between the two respecting some money mat
ters, the prisoner having repeatedly attempted
to overreach Pierre. Three years and a half
alter the death of Pierre, his sister, Martins
wife, died after a short illness, which pre-
sented precisely similar symptoms TO that which
had carried Off the first victim. She had made
wi leaving all her property to her husband.
Ma 10 Reau, on the 9th April, 1853 married
Julie bntemps. She is described in the dcte
dGccu AOn as unf Jeu1ae femme ctdInldnte. But
soon alter her marriage all her brightness de-
parted; she grew pale and sickly, and had also
TO drink potions administered by her husband
TO prevent her having children. She was
treated with the grossest brutality by her hus-
band. Among other devices he placed blocks
OF wood across O dark and steep staircase,
down which she had to pass; she fell down
the whole fight and broke her arm. She
gave birth to a son in September 1864; the
child was put out to nurse in the care of a
woman who lived in state of great poverty.
III April, 1865, Julie fell ill. Several doctors
attended her, but independently OF their medi-
clnes the husband gave her drugs of his own
cOmpounding. Her symptoms were similar to
! those which had marked the illness of her hus-
bands brother-in-aw and first wife. Finally,
she died in great agony in July, 1865. Soon after
! tbe child was taken home. The boy sickened,
! and after short illness, which presented the
sane features as that which had carried off his
mother, he died in January, 1856. His death
/ made Maj tin Reau the sole heir OF his wife, and
made him u comparatively rich man, with about
! 9S000.
The death of the child induced the neighbors
to suspect foul play; but they would hardly
| prudence or Martins conduct; he went about
proclaiming that the only way for man to
grow rich was to marry several times. Finally
they communicated their suspicious to the
police, and the bodies of his brotner.in-laW, his
two wives, and his child were exhumed. Theil
viscera, their cofins, aud the Very earlt
OF their graves was found impregnateC
Innate, of which he had large
stoc0to doctor the mules and horses, of which
be was large breeder. He was arrested. While
! in jail he brbed a low-prlsoner one Berta
dattO, In custody for trivial offense, to take
message to two of his neighbors-a carpente,
and his son-ofiering them one thousand franc
apiece to depose that they had heard Paul Bon
temps (his second wie's father) plotting th,
Death Of Julie and her child with man nameC
Paul BichOu. He gave Bertadatto his instruC
tons in writing, and Bertadatto handed them t,
the jailor.