The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-11-01
roax1xo srAR AND CATHOLIC MESSENGER.
:, NV oRIFANs. SUNDAY. NOVEMBER I. 1858


- ~ +hose srkabie failures and deplo-
rable mistakes of Justice that eOMeslMcs
follow the commission Of great crimes.
The moral Of the story a, IL a thst murder
viii ont "a belief that might be contro-
varted NV many other instances equally
striking: for, in the shedding of blood, as
in other sins, God frequentiy reserves 20
Himself the vengeance when he mas ouA
Dhatically declared to be his.
Madame Feron was the aged, miserly
relict of prosperous farmer, living alone
At solitary farm house about three leagues
distant from Rennes. A charwoman came
for an hour or two daily to DO the scrub
bling and cOarser work OF the mouse. MAJ
anne Feron was not only known to be pos
sessed of q considerable annual income,
hut of a large sum in rOuteaa1 OF Nopo-
Icons, which she kept under lock and key
in the house. This last fact was Mt least
known to Jeanette Morlalx, and TO Pierre
Dubois,-an itinerant clockmaker, whose
door home and shop were at Rennes. He
was given to tattle when in the least excited
hy drink, and had been heard more than
once to gleefully relate how frightened
Madame Feron looked when ne, one day,
entering her house suddenly without knock
ing. surprised her kneeling before an open
chest, gloating over her golden treasure.
1t was Pierre's custom-tO call at Madame
Feron's regularly, when returning from MS
rounds, on the first Monday In every alter
nate month, 10 seq 10 .no oo -
lyeeping of her clock. Now, early on the
day following the Monday in August when
he should have called at Madame Feron>s-
did in fact call, it was asserted and fully
believed-thc aged lady was found stark
! dead i-murdered-m angledi dreadful
Z. manner. Though considerably over sixty,
she was strongzimbed, powerful, cour-
aneous woman, /and had, it was evident,
struggled ferccly for her life. The chest
was plundered Of the rouleaur of gold, and
some silver spoons and other articles OF
plate were missing. The alarm was gwen,
Va commissary of police arrived, and Wig
orous investigation of all the circumstances
was commenced OH the spot.
Jeanette Morlaix depOse1 that soon after
Madame Feron returned from church, Hate
in the afternoon, (she had been to vespers,
il being the festival of the Assumption OF
the Blessed Virgin,) she, Jeanette, left the
ihouse and proceeded homewards. Her
dwelling was about half a league distant
from Madame Feron's. She had not pro-
cccded very far, about ten minutes dls-
lance perhaps, when she saw Pierre Du-
.bois walking towards the house. he dld
not poss near to her, and from the direction
in which he came she did not see his full
face: but she was positive it was he. He
was dressed rs usual, and carried under
his arm a tinkling German clock, as he
almost always did. Jeannette also saw
him lift the door latch and pass into the
House. That was all she knew. In reply
to the questions of the commissary, she
said that Pierre Dubois usually arrived at
about tho aana hour. A"aa"e Hsion
place was the last in his days round, and
when Dubois left he went straiSut AWAY
towards Rennes.
For Rennes the commissary and his men
forthwith g:lloped off, and learned that
pierre Dubois bal not been home all night;
that his half-Gie4e .cted wife had not seen
por heard of L N since he left early the
=, 10,
round.
Leaving two gendarnes in the place to
secure Dubois, If he should make his ap-
pearance, and meanwhile to prevent the
wife or either Of the children from holding
- communication with any one, the conluIs-
asry hurried away to organize . hunt after
the absconded assassin aud robber The
search, though vigorously Pressed, proved
fruitless; no tidings could be heard OF the
clock maker, and ii was beginning to be
feared he might have succeeded in escaping
from France with his booty, when, late in
Ale evening, who should walk into the
nor se but the culprit hinlself His clothes
were toFRsAirty, stained with blood in more
than one I,iSce--he himself seeming to bs
half stupefed, like person just recovering
from long cor tinued debauch. He wa
Of course instantly taken into custody ant
hurried of to Jail. No gold or silver WA
found upon him, but in one of his pocket.
several torn Fragments Of ro"!ed. pspe
were found. When questioned the mex
day by Juge d'Instruction, he delivered
himself of = cock and-bull story, In eaSe
and substance "a fellows:
About noon of tho day on which he lef
home, he was on his return toward Mad
anne Feron's, when, Mt shout couple o.
leagues from her house two men in blousei
came up with him in . solitary part of the
road. They were riding in light sort o.
country clarrette, and offered him ride
- far "a they were going his road:
. The day was sultry; he was tired, and
gladly accepted the invitation. He wal
-Shirsty, too, his own flask of thin wine wa'
nearly empty, and he almost emptied at 9
draught that which one of the men offered
kim An irresistible drowsiness almost
-Lin,InnlintnIv sniznd him he Law dawn In