Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-01-09
a Human Tiger.

All are familiar with stories of the man
eating tigers of India. But now from France
comes a fearful record. For some time past
one or two quiet agricultural villages, between
Boulogne and Calais, seem to have been kept
in state OF constant alarm by mysterious
series of outragcS 'lnccndiary fires, robberies,
attempts to murder, actual murders, accom-
panied with brutal mutilatiouS, were perpe-
tratcd year after year and month after month
The criminal after each outrage contrived to
retreat unobserved to his lair, but at length q
lritling coincidence in connection with one of
the robberies threw suspicion upon the guilty
person who has 50 long been the Scourge o!
his neighbors
Joseph Lcmett.e was but Is years old, when
in 1854, he was III service at the farmhouse of
conduct and regular habits and since that
date he is believed to have perpetrated at least
tweuty-seven crimes, many Of them of the
deepest dye. The acte d'accusation will be
found, is usual, in France. TO present 4 vivid
,icture Of this career vi maignity, but
tie brietest and most prosaic summary is
sufficiently appalling. In the autumn of 1864
some stacks of beans, house and shed, and,
again, some farm buildings We're on three dis
tiuct occasions burnt down. No motive is as
signed in these Instances, but the accident of
Lemettrc having been seen near the spot, and
afterwards denying it, threw on him grave
suspicion, from which, however, he was pro-
rected hy his general good character Fairly
in the next year the farmhouse OF the man
who had suspected him was broken into, and
IN attempt was made to set it on tire, and 1t
may hc presumed that, in all these cases fire had
heen employed in order to cover the robbery.
lemcttre 5 master then died, and the history
~
ire. however seems to have remained In the
service of mis- late masters widow, and
when, in lS6T, she was married to 4 connection
Of his own, and went TO reside at a nelghhor-
ing hamlet, he accompanied them.
At the end of that year the course OF outra..
res recommended, not to be again Interrupted
until I.emettrc's apprehension. In September
his fellow servant was robbed OF 2GOf. Shots
wrrc fired at his employers, and . box full OF
rowder placed against the wall of their house.
l,amettrc, it is said, now admits that ne
committed these outrageS IN order to
Iyighten his master and mistress buck to
their old farm The next year, 1868, was
marked by mulderouS assault on brewer $
rarman, as he was returning from Andreselles
with some money for his employer. a barbar-
GUS mutilaton moreover, was inflicted on the
victim, which was repeated in some OF the sub
scquent outrages. In the same year a widow,
who lived alone at farmhouse in Andresellcs
and who had received sum OF :tl,2oo,
was aroused at night by Il man demanding her
money or her life she was brutally stabbed and
her house partially robbed. Once more, in the
same year, the house of the priest was entered
during midnight mass, and robbed OF plate and
money.
The Year 1869 opened with two robberles OF
money from the same fellow-scryant who had
been robbed in 1867 Lemettre, about this
time, took a house in Andreselles. In the
course Of the summer young man was found
murdered and robbed, on the evening after q
fair, with his head close to the stable door OF
l.cmcttrc's S house, and the body exhibited the
same horrible mutilaton as in the previous as
sault on the brewer Suspicion Tell upon the
owner of wine shop, who, however, was soon
cxonerated by being himself found murdered,
with the same marks of brutality. The house
had been robbed and attempts made, to fire 1t.
\ fifth crime in this year was burglary ut
neghboring farm house.
The year 1870 opened with the murder OF
man who had denounced the existence OF rob-
bers in the neighborhood, and another bur
elary was committed Lcmettre was then ab
sent from home for six months serving IN the
Garde Mobile, and during his absence the
crimes ceased. Immediately on his return, III
April, 1871, three successive burgarles renew
ed the alarm of the ncighborhood, and Lemet'
ire began to be watched. lie himself, how,
ever, felt sufficiently secure to get married, and
to celebrate the occasion with a protuseness
which, no doubt, aggravated the thrifty peas
ants suspicion. At length he was observed,
one morning by a man who had long suspect
cd him, creeping into cures house, and was
captured in the act of robbery.
His house being then searched, articles stolen
in previous robberies were found inshls posses;
sion, and he confessed to one OF the worst OF
the MURDERS and the singular similarity OF
these crimes, coupled with the circumstances
now seen to connect him with them, precudes
any doubt that he was the perpctrator OF the
whole series.
A moro horrible revelation of the depth, Of
lepredation of which humanity is capable
conld hardly be presented than this. 1t be-
longs to that class of cases, happily rare, IL
which the criminal seems to be destitute o
anv susceptibility to ordinary human feeling
and to possess no other motive than paltry
creed and no other intellectual faculty than {
dcpravcd, cunning and supreme sehshness
The INEBRIATE's IIopE.-A gentleman iron
the North, now on visit to this city, relates
story which, if true, will send thrill OF dehg;h
to many saddened household; The gentle
man states that he has friend engaged IN
verv lucrative business in New York, but wh'
for @ the last five years has been addicted to the
immoderate use Of Intoxicating liquors, and te
such an extent that he had several attacks
mania a -potu or delirium tremens; Last sum
mer he was induced by several friends-all 0
them teetotallers--to to visit the White sulphu
Snrines in this State The party left New
Iork In one of the Old Dominion line Of steam
ers which ply to this city, and after pleasa,u
trip down the coast they proceeded to tn
White sulphur There the party rename n ne
for two months, at times drinking freely OF th'
water. After the first week OF the thelr sta:
there the gentleman of the intemperate habits
began to show a disincnatlon Tor ms !'ie cups )
and this favorable feature developed itself I Z
such m extent that at the end Of six weeks d
had entirely lost his appetite for liquor: o. q
his return North he ordered supply OF tn
White Sulphur water He has not touched