The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1872-06-15
The Park Lane Murder.

the Nathan murder. CrlmeS OF this
kind we are accustomed to associate
with lonely places, where the assassin
can lie in wait for his victim, assured
that cries for help will reach no human
ear. Dwellers in great cities may be
excused for feeling uncomfortable at
these successive reminders, that resi-
dence in much -frequented thorough
fare is no ettectual protection aud that
violent assassination in ones own
house and in midday, is a perfectly
possible incident of life.
In one of the most fashionable thor
oughfares, Nine. Reil, Il French lady
who had taken up her residence in
London, was foully and brutally muir
dered under circumstances of almost
unparalleled horror and atrOcity.
She lived in good sized house, in II
neighborhood where deeds of blood
and violence are happily unfrequent.
She was in sight of the mansion of a
Royal Duke, and within a stones
throw of the Sovereign's palace.
About and around her were hundreds
of houses filled with the noble, the
wealthy, and the well-to-do. The
day was Sunday. The hour was not
far from noon. The household was
small and unpretentious. If ever
mortal might feel secure from violent
death, Nine. Reil, i'll her own house,
in such Il neighborhood, and at such a
time. might have believed herself be-
yond the reach of harm. Yet, while
in fancied peace and safety, sudden
destruction came upon her.
We quote the following from the
Pail Mall Gazette: - @
Since the murder of Lord William
Russell by his valet Courvoiser, in
Norfolk street, i'll 1910, there has
probably been no murder which has
caused so much uneasiness to fashion
able London as that which was COM
mitted IN Park Lane on Sunday last !;
and this anxiety will be Increased if
the perpetrators of the crime manage
to escape the police.
While country going Londoners in
quest of pleasure hurried on their road
to Victoria Station, they might have
passed, i'll the narrow end of the thor
oughfare, within few hundred yards
of Piccadilly, a clean and newly paint
ed house, with French look about it
all muslin blinds and lace curtains.
In this house lived Nine. Maria Caro-
| line Besson Reil, with her two ser
vants-Eliza Watts, the middle-aged
.llousemaid, aud Marguerite Dixblancs,
the muscular and bad-tempered cook.
1t was q weary day, no doubt, Tor
Nine. Reil, that triste English Sunday;
for she was a foreigner, had not many
| friends in London, and the widow
was destined to pass long hours be-
fore her young daughter, the actress,
returned from Paris. According to
the story of Eliza Watts, it was the in
tention of her mistress, while the peo-
pie were at church, to take II little
pet dog for Il walk in the Green Park;
and it is quite certain that, after Eliza
| Watts left her fellow-seryant, as she
knew, in the kitchen, and her mistress
as she thought, preparing for walk
1 she saw no more of Nine. Reil thai
day.
She says that she saw Nine. Reil &C
down stairs, and she thinks she was
going through the area. But while
Eliza Watts was occupied with hel
household duties i'll the upper storys
of the Park Lane house, an awful
scene was being enacted in the base
ment floor, hidden from the road by
a green boarding, which prevents any
one looking down into the area. 1t is
of course, uncertain whether the mis-
tress went down to complain; OF
whether, suspecting that she was be.
ing robbed, she had determined to as
certain the truth 1t seems quite
certain, however, that without attract
/ ing the attention of Eliza Watts, ana
without alarming the passers-by
Nine. Reil was throttled with cord
and, before the arrival of the house.
mai,l down stairs, the body, yet warm
/ had been thrust hastily into the coal.
cellar. The agitation of the foreign
cook did not escape the notice of the
housemaid; and there were unusua
signs of open windows and elosce
doors which may not have struck he
forcibly at the time, but have come
back to her since. The area door wa.
locked, the kitchen window was open
Marguerite Dixblanes was clustering
about the door of the coal-cellar
wringing her hands, and saying, Ma
dame has gone out, and taken the
keys with her, and am shut in thu
area;p though she could easily ge
into the kitchen, through the open
window. Unenlightened by thu
dreadful facts now made known, thu
housemaid noticed the strange signs
suspected nothing. Nor. did even thu
sudden offer of IL Sunday out from he
superior servant put her Oh her guard
She passed over the cooks agitation
she accepted in good faith the state
ment that her mistress had gone out
and would not be back for the day
and at one o'clock went out for somt
beer, and left Dixblancs alone witt
the corpse of the murdered woman
left her alone for many hours, durln:
which time the body might easily
b,,ya haon oonyeyed from cellar Il