New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-03-16
CRIME IN NORTHWESTERN FRANCE.
Hundreds OF .fen Robbed and Hundreds
SfSoung Wsmea Assaulted.

From the London Telegraph.
Rather late on Sunday evening, Sep'eH.-
Der l. OF last year, young German named
Hsvtz va. promsnadiDg i'll the Bo's he
Boulogne at Lille, with young lady named
kneuI, to whom, III about a fortnight from
that time. he was engaged to get IharTlt '
Suddenly they were bounced upon py mr. mr.
men, who stated that they we're PPlie 20
agents. and accusing the young peopie VI
an offense against public morality, SeiZeu
upon Hav.Z with d declaration rhaO ~
would place him in custody !htee oSt '.I
pretended policemen sndeaVorSd " e"
of Miss Kptuf, but she resisted dtsPeldtoiS :
,cxeamed for help, and svsntualy esc"Pou
Arriving al home IN state Va
terror. the Young woman TepoI''" -,
lad occurred and information "ds EINon
- ,InI;.. Uayez was missing. Kun
;rE, +brnuoh Ri, park where the assault
tnoi5 IIace /. u canal this canal was drag
red and there the body OF the unlol ull"V'
vorno man was discovered. lie hau oceh
scrambled and then thrown INTO the "a'er'
S.arch was Immediately instituted ioI
the ruurderers, and tie result was Ins "IS-
oiosIra If III. fact that for the last tour
years a band Of rum ans-!"thLS ~ M
hid nerbetratcd on the outskirts OF Lille
- serias of crimes which might well DE
Ja.,rad i1upCssible in any country III Eu-
rome. Their plan was illustrated III this
pr.tenGinc they we're agents Of the po.
Ice. two or three OF the gang seized upon
persons walking III lonely places after
dusk, and made these abOmlnahle charges.
Their accOmplices came up and sWore TO
the truth Of the charges, and then. SEEING
their victims, they hurried them in opposite
directions. and inflicted upon them every
species Of the most infamous treatment.
In this way they had terrified, assaulted.
and robbed IHen and outraged women Dy
hundreds, and mad escaped punishment
through the unwillingness of the parties.
and especially Of the young women, to
make known the indignities and outrages
to which they had been subjected.
Unfortunately only nine OF the humans
were secured; the rest crossed the borders
to Belgium or Germany as soon as the
alarm was given. The names and ages OF
the accused were as follows: ButiD, thirty.
three: Cuyclier, twenty-ulne; MercEeS, thlr-
~: Basse. thirty-six; Leleu, thirty-One; Co
nard. twenty four; Muller, thirty-tive; Dom
inoy. seventeen; Delavoye, eighteen. Of
these, Paul Basse was in the octroi service,
Butin was professor of gymnastics, while
the others were working men, employ ed tor
the most part IN the factories.
When it became known that the prisoners
were in custody, IA large number of persons
came forward and deposed to acts OF VIC
lence which they suffered; but it was known
that still larger NUN bers of victims declined
to appear; and it was proved in evidence
that one of the accused had boosted thu I
500 of the women of Lille had fallen into
their grasp.
The trial which has Just taken place was
with closed doors, but it Is known tnat sew
eral of the witnesses identified the prison
ers as the persons who attacked them. Guy
clier and Butin being the worst, some Of
the others having acted as their accesso-
ries, coming up at the time of the pretend
ed arrests, offering to be witnesses to prove
the scandal0us charges made against the
unhappy victims, and sharing IN the plum
der which they exacted before allowing
them to get away.
At first the prisoners met the accusation
with bravadO, the result of their long i'm
punitv; but on Friday, when the case was
drawing to close, and when the accumu-
lated evidence left no chance for escape,
every man broke down. They we're all
bowed, with their faces buried in their
hands; and bursting at intervals
into tears, their sobs (savs the reporrei)
interrupted the speeches of counsel. Pub
lie Indignation against them ran high,
especially when Nile. kneuf had given her
evidence. She was overcome with emotion.
and perhaps from this cause was unable to
recognize any one oI the accuseu as HiNlhS
participated in the attack upon herself and
her lover; and probably for that reason the
crime of numbering VI. Havcz appears not
to have been brought home to them. On
Saturday night the court pronounced iudg-
ment, sentencing Cuyclier and Buiin to
twenty years hard labor, Lei uand Merches
to eight years hard labor, Muller to five
years hard labor, Basse to eight and Conrad
to five years imprisonment, Delavove to
eighteen months Imprisonment, " bile Dom
inoy was acquitted.