Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-07-20
EVENING STAR.
The Limours Murders.
THE MOST REMARKABLE CRIMES OF MODERN
TINRs-DRAMATIc CONFESSIONS.

TIMRs-DRAMATIc CONFESSIONS.
Paris correspondence Pail Mall Gazette
The Limours murders are some of the most
| remarkable crimes of modern times. About 4
| month ago man named Poirier was arrested
on the charge of having murdered two children
| who had been lett at home while their parent.
went 70 a fete in the neighborhood; the victim:
| we're to have gone to the fete In their turn in
the afternoon. On the crime becoming known
| the whole country turned out armed with guns
pitchforks, SC, and Poirier was surrounded
| brought to bay, and captured. He at once con-
fessed to having assassinated the two children
and further revelations led the authorities to
suspect that the same ruffian committed the
Limours murders. In January, 1873, an old
man and bis wife were felled at mig htfall and
want was struck down at In abe evening and
would have been killed bat for the cries of the
cure. ON the 18th of the same month an old
man had his skull beaten in about .. m. ON
\ the 18th OF November another old man was
murdered under exactly the some circum-
q tances. and on the 25th of December two cid
m aids living n the same house were felled with
q b ar OF iron about in the evening.
After this there was lull because detectives
and gendarmes were despatched from Paris 20
Limo, uTs, which is only few leagues of.
SpeciA correspondents, too. visited the spot,
several arrests were made on the indication OF
the pot. nan who having carefully written down
the namt OF the criminals. hanged himself as
enc might suppose in testimony OF having told
the truth. All the men denounced by Desire
Leg ami WI re able to prove their innocence,
and after a ew months confinement they were
released. The police had to take the field once
more. bat the, could find no trace OF the cpI
I1it or eUlprits. At last came the crime near
NOgeIt (which IA also close to Paris and the
battue which end nj IN the capture of PORTER
Since hin arrest PORTER has confessed to the
following crimes: "Soyember, ISIS, two old
wCmen struck down and killed with a Ratchet
near VI ndome. January 5, fsT4-an cid woman
named Lsbua murdered with the Blow OF
stake. January 10, an old woman killed with
an iron bar At Chi bonnIerer>s. Then the two
children before mentioned assaSslnated a+ Ter
ire with hatcHet, Al these crimes, wish the
exception OF the last, were committed at night
fail, and at considerable distance from where
the prisoner resides, and he saws that III he Sad
kept to his system Of killing old people In me
evening instead of numbering children IN broaf
Daylight, he would lSt be in his present deplors-
BILE situation.
The confessions Of 9oIrier are dramatic in the
extreme. At Chsrbennieres he says that he
went into wine shop and asked Mime. Beard
for drink; he offered q piece of 20 francs in
payment, and as the old woman was getting the
change he struck her heavy blow over the
head. At this moment he heard the Bazoche
mail cart coming along, so he fastened the door
and hid himself in the stable. The driver, wish
ing TO take glass, called to the subergiste
couple of times, and then got down and tried
for some time, but in vain, to get into the house.
When the mail cart had driven away, Poirier
returned, finished his victim, who had only
been stunned, and made his escape, after having
robbed the TIL. With regard TO the sssassina-
tions committed in November, 1873, Poirier saws
that be went to the house OF the old women and
knocked, but they refused to open the door. He
then began to try and break into the cottage,
demanding money. The old women became so
terrified that they at last opened the door and
gave him 620f. Unfortunately, when he was
going away one Of them followed him and SAID
81 know you, Poirier - Upon this Poirier re-
turned, felled Nine. Lecomte, and then, after a
desperate struggle under the table, succeeded
In numbering Nine. Riollet. The opinion OF
the police is that Poirier is also guilty of the
Limours murders, but this he denies as vet; he
also declares that he had no accomplices
DARING ESCAPE OF A FEMALE CONVICT
a i O'CLOCK Yesterday morning
Beattie, alias Irish Jennie, a white woman
who was sent to the penitentiary from Norfolk
10 serve out term of seven years for murder
in the second degree, made good her escape.
Owing to the crowded condition OF the build
ings OF the penitentiary proper, the female con-
victs have TO be kept in two frame houses out
side the prison walls. These houses were not
constructed for the purposes to which they are
now applied, and their windows are barred
the "indow.frames. An ordinary close
renee, sixteen or seventeen feet high.
surrounds the houses, ana gives what
little security there is to this department
Jennie came to the Institution in $50, having
deliberately killed woman in Norfolk by
shooting her with pistol. On account of her
quarrelsome temper she was confined in a cell
TO herself, and, as it now turns out, occupied
her spare moments in making a suit Of male
attire ont of her bed blankets. This che put on
IN place OF her striped garments, and with an
old hinge easily priced one of the
wooden bars from her window, which
was on the second floor. Then tying a
let herself out and lowered herself into the ward
The guard on duty at that hour was ont of
sight OF her movements, and she went to a cor
nrT OF the fence, where she was Sheltered from
observation when he made his rounds and with
uowel made an excavation under the fence
large enough TO admit her body. Through this
hole she cTawled from the yard directly into
Belyid.re street. gentleman who lives in
that immediate neighbOrhO0d is confident he
heard the sound of carriage wheels on that
etreet about the time the escape was made. II
is conjeetured, therefore, that Jennie had some
gallant knight awaiting her arrival outside and
that he had carriage or some other vehicle
ready TO transport her TO a place of safety. She
IL quite good looking, is now about 22 years OF
age, and had served out four years of her term
OF sentence when she 20 unceremoniously and
nngasciously took leave of Superintendent
Strother and bis assistants Richmond Va
Dispatch, July 17h.
She was subsequently rearrested.
SAD YACHTING ACCOUNTABILITY. William G..
Barnes, pastor OF the Fort Greene Presbyterian
church, Brooklyn, in company with his wife
ana William Refill, the organist OF the church,
went out for yachting excursion "Wednesday
I'M; Ihey cEuised about the bay nearly all the morn
where they cast anchor, preparatory to spend
Ing the remainder OF the aftern BON in fishing
Hearing sudden splash and cry, the attention
| or the party was directed toward the place
where young Riell had been stationed, but he
was not 10 be seen. Looking into the water,
10 the surface and struggling hard to get to the
boat. bis efforts were vain, however as he
could not swim, and he sank for the second
time before the party on board the yacht
| seemed to comprehend that he was drowning
Then MIR. Barnes and the man In charge of the
boat made efforts to save him, but in conse-
| quence OF the strong current setting seward,
could not reach him before he disappeared for
the third and last time. His body was not seen
again. The deceased was 81 years OF age. He
| is spoken OF as an industrious and promlsi ng
young MANY L. Times, I7th.
| A DANGEROUS PRRsENT.-very few people,
probably, are aware that osmium is the m ost
| powerful poison ever known. AT recent
| meeting of the Paris scientific academy, Nj, H.
| Salnte Clare Deville, member of this earned
| assembly, offered to his colleagues, in a per-
| fectly tight vial, eight kilogrammes-about 10
| pounds-of osmium. The illustrious chemist
accompanied his present, with short explana
| ton. Osmium, he said, is the most poisonous of
All poisons. Twenty pounds OF It would be
| suffcIent to poison the entire population of the
| world. One thoussndth part OF grain or osmic
| acid, set free In a volume Of air OF a hundred
| cubic yards, would possess such deadly infiu-
| ence that all the persons respiriDg this air could
| be NEARLY killed. Osmic acid is so much the
more dangerous that no counter poison lie
known against il.