The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-03-25
MURDER Trials.


The murder of Madame PAW in
France, about ten years ago, shows how
conspicuous and powerful motive, in
the absence of other conclusive evidence,
sometimes puts justice successfully upon
the track of the criminal. Madame
Pauw was a widow with three children,
who had an intimate friend in the Count
de La Pommerais. This titled parsonage
was in need of money, and he had head
for scheming. He planned fraud upon
eight insurance companies, and persuaded
the poor widow to become his instru-
ment in it, Her life was to be insured;
she was then to feign dangerous illness;
and, while lying apparently in serious
strait, the insurance companies were to
be persuaded to change the life-policies
into annuities. The count advanced the
premiums; the policies were made out,
transferable by Endorsement. Madame
Pauw was then induced to indorse them
to him, and also to make a will out in
his favor. The next thing was for the
widow to pretend to fall ill, which she
did but, instead of the policies being
transformed into annuities, the poor lady
died 1t was a grave blunder of the
count to tell the doctor, when he came
in, that Madame PAW had fallen down
stairs; for not only was this denied by
abundant testimony, but the post-mor-
tenn examination betrayed the presence
of poison as the cause of her death. At
once thereafter the Count de la Pomme-
rails came into possession of the half mil
lion francs which accrued under the poll
cies and the will. Here occurred sin
gular incident in the trial. 1t is clear
that, if the count had intended the fraud
in earnest when he proposed it to Mad
anne PAW, and really designed to obtain
for her an annuity by it's means, thus
securing to himself life income, he
could have had no serious motive for
killing her. And this was actually his
defense against the charge of murder.
He declared, and tr;-d- to prove, that he
really meant to carry out the fraud. sar'I
that MADAM Pauw's death was aatas-
tronbe I'd an accident. Thus in,rying
tn Ear himself of the grave CINE, he
Jolly confessed the lesser. But the
proof contradictory of his cae was too
clear he was convicted an. duly exc
cuted
1t has been said that very important
link in the chain of circ,mstantial evil
dence is that of opportunity. To show
want of opportunity, nat is, an alibi, is
an absolute answer to The strongest in
dictments, and produces fatal flaw in
the chain. Opportunity to commit the
crime must be either proved outright or
inferred by tire most conclusive presump-
ton. There never was a more striking
case illustrative of this than that of the
young Scottish girl Madeleine Smith,
whose trial at Glasgow may easily be re-
membered by many readers. 1t may be
said that the trial was one of the most
interesting in British judicial annals.
Madeleine Smith had engaged herself to
young Frenchman named L'Angelier.
1t was clearly proved that she had tired
OF him, and was anxious to disentangle
herself from the connection. But
LAngelier chung to her, and refused to
be rebufied. There is no doubt that on
several occasions, just previous to his
visits, she had purchased poison or that,
always after these visits, he was seized
with severe illness. On the seventeenth
of March Madeleine returned to her
house in Glasgow, after a brief visit to
some friends. The next day she pur-
chased some arsenic, to kill rats with"
as she said. The arsenic bought, the next
thing she did was to write to L'Angelier,
inviting him to tea on the evening of the
nineteenth. He happened to be out of
town, and did not, therefore, get the note
until it was too late to accept the invita-
ton. She wrote again ON the twenty
first, urging him to come the next even
ing, and saying: al waited and waited
for you, but you came not / shall wait
again Tomorrow night, same time and
arrangement" This note L'Angelier re-
ceived- So far the proof was clear. It
was also in evidence that he started from
his lodgings in excellent health on the
Sunday evening and that he sauntered
in the direction of Madeleine's house;
this was at nine o'clock. Twenty min
utes later, he called on friend who lived
but short distance from her residence.
Here the evidence utterly failed, and left
blank for four hours and half
At two in the morning, L'Angelier
was found at his own door writhing and
speeches; and in a few hours he was
dead. The autopsy betrayed n large
quantity of arsenic in his body. But
between twenty minutes past nine and
two, no human being could depose to
having laid eyes on him. Madeleine
herself denied that she saw him at all
that night; nor was the slightest proof
Forthcoming that she did. She was put
on the trial for the murder of L'Angelier;
land, although her desire to get rid of
hIm-that is, a motive; her purchase of
nrsenic-that is, possession of an instru-
ment similar TO that which was found
10 have been fatal and her notes of /.
nvitation-that is, fact from which
strong probability of meeting between .
hem that night was established-were
uiiy proved, the absence Of all proof of
ctual opportunity TO commit the deed
walled to save the prisoners life. She /
'aid, In effect: 81 was at my house, and
an prove it; he was not there, for /
perry you to prove it; therefore / have
70 alibi." The Scottish verdict of mot
proven" set her free, but did not clear
per OF the stain of deep suspicion. T
Inc story of the Danish pastor, Soren
tuiss, Is one of the most touchingly
ragic IN judicial records; and once more
xemplifies Paul Fevals complaint that