Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-07-25
A FRENCH HORROR

fNh1a HsVNNe'"N '~''--
England and this country. Here a
prisoner, however strong may be the
proofs of his guilt, comes before the
bar with a presumption of innocence
in his favor. He cannot be made to
testify sgainst himself The :. cepse. s.I SC.
s~S<-s&1cSseSzRsallsal7fa. y
goes unpunished for lack OF testimony.
But in France, when prisoner is sent
on by lower court for final trial be-
fore the law, he comes with n presump-
ton of guilt. He is placed upon the
witness-.tand to prove bis iEDtes0eo II
he can; and his examination is in the
nature of torture-ordeal, of which in
fact it is survival. Every art that
subtlety can suggest is used to induce
the criminal to confess insidious ques.
tions, cruel suggestions, and fierce bul.
lying and brow-bcating, are all resort
ed to. 1t seems to those accustomed
to our criminal procedure, that this is
stern and harsh method of getting
at the truth in cases OF alleged crime
but it may be justly said that the ma.
chinery is good. Crime rarely escapes
detection; innocence is rarely con-
founded with guilt. The inquisitorial
method has at least the merit of get
ting at the bottom facts. The French
papers are now full Of the details OF
the trial of Maria Boyer and her lover,
Vitalis, for the murder OF Madame
Boyer. Maria Boyer is brought be-
fore the Court of Assizcs of the De.
partment OF the Mouths-ofthe- Rhone.
She is eighteen years old, small, well
rounded and rosy: Vitalis is yellow,
dry and angular She has been edu.
Gated at the Ursuline convent at Mar.
seilles, and had at one time an idea Of
becoming a nun. For three days the
inquisition seeks to draw forth tho de.
tails of the crime, and nothing can es-
cape its keen scrutiny. The dialogue
between the young girl and her judges
is of narrowing interest. Her an.
swers lay bare the most horrible crime
of recent times. Vitalis, a man of in.
tense avarice and sclfshncss, made
professions of love to the widow Boyer
and succeeded in establishing such re-
lations with her that he was able even
to rob her with impunity. The daugh,
ter was aware of his guilty love, and
yet not only engaged herself to marry
him, but followed the bad example ol
the mother. This caused an intense
jealousy between the two women, and
filled the house with suspicious, terrort
and distrusts. They were afraid o.
poison, and prepared each her own
food. At last the daughter and lover
agreed to put the widow out of the
way. At concerted signal the daugh
ter closed the doors, and the lover
stabbed the unhappy woman in the
throat. The daughter assisted, The
victim struggled desperately with her
assassins. The daughter said on ex.
animation, "Le gueuse ne roulah pas
mourirw (Sensdtion dhoneur.) At last
the poor woman is quiet in death
They carry her into the cellar. Vitalis
tries to bury her there, but the ground
is too hard. Then he cuts up the body
and packs it away IN parcels for con.
cealment. The daughter washes away
the stains Of blood. Then they pass
the night without any disquiet. The
fragments OF the body are discovered
and, as we have seen, tho whole hor
ror laid bare. For two days this
young and pretty girl of eighteen bore
without flinching the terrible ordeal
of the inquisition. She never lost hcr
calm selfpossession. vitalis was SC
weak that he had to be held up by
two officers; he presented an abjeci
appearance and wept frequently. II
is already evident how this horror
must end Baltimore Gazette