The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1878-08-10
THE ARRIEUX MURDER.
Detection, Trial and Conviction Of the
hurderers---Fheir Impending Doom
Wednesday Merit the Fatal Day. @a--

mufuereFS---1 HFaf Impending UOOW---
Wednesday Merit the Fatal Day. -
Governor Nichols on Saturday issued the
death warrant in the Arrieux murder case,
authorizing and directing Peter A. Jones,
Sheriff of the parish of Ascension, to carry
into execution the sentence of death passed
upon Wilson Childress, Fountain Banks,
Octave Lauye and Aaron Carter, convicted
murderers of .Narcisse ArrieuxsasW ednes-
day, August Ia, 1873, between the hours Of
10 o'clock A. NJ. and 2 p. NJ, are designated
by the Governor. jas the date and time for
the execution. -
THE MURDER. ~
A history of the awful crime which has
brought four men to the foot of the gallows
under the fiat of thellaw of Louisiana, will
prove of general and peculiar interest at this
time, and as we have enjoyed unusual facili-
ties for becoming familiar with all the de-
tails thereof, we have concluded to lay them
before our readers as fully and supcinctly as
the limited space afforded By OLE columns
| will allow, fsa Ess1..lzssI Es sa.e-l.aH
The sCene of the Arrisux murder was q
small store, belonging to Mr.. L. A. Colomb,
situated on the right bank of the river, in
this parish, about a mile and half below
the town of Donaldsonville. Mr.. Narcisse
Arrieux. father-in-law of the proprietor, was
in charge of the store and slept in the build
ing at night. He was an old man of sixty
five years, feeble from age and malarial
fever, and hard indeed must have been the
hearts Of the robust Villains who could beat
out the waning spark of bis existence, for
the paltry consideration of the money which
they knew to be in the store as the proceeds
of two or three days sales.
Early on the morning Of the 28th of De,
pembeE, 1876, Mr.. j. A. Landry who lives in
| the inlmediate neighb0rllOod, visited the
store to procure some article required in the
preparation of breakfast, and entering by
the rear door, which was open, he passed
through the little office to the main room
and was astOpished ta find the lamps burn
ing brightly and Mr.. AFFieAx nowhere to be
seen. Calling several tunes and receiving
no answer, Mr.. Landry stepped to the door
connecting the office with the adjoining bed.
room, and a glance suficed tQ show him the
bed lHld been unoeG4pied theprevip4s night.
| Filled with the sudden sense of some awful
| his eyes rested upon q dark object lying
| prone upon the floor beside the stpye, A
closer inspection peveSled the form of old
man Arrieux, weltering in the blood which
| flowed from a number of CHASTITY wounds in
his head. A more horrible sight it would be
difficult to imagine, and it is nQ wonder that
MIR. Landry and the other peighbors sum
moned BY his autcries, felt their hearts al
most cease to beat as they gazed upon the
piteous spectacle. A subsequent examina.
ton of the store led to discoveries indica.
ting the means used by the niurderers to ac-
complish their crime, and the conduct of Mr.
Arrieux after being assaulted. A number
of scale-weights were scattered about the
floor; behind the counter skirting the rea r
end of the room, surrounded by bits of bro
ken glass, lay fonr-pound weight covered
with blood stains, to which several of the
murdered mans gray hairs adhered marks
Of hlpad were visible an every hand-on the
floor, the eduntera, the money drawers. the
bar securing the front door, fhe jams of the
doors leading to the Office and the sleeping
apartment, the walls of the bedroom and
upon the bed ITSELF. The fear-pound weight
WAS applied to the largest wound gpoa the
Victims Aeal-whieh had produced a gaping
fracture Of Fhe skull-and was found to TT
heereyiee exactly, thus streAgt behing the
already positive conclusion that this weight
was The principal instrument eMnIeFed by
the assassins in the commission of their dey- |
ilish deed and tile blood stains about the
premises showed as plainly as words can de-
scribe, that the old man was beaten down |
and left for dead that he recovered con-
seriousness after the departure of the mnr, |
derers, found strength to close and bar the |
front door, then staggered airnlessly about |
through the rooms, catching at counters,
walls and doors, leaving the marks OF his |
bloody hands upon, the ceverlet of his bed, |
finally settling down upon a chair by the I
stove, from whence he fell forward to the |
floor and died miscrably and alone, within a |
arless to summon to his aid. The chair from |
Which he fell was found lying in an Inverted |
position beaida the body, "a .'.' So
e'ssi ARREST OF THE pRIaI4ALs; 5" ~
'Whilo the Coroner's inquest was in pro.
gress at the scene of the murder, and only q
few hours after the discovery of tire h0sly, |
Deputy Sheriff David Israel entered, Nj. Ii.
Brands store, half II mile below town, when
he was asked by Aaron Carter, with whom
he was we'll acquainted, to treat MrIsrael
consented, and told Aaron to invite the
friend i'll his cOmpany-whO proved to be
Wilson Childress-to join him at the bar.
While the yonIg colored men were drink
ing, Mr.. Israel noticed a red stain upon
Wilson's shirt, and took him in charge on
suspicion, telling him he was wanted as
Witness at the inquest. Shortly after arriy-
Jug FEfHFe, WILSON, catged Mf. j. u. CIavefle
hslAa aid, receiving assurance that the law
and its atfffieers would protect him from vio-
lcAfe, confessed that himself, Carter, Eoun-
tain Kinks aid Octave LauYe had entered
into q aohsbfaraey to kill Mr. Arrieux and
rob the store.;i that Banks and Carter at
tucked I1 MrsA5ElsAE Wit sH TIE weight and
away in fright. The CoffoRSesr was called BY
Mr.. Claverie, and Wilson Fepeated lis con
fession in presence OF that official, atldingl
that if Mr.. Clayerie would como the jail the
following day, he should leaF D fallef state
meHt of the affair. - = 49,. "'''
On the strength of Wilson's confession
and cOrroborating oircuipstaices, tie faiiiiiqF
men named were at once taken to Jail, giiensh 4
they have been ever since, and whence they
will march to the scaffold next Wednesday.
Mr.. Claverie visited the Jail on December
g, heard Wilson's story of the murder re-
terated, reduced it to writing, read It oyer
10 the prisoner in presence of Tailor Lefort
md Constable McCray, WHO attested VIII !
sons mark affixed to the document. A third | {
confession was made by Childfess, unsolici-
'ed, to Parish Judge Maher;i bat 10, and be-
iold, at the preliminary examination, held