The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-12-22
\ CAREER OF CRIME.

PROVOST. The POLICEMAN, CONDEMNED TO THE
GUILLoIINE-How HE CUT UP THE BODIES
OF HIS VICTIMS AND HID THEM IN THE
SEWERS.
The trial Of the policeman. Provost. who muir
dered and mutilated jeweller named Lenoble. TOOK
place at Paris on the sth inst. AS it is some time
since the crime was committed it may be OF interest
to give summary of its horrible details. In the
evening OF September 10. between eight and nine
o'clock. two women named Thirty and Calmel were
struck by the strange appearance OF an individual
who was passing along the Rue La chapone.
Clad in. long blue blouse. with .
silk cap on his head. this man. of
singularly tall stature. carried black
basket on his arm. and he came up to the open
ngs OF the sewer he took parcel out OF his basket
aud throw it down the sewer. giving 1t push with
his foot. The two women followed up the man
until he disappeared in side street. They picked
up bone to which some fesh still adhered and took
it into chemists shop. where they told it was
the bone OF o human arm. The Commissaire of Po-
lice being informed of the fact caused searches to be
made that very night in the sewers Of the quarter,
and eighty fragments were found, which when put
together formed the body of man. The head
alone was missing. The woman thought that
the man IN blouse resembled Prevost the police
changed duty with another the pretext that he
was helping friend to move. Provost was sent for
time; his answers were confused. The Commissaire
OF Police then brusquely confronted him with the
vost lost countenance. aud confessed that the
head WAS in his rooms. The police made
sSs Of Ss,a the ., s1a
y quantity Of jewelry aud tho instruments
that had been used for cutting up the BODY. Light
victim WINS commission agent in jewelry. He had
had relations with Provost who wanted to buy
gold chain. payable in monthly bills of 25f. The
Pr6VOSt'6
TENDER TO- While Lenoble vas showing his wares
Provost struck him on the head with . heavy iron
ball that Is used for screwing up the connecting
q policeman Provost haa been . butcher.
knife and : chopper and cut up the body Of
his victim. This operation took him nearly all day.
At
slept AZ his lodging and returned to his duty the
next day as Il nothing had happened. It was soon
discovered that Provost was not novice in the art
of spirting away cumbersome corpses. In 1876
Adele Blondin. woman Of Belgian origin, had mys-
in service fifteen years. had had little income Of
/ ESQ year left her by her former master. She be-
came the mistress OF Prsvost. but did not live
never returned. and has never been seen
since Int p .ts ~. was mot suspected a. the Inc
quiry was opened; traces Of blood were discovered
the door OF the lodging that he had occupied in
that he had strabged Adele Blondn in order to get
possession of her money and that he had up her
the head outside the fortincations the court was
crowded In spite Of tile weather. The cold brutality
Of the crime caused intense interest to be taken
in the author of It, Besides. . sensational
criminal trial is ono Of the things which.
like first reprssen tation at the theatre. has
the privilege Of exciting the attention Of all
Paris. The proceedings began with the reading
Of the acte daccasation. The examination Of the
accused tended to show the generalization Of the
crime; he admitted all the facts regards the
der Of Lenoble. - above related The first witness
called the Commissaire OF Police. who gave
Provost good character and said that he liked
by his comrades. Other witnesses gave testimony
to show that Provost had had in his possession the
property OF Adele Blondin. The examination Of the
witness having been concluded the Public Prose-
cutor demanded pitiless sentence. The counsel
for the accused made warm appeal to the mercy Of
the jury, who. after deliberation OF twenty min
utes, brought in affirmative verdict all the
points, without extenuating circums ances. Provost
was. conseQ uently, condemned to death.