The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-01-21

A]sAoO A1uAu0y AOAAlA$s1 SAOAuy dAVOA u0S
break, one of the most brutal murders
we have ever been called on to report
was committed in the first ward Of this
parish, near the store kept by Mr.. Emile
Freund, inst above Mr.. Adlard Landry's
plantation. Eve Thompson, a colored
woman about 80 years of age, who lived
in the quarters on Mr.. Landry's planta-
ton and was employed as cook and
house servant at Mr.. Freund's, was
going to her work accompanied by her
little daughter, aged 8 years, when she
was met by Charles Gustave, alias
Charles Paul, a colored man with whom
she had formerly lived, who attacked
her in ferocious manner and stabbed
her to death, inf1icting no less than
eleven wounds on her person, producing
almost instant death. The injuries are
thus described in the process rerbal of the
Coroner's inquest: Eight punctured
wounds on the left side of the chest at
different places, one between the seventh
and eighth ribs, penetrating into the
cavity of the chest through the lung,
wounding blood vessels therein and
causing internal hemorrhage; one wound
over the pit of the stomach, penetrating
the stomach one wound in the left lilac
region, penetrating into the abdomen
and causing the intestines to protrude
through the opening, and one wound on
the left arm about two inches long,
The little girl thus describes the kill
ing: GAS my mother aud myself were
going to Mr.. Emile Freund's to work,
Charlie Gustave attacked my mother at
the store gate, knocked her down with
bis fist then dragged her in the middle
of the road; lie then drew black
handled knife and stabbed her four or
five times, after which he ran toward
down the river. / then went for my
uncle and aunt; on returning found that
some person had taken my mother into
Mr.. Emile's yard" The Coroner held
an inquest the day Of the killing and
elected the facts and statement above
set forth. ...-..
After committing the terrible murder,
Gustave fed from the scene, going to the
riverside, where he removed his shoes
and probably threw his knife and one of
the shoes into the water. The other
shoe was found in the mud at the waters
edge, and has been deposited in the Office
Of tho Clerk Of Court to be produced in
evidence at the trial of the murderer.
Two colored women met Gnstave in
the road short distance below the
spot where the killing took place, and
saw him 60 into u shed on the Landry
plantation. When Mr.. Adlard Landry
learned of the crime and of the supposed
whereabouts of the perpetrator, he and
his son armed themselves and led few
of the bolder spirits i'll the assembled
crowd to the shed, which they surroun-
ded. It was soon discovered, however,
that Gustave had not remained in the
building, but had presumably gone back
across the plantation and into the
woods. Whatever may have been, his
route, it is known that he made his way
down the river and, passing through
Port Barrow, was proceeding down
II r Z tool
Monday morning and lodged in the
parish Jail. He denies all knowledge of
the crime, says he was not in the neigh
borhood when it was committed, and
AYERS that he has not had i knife for six
months. These denials will avail him
little, as there seems to be abundance of
testimony available to disprove them all
and to show beyond doubt that he,
and he alone, perpetrated this cowardly
and atrocious murder. The motive for
the killing is apparent-the woman had
left him some time before and turned
deaf ear to his entreaties to return. He
aroused the neighborhood one night
trying to effect an entrance to her cabin,
threatening to break the door down
with an axe and kill her. With the in
centive to the murder so clear and
strong chain of circumstantial evidence
to corroborate the simple yet convincing
statement of the only eye-witness-th
daughter of the victim-it will be strange
indeed if the prisoner is not convicted
and made to pay the penalty Of his
horrible crime.