The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-07-12
Tho Last French sensation.


Not long 90 some workmen. digoin Q
gravel beside the Seine. at Chatou. near
Paris, noticed a strange object drifting
along the sandy bottom Of the river.
Tney lshed II out with considerable diff
fculty, for the current runs strong there.
and the odd looking thing once or twice
had nearly rolled of in deep water
When brought To land it proved very
extraordinary and dreadful trourniHe in
deed, for II Was the corpse of a Young
man doubled over and trussed round
with some thirty feet of lead-piping: his
lips bad been pinned together by a wo-
mans blacK-headed shawl pin, aud a
dinner napkin was drawn over his face
and knotted behind the neck. The
clothes of the victim had all been strip
ped away, and the mark picked out from
the napkin. In Paris, however. the 20
llece always command two great means
of discovery o the morgue, and the
other the right o. in~terrog4tiDg suspec
ted people. A young chemist named
Aubert had disappeared May 18th. and
next day hls sister, recognized his re-
mains on the mOrgue was able To tell
them that VI Aubert had formed an iii
cit intimacy with one Madame Foneyron.
wife OF a retired chemist, to whom he
had been formerly apprenticed. The
Chief OF Police, NJ. Mace, repaired to the
abode of this persoa, and before many
minutes had elapsed the surprised and
~attrighted woman denounced her husband
and his brother.
These two were promptly arrested, and
strictly l~nterrogeted they denied their
guilt. When, however, they were taker
TO Chatou, and led through the village.
people there recognized them as having
visited a cottage near the bridge, and
upon the police going thither, an old
woman, the landlady, avowed that tn
two men will u woman had been install
ed with her for ii week. Madame Ecney-
ron, urged by eulor or despair, now
completed her confession with the fol
lowing statement
The murdered man had been her lover.
and her husband had become aware Of
her intidelity. The connection was then
interrupted, but determined upon exact
ing vengeance. her husband had threat
eneu to kill her unless she would place
her paramount In his power. His threats
drove her to consent to lay a trap for the
gallant. The cottage at Chatou was
taken, the husband secured the help of
his brother. and the wife lured her lover
TO hIs doom.
Confronted by such revelations, the
husband of Madame Feneyron has since
abandoned his denitis, and made full
coufe.si,u, describing the crime with de-
tails which leave VI. lola aud all other
Inventors OF melodlanatic horror hope
le>sly behind. His story is that NJ. Au
bert had been his favsureG apprentice,
by HIM to his own loss; but that, having
discovered that the young man had Sc
duced his wife, he determined Ito avenge
his honour" For this purpose the cot
tage at Chatou was hired as before-men-
toned, and the two men remained there
while the woman went to Paris . alluI
her betrayed paramount. She brought him
to the St. Lazare station, and SO to the
riverside suburb, keeping up all along
a caressing and devoted manner. The
apartment for the murder had been speci
ally chosen, because it had the floor
borders and skirting painted red, whice
would conceal the blood
The awful confession continues. thus:
"My wife entered with her arms round
his neck. As he was suffering from the
heat she took him int the bedroom and
mixed for him a glass of sugar and wa
ter. He was in an adjoining room, and
through a glass door | saw her kissing
ALBERT. After he had drank the eau
suc1ee my wife went out, and took the
light with her. | flushed at him and hit
him on the head with the hammer AS hard
as | could. He fell, and a terrible sIrug
ole ensued between us. But he grew
weak from loss of blood, and with asword-
stick | struck him repeatedly in the brest.
| then called for a light. My wife come
in with a lamp, which she put down on
the table, and afterwards ran away. |
then said to Nj. ALBERT. DO you know
mel brought you up; for your sake |
lost my fortune; and you seduced my
wife and went about Boosting of it, |
then again began to strike him with the
hammer and sword stick, and soon he
ceased 20 move. My wife and mother
then Joined ms. They assisted me in ia
king his clothes off, and to gag him, and
we bound his arms around HIM with the
piece of lead piping. We then reflected
that if the latter entered his mouth. the
body, beng distendcd, might float so
we took a pin from my wife dress fas-
tened his lips together, and tied a nap
kin fast over his head.
We then burnt the clothes, and, nav
ing placed the body on the wheel-barrow,
we went out by the side door to the
bridge of Chstou. On the way the body
fell of the barrow, and we had some diff
fculty in placing it. We then went to
the bridge, and threw the body over be
tween the second and third arches.