The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-12-09
Hanged for Murder.

/ Hanged for Murder.
Execution Of Gnst.ve Paul, the Slayer Of
Trial of the Accused and Infliction of the
Death Penalty.
Gustave Paul, alias Charles Gustaye, a
young colored man, was hanged in the
Jail yard at Donaldsonvi:le yesterday af-
ternoon, pursuant to the sentence of
death passed upon him for having muir
dered Eve Thompson, q colored woman
some six years his senior.
The shocking crime for which Paul
suffered death was committed in this
parish, early in the morning of Sunday,
the 18th of January last, on the public
| road in front of Mr.. Adlard Landry's
plantations, about seven miles above DON
aldsonville. The woman and Paul had
lived together as man and wife, but OIL
two or three occasions had quarroled vio-
lently and separated. Their last disagree
ment was moro than usually serious, and
the woman resisted all Paups attempts
at reconciliation and cntreaties to return
to his house on the Landry place, where
they both lived. Eve was employed as
cook at the residence Of Mr.. E. Freund,
| who keeps store on the property adj
joining Mr.. Landry's upper line, and was
going to her work shortly after day
break the fatal morning, accompanied by
her little daughter Victoria Nelson, aged
8 years, when she was overtaken by Paul.
just as she reached the large gate near
the store, the unfortunate woman was
attacked by the murderer, who knocked
her down, dragged her to the middle of
the road and stabbed her eleven times
with large-bladed pocket knife, killing
her almost instantly. The injuries are
thus described in the process rerbal of the
Coroner's inquest:
Eight punctured wounds on the loft side of
| chest at different places, one between the sew
enth and eighth ribs, penetrating into the cav
ity of the chest through the lung, wonnding
blood vessels therein and causing internal hem
orrhage, 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 lnteBtines to prOtrude through the
opening, and one wound on the left arm about
two inches long.
Dropping the limp body Of his victim
the murderer ran toward the river, where
one Of his shoes was afterwards found in
the mud near the waters edge; skirting
the bank for short distance below, he
recrossed the road to the Landry place,
made lis way through the fields to Port
Barrow, and was proceeding down Bayou
Lafourche when arrested the following
morning. He denied any knowledge of
the crime, but the evidence of his guilt
was overwhelming from the first.
Paul was indicted by the Grand Jury
on the sth of February, and being ar
raigned the same day, pleaded not guilty.
J udge John II. Ilsley was appointed by
the court to defend the prisoner, a duty
he performed most conscien tiously up to
the moment sentence of death was pro-
nounced. The case was fixed for trial,
but was subsequently continued until
the ensuing term of court, in September
By reason of the decision Of tho Supreme
Court in the George Watson case, quash
ing the Indictment because clurk for
the February Grand jury had been APP
pointed, the District Attorney entered a
nolle .pfoseqNi and Paul was newly in
dicted OH the sth Of September. On the
22d Of the same month the trial took
place, the prosecution being conducted
by District Attorney F. 3. Earhart aud
Judge Hiram II. Carver, tho defense by
Judge Ilsley. There was no avenue of
escape from the simple yet thrilling tes-
timony of the only eyewitness of the
mur,lrr--the victims little daughter
corroborated by circulnstantial evidence
strong as proofs of holy writ" and the
jury was not long in finding a verdict of
guilty. A motion for new trial was
made aud overruled, and OIL September
% Judge Cheevers pronounced sentence
of death upon the prisoner. On the 18th
of October the Clerk Of Court forwarded
Il transcript Of the record to Gov. McEn-
cry, who next day issued the deal IL war
rant, designating Friday, December 8, as
the day for carrying tho sentence iuto
execution by the hanging Of the con-
demned criminal
Paul was Catholic in religion and
was visited daily by the good Sisters of
Charity from the St. Vincent Institution,
who showed him every kindness and
led him to sincere repentance by gentle
sympathy and counsel. Father Ceuppens
was also Il constant visitor to the priso-
ner's cell, receiving his confessions and
the sacraments and conso-
lations of tbs Catholic faith. Thursday
Paul made his final confession,
and yesterday morning partoek of the
He talked freely with all
who visited his cell, acknowledged his
crime, declaring his contrition and read
mess to die. He detailed the circumstan-
ces of the murder, ascribing the deed to
love for the woman and q mad impulse
he could not resist said his shoes were
pulled off by the mud at the riverside
and that he threw away his bloody knife
in McCall's field. He also declared that
|he woman had stick in her hand with