The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1884-02-19
THE STORY OE a CRIME.

ne Wcll-knOWn opera ol II lJia-
valO y is basel on tragical events which
occurred in France nearly one hundred
and seventy years aro The facts are
thus condensed from the court records
by Paris paper:
At the beginning of the last century
there was seen in the town Of Lille Il very
quiet house. 1t was 4 large building, but
it contained only small family "a hus-
band and wife and one servant. The mar
ried couple were advanced in years, lived
| quietly on their income, saw very few
visitors, and admitted none to the house,
except the people who furnished them
| with provisions, or otherwise admins
| tered to their wants. One night this
| couple, man and wife, were both robbed
| and murdered in their bed.
The servant girl had heard nothing of
| all this, and knew not what was going on.
| The night was hot, the air dense and OPP
| 'pre-eively sutry, 80 much so that she had
taken refuge in her room, and. for the
sake OF coolncss, divcstcd herself of her
| garments before a large mirror. While
| there, catching sight of herself, she sud
denly cried:
How hateful one looks when undress-
ed.'
Having said this. she retired and slept
till morning, and rose rs usual without
suspccting what hal happened.
She prepared breakfast rs usual for her
master and mistress, but :hcv did not
como down. She was amazed and waited
for some time.
They did not appear.
Tired of waiting. she sought their
room. \ terrible sight met her eyes
Blood was smcarcd everywhere, and on
the bed lay the poor old couple, cruelty,
horribly, vilclv butchrre'l l-mangcl only
as a beast or hcnd could find it in his
heart to mutilatc victims after numbering
them.
The girl raised an alarm, and the mul
titulc came rushing in.
OF cour>" Justice came rushing after in
the shape Of tn" police with judicial in
vcS,igation. The criminal was sought for
and, as none other could be found, suS
picion fell on the unfortunate servant;
In those davs they had horrible way
of trying t" get the truth. They called
it questioning. The questions were put
with racks and thumb>crcw>.
The I.illois Sprvan;-niaiI was inta-
mousIy tortured, even 10 extreme agony
Yet, notwithstanding her weakness and
her sex, She endured the internal torture
without conicSsing.
This was most remarkable. as she was
entirely innocent and was in consequence
kept much longer under the torment to
make her confess. As thcrc were no
proofs "f her having don" anything. they
finally let her 90 rs soon a She was
healed. Unfortunately tn" torture made
her wrctchcl cripple. She couil only
hobblc along, and hcr arms were, terribly
withcrcl
And being no longer able to sew or
work, she dragged her helpless form
through the streets nf Lille for sixteen
years. This is historically truc--nay.
more than historical, for history often
lies, while these accounts are drawn from
dry and accurate records of a court The
worst part of her Suil;ring~ was that many
people believed her guilty and summed
her accordingly.
1t appears from the record that during
these long wears. while she went about
with her withcred arms and bent back,
her whole frame suffering from the tor
ture, begging a sou to buy her bread, that
she was always resigned, mild and cxcmp-
larry in her conduct.
One day, after sixteen years of misery,
she stopped at the door Of a baker. She
held out through her RAGS her naked and
mutilatcd arm toward the baker, who
stood at his doorsll AS she did so, he
exclaimed, in a mocking tone, while OBJ
serving her garments:
"Wcll, Marie Annie, how hateful one
looks when un1rcsscd-ha. ha ~
Now, it is remarkable that in all the
sixteen years which had passed, Marie
Annie had not forgotten those words
which she had spoken when alone on the
night Of the murder. 1t flashed upon her
mind that the real murderer might have
heard them, and that he stood before her
In brief, the journcyman baker, when ar
rested, confessed the truth He had reg
ularly supplied the couple, and knew the
ways of the house. He was hidden there
on the night of the murder, and heard the
girl when she made the remark on naked
ness And as the criminal is often, bv
the will of Providence, his own accuser,
80 this man, following one Of those cccen-
trio and dangerous impulses, which man
often experiences, to say the most danger
Ous things, had uttered to the girl the
words of that fatal night He was con
victcd of the crime for which Marie Annie
had been tortured and suffered a living
death