The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-07-24
A Young Girl in the Grave and Her Lover
Life Convict.

"A trial which has Just taken place
at St. Etienne, France, has brought to
light details of a dramatic affair In
January last young man threw him
self from window on the second floor
of the Hotel de rEurope at st. Etenne,
He was little hurt by the fall, but
when taken up he was found to have
fired a shot from a revolver in his
mouth and stabbed himself in the
breast with a sword cane. In the
chamber from which he had thrown
himself was found the body of young
girl who had been shot in the head
while asleep, The young man refused
to give his name or that of his com
companion, but said that they were
lovers and had resolved to die togeth
er, drawn to death by a poetic i'm
pulse.
He recovered, and the story of their
lives was revealed by the police inyes-
tigation. The young man, named
Auray, was the son of respectable pa
rents at Beaujon, Rhone He was only
"a years of age, but was already af-
ficted with what has been called la
maladie du steele, heated Imagination
with an inordinate thirst for wealth
aud material pleasures, ending in NOR
bid disgust for life and depression of
spirits from envy and disappointment.
He was medical student, and had
performed his military service in the
hospitals. On recovering his liberty,
in August last, he was absorbed by a
monomaEia for suicide, and as he had
inherited from his father sum of 7000f
or S000f., he resolved to die after hav.
ing been loved by woman. He went
to Lyons in search of his ideal, and
discovered in one evening at the the
atre in a young girl, Marguerite Vag
nair, next to whom he was seated
He followed her when she left with
her friends, and learned that she be
longed to an honest family of the
working class He succeeded in max
ing her acquaintance, and after wards
they eloped together. To dazzle the
young girl, Auray represented himself
as the son of parents immensely rich
ard he commenced by purchasing fol
her elegant dresses, and then sent bacl
her simple clothing to her friends, a,
he would not allow her to possess any
thing that had belonged to her parents
They first came to Paris, leading lif,
of pleasure, and when near the end O
his resources went to Saint Etienn,
and stayed at the Hotel de rEurop,
under the name of NJ and Mad. Merat
There idyl was at an enc, ,and the young
woman then learned the melanchol,
reality of their situation and his reso
luton to commit suicide. He tried t,
persuade her to return to her friends
but she determined to die with him
threatening that if he refused sh,
would throw herself in the Rhone
All she asked was that she should no
suffer in dying Auray, for that rea
son, concealed from her the momen
when he intended to carry out his de
sign, and fired four shots from a re
Yolver through her head while she wa
sleeping. He has survived his own il
juries, but the shot he discharged i
his own mouth carried away his jaw
bone, and he can now only take foo
with an artificial palate.
He was tried for the murder of tn
girl, aud this monomaniac of suicid
will now bear the most terrible {
punishments, for he has been col
demned to drag on his wretched, r.
morsetul existence, the Court haviu
sentenced him to hard labor for life.