St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-06
A LIFE OF CRIME.
The Mystery Of Esperance Soquet, Who
Disappeared From Preble, Wis.
A RECORD OF FOUR MURDERS
A Rich Wisconsin Farmer Who Kills
His Wives and the Husbands
of Other Wives.

The disappearance of Esperance So
quet one year ago from her home in
the town of Preble has never been ex-
planned, although the authorities and
half the citizens of the neighbOrhOod
have made every effort possible to dis
cover the secret of her absence, says
special to the Chicago Herald.
About thirty years ago there settled
few miles from this city, in what is
known as the Bay Settlement, young
Belgian named Jean Paul Soquet.
Lands were cheap, and the
stranger purchased and pre-empt-
ed one of the finest farms
i'll Brown county, which in long
years of frugality and industry was
transformed into as valuable an estate
as was to be found Oh the East shore.
Soquets young wife shared in the la
DorS OF the field, besides performing the
duties of the household. She was APP
parently not we'll loved by her husband,
and they quarreled. One morning,
after an unusually stormy scene,
Mrs. Soquet was found dead, lying
on the floor. Although her head
was battered and bruised and her
race disfigured by long. jagged
wound, the statement of Soquet that she
bad fallen down the stairs. was readily
accepted and she was buried without
the formality of an inquest. A few
years later SOquet married again, TAX
ing for his second wife woman living
III the neighborhOod, who brought as a
dover many acres of valuable lands
80 far as can be learned the
life OF the SOquetS was peaceful
and pleasant for several years,
the fist jar occurring shortly after he
arrival in the Bay settlement of August
Malnsart and his young and handsome
wife, ESperance. At first Jean Soquet
was only all occasional caller at the
home of the MainsartS; then his visits
were made daily, and at last his atten-
nelghbOr became so marked as TO arouse
the ire OF Mrs. SOquet. A stormy
scene followed, and for a time the
visits of the husband to the Mainsart
house ceased. Then Mainsart died
suddenly, and short time later Mrs.
SOquet was taken violently i'll, living
but few hours after the attack. A
month later Mrs. Mainsart and SOquet
were married. The two deaths, followed
so closely by the wedding, was consid-
cred so suspicious that Mrs. Suquet No.
5 was arrested, charged with the muir
der OF her husband, Mainsart, but Oh
trial was acquitted.
THREE TIMES DURING HER MARRIED
LIFE
ESperance SOquet commenced suit for
divorce, the proceedings being twice
discontinued. The third complaint was
filed in the fall of 1886. About the same
time the woman informed the authori-
ties of certain facts that led to the ar
rest of SOquet on the charge of hav-
ing murdered his second wife.
thirteen years previous. The third
wife was expected to become qualified
to testify for the state after the divorce
was granted. One afternoon Mrs. So
quet left the court room after the day of
trial of the divorce case had been set,
and from that day to this has never
been seen by anyone who knows her.
When the day of hearing the cause of
SOquet VS.. Soquet came and the plain
tiff did not appear, continuance was
taken, and the woman'S attorney went
to her house to ascertain the cause of
her absence. The doors of the dwell
ing were locked and the windows nailed
up. After an examination of the prem
lSeS the attorney returned to the city
and reported the circumstances. A
party was at once organized to investi-
gate the case, and, headed by the sher-
itf, proceeded to the house and forced
an entrance. The interior of the dwell
ing presented scene of great disorder.
The furniture was overturned
and broken, the floors despatched
with blood, and in ore corner of the
kitchen was found lock Of hair from
Woman'S head, clothed with blood. No
trace could be found of the missing
woman, although during the inquiry
farmer was met who declared that on
the night Mrs. Soquet returned from the
city he heard cries of murder in the di-
reetion eff her home, followed by pis-
tol shot. He said that fights between
SOquet and his wife were of such
common occurrence that he thought
nothing of the matter. While in the
Bay settlement search was made for the
place of burial of the second wife, with
whose murder Soquet was charged, and
it was discovered that the grave had
been opened and the remains removed,
and, although every foot of ground in
the neighborhoOd was dug over by the
searching party, no trace of the re-
mains of either woman was found. 1t
was accidentally learned, however,
that Soquet had been the faith
er of two children, one of
which had been beaten to death
and the other made cripple for life by
ill-treatment. SOquet's trial for the
murder of his second wife thirteen
years ago resulted in his conyiction,and
he was sentenced to life imprisonment
few months ago. He refuses to make
a statement regarding the crimes
charged to him.