The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-08-17
PECULIAR TRAGEDY.
A Story of Murder and Suicide re-
ported from England.


Robert Feron was y native OF Brus-
sells who had migrated to England and
become connected with large manu-
featuring house in Derby as u foreign
correspondent He was young and
good-looking. says the New York. Sun.
Among the acquaintances he made In
the English town was a young woman,
Lille Burford. She was an actress,
and had been staying at the house Of
some relatives near Derby while
awaiting a new engagement on the
| stage. The relations between Mr..
Feron and Miss Burford became inti-
mate, and one Saturday evening not
many days ago he called upon her, and
they went away together GU the Mid
land railway. That was the last seen
of them alive by their friends, for late
that night they we're found with bullets
in their heads. Each was lying on the
floor Of the railway car, with blood In
pools surrounding them, and o silver
plated pistol, six barrels, four undis-
charged, on the seat.
| Neither the man nor the woman
was more than twenty years old.
There was no evidence OF their hav-
ing quarreled, and the railway officers.
the coroner and all others who saw
the bodies were puzzled to know what
might have been the cause OF the
tragedy. BY degrees it was discov-
cred. and when all the circumstances
became known to the students of
crime it was agreed among them that
this double murder must be ranked
among the more notable 0ffcnses Of
this degree which have occurred In
England. 1t was on the part OF each
person a case of deliberate death.
If either one had been insane it was
insanity only upon the single subject
| of death. But there does not appear
any evidence that either the lover or
his mistress had lost reason even TO
| this extent. All their actions up to
the time of their being left alone in
the railroad carriage were rational
and natural.
On the Saturday evening when
Feron called to take the girl away he
came in a cab. She appeared rs II
she had been expecting him, was
dressed in a pretty gown, and was
vivacious. The only curious thing
in her behavior occurred before her
lover arrived. She had been with
some one in the house and casually
remarked:
II must leave you now and go and
put on some clean clothes, for am GO
ing to die before the evening is over"
But Miss Burford said this without
excitement, and the person who heard
it thought it a joke until the next day
when the prophecy was fulfilled. Fer
on brought the girl bunch OF licacs,
and they sat and talked for few min
utes and then left together in cab.
The driver took them to the Central
Station of the Midland railway at Der
by at 6:2O p. m. They appeared on the
platform just as any other ardent pair
OF lovers might have appeared and
had some refreshments in the dining
room. Feron bought two first-class
tickets to Nottingham and return.
When they arrived there they took q
leisurely walk through the town to
the Talbot Hotel, where they dined.
Neither then nor later at the railroad
station was any act observed in their
conduct. They took the 9:20 p. m.
train from Nottingham, and seemed
then in the happiest spirits. Some
time later when near Trent station,
the platform porter on going to collect
their tickets found them dead in their
carriage. They had been alone there.
so there was no witness to what had
happened in the last half hour of their
life.
The inquest showed that the young
people had been planning for their
death for many days. Mrs. Clara Will
liams, at whose house Miss Burford had
stopped, testified that Feron had called
there frequently during the fortnight
preceding. Each seemed devoted to
the other. Miss Burford astonished
Mrs. Williams one day by manifesting
intense interest in sensational novel
which described how lover had pois-
oned his sweetheart by putting some.
thing in her coffee. The girl said:
ut would be nice to die with my
lover. It would be nice to die in each
others arms"
Mrs Williams told her not to think
or talk of such things, but the girl
only laughed. Some time afterward
the young woman remarked:
"How funny it would be if they were
to find US dead in railway carriage;
only we should miss the best OF the
fun. We should like to hear what they
would say when they opened the
door,"
This was so extraordinary state
ment that Mrs. Williams regarded il
only as joke. The girl was in the
the habit of talking fippantry abou
serious things. Some one called atten
ton to her dress open at the bosom
and said: ..How nice it would be fol-
a bullet to go in there" Mrs. Viii
liams could remember only one con
: versation between Feron and Mis-!
Burford in which she heard them speal
as if they were discussing suicide. A
that time the girl was sitting beside
her lover, and he said:
II would die for you Lille. Woult
you die for me?"
"Yes. would" she replied, an,
kissed him on the cheek.
On the Sunday before this Mis-
Burford show ID Mrs. Williams a pts
toll. She said it belonged to Feron
who was down stairs. The two womel
went down to the room, where he was
and Feron took the revolver and he'll
it close to Miss Burford's face. Sh
did not tremble at all, and said she wa
not afraid, for he knew how to use tn
weapon.
All this testimony went to show tina
the young lovers had contemplate
taking their lives. Letters found o.
Feron's body explained further thei
action. One of them was addressed +
George Feron, Brussels. 1t read:
. Mr. DEAR GEORGE: write you to-day TO
the last time, as | am going to commit SUI
eide this evening. / have had enough Q
life, and am quite satisfied to die. Beside
q pretty girl is going to kill herself with me
| so IL will be all the better. 1t Is useless
| give you the reason OF our suicide; 1t
sufficient to know that she loves me. Sh
has the same intention to die and we hay
decided to kill ourselves. This is the wa
that we are going to kill ourselves: W
| are going by rail to Nottingham, half q
, hour by train from Derby. We will enlc
ourselves during the evening; then we wi
: take train, and on the way back will poir
, my revolver at the temple of my naistres.
and then shoot her; then will kill myse