St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-18
MURDERED TWELVE.
Frances Sensational Criminal Trial.
JAIME, THE DETECTIVE,
Ferrets Out the Author of the P0nt a
Mousson Tragedies---Before the
Bar at Nancy.

Paris Special to New York Mercury. y.
The most sensational murder trial
which France has had in ten years is
how being tried at Nancy. The villain,
whose GOODNESS and imperturbability
have actually wrung remonstrances
from his judge in the course of the trial,
is a small, wiry man, apparently
about forty years Of age. His name is
Jean Danga, and during the last twenty
| or twenty-five years he has murdered
probably dozen or more persons.
1t is probable that he would
have escaped suspicion for an in
definite time had not Jaime, the
celebrated Partisan detective. been de-
tailed to discover the authorof the Pont
MouSsOn murders, which lately Gre
ated such sensation throughout the
entire country. The first of the Pont
Mousson murders took place on Dec.
Is. 1888. on the morning of which
date Moses SultZer. paWnbroker
of that place, together with his
wife, an old and helpless couple. were
found murdered. There was no doubt
as to the purpose Of the crime. for the
money drawer had been ransacked. and
it was plain that these old people had
been murdered for paltry sum.
About two months later
A SECOND MURDER TOOK PLACE
At Pont MOusson. A woman named
Ferry, who kept small coal shop. was
found dead anu terribly mutilated. and
it was evident that struggle had taken
place, for grasped tightly in the
stitfened hand of the murdered woman
were a few hairs from the head of
the assassin. In this instance, also.
robbery had been the motive
of the crime, as bureau
had been forced open and several hun
dred francs taken away. Two days
later Nine. Francois, a cabaret-keeper,
was discovered murdered and mutt
lated, more money having been ab-
stracted and robbery evidently having
been the only purpose of the crime.
The inhabitants OF Pont q Nous
son had by this time worked
themselves into a regular panic,
and the local police we're largely rein
forced, beside Il number of gendarmeS
being sent from Paris TO assist in hunt
ing down the mysterious assassin. They
secured the country in every direction,
and were assisted in every way by the
inhabitants of the district, who even or
ganiZed themselves into bands for pros
ecutinG the search for the murderer.
Their efforts We're, however, fruitless.
aud finally in despair Jaime was sent
down to POnt MOusson to
CLEAR UP THE MYSTERY IF POSSIBLE.
The first clew which Jaume obtained
was that man had called upon several
shop-keepers in POnt a MousSon at late
hours. and had asked them if they were
alone and other curious questions.
Jaime also found that the murderer
of Nine. Ferry had left behind him
an additional clew in the shape of
q trouSer-button. which had co.ne Off
during the struggle with his victim.
From description which he had secured
of the man who made the inquiries
Jaime was able to trace the man who
made them as far as Remiremont. and
he soon had Danga under arrest.
About eighteen months ago Ddnga
left Remiremont, where his
wife continued to live, going to Point a
MOuSson, where he was employed in a
printing office. The reason of his leav-
ing RemiremOnt was the same which
had caused him to leave many places
during his career. He became involved
in so many iutrigues and adventures
that he was driven out of the place.
The trial OF Danga commenced at
the Nancy AsSizes on Wednesday
last and the crush in the court room was
tremendous. The prisoner appeared to
be very unconcerned about his position.
! He was dressed in stylish suit of gray
clothes and appeared to be in excellent
health and spirits. In reading the in
dictment the judge referred to the fact
| that Danga had been already arrested
several times on similar charges, and
| that his
| RECORD WAS A MOST UNDESIRABLE
| ONE.
Danga shrugged his shoulders in an
| Swer to the charge, and remarked that
| he was surprised such things should he
raked up against him after he had been
! acquitted. The mention of other cases
| in which grave suspicious of his having
been the author of various murders
| only caused him to shrug his shout
ders and smile as if he were listen
| ing to the rehearsal of comedy. But
| despite this calm assurance on his part
! the skillful work of the archdetective
| had woven round the murderer a web
| of incontestable evidence. The button
found in Nine. Ferry's house was
found to be missing from a pair
| of Danga's trousers. The hair
found in her hand matched ex-
actly the hair of Danga. 1t was proved
that on the day after the murder of the
| Suffers Danga had sent 200 francs
from Ponta MouSSon to his wife at
! Remiremont, and on the day following
the Francois murder Dtnga had liquid
| ated his gambling debts. A coin Satur-
ated with blood was then produced,
which had been taken from the pocket of
| Danga. A witness proved that on the
| day following the last murder Dauga
! had remarked TO him that the author of
| the crime would never be captured. as
! the priests were such terrible dolts.
| Finally, in Danga's trunk. Clipped
| and blood-stained razor was found.
which was Just such weapon as would
| have produced the wounds found upon
| the POnG a MOuSSoH victims. The list
of the
CRIMES OF WHICH IT IS SUSPECTED
| Danga was guilty previously includes
| the murder of young miller named
! Datrue. twenty years ago, who had
| been an intimate acquaintance of Danga.
| At the time of the murder the latter
was only eighteen years of age, on
! account of which no one thought
it possible he could have COM
| mitted such fiendiSh crime.
The case in which Danga was tried for
murder was an episode of his career in
the department of the Gers, and a
| neighbor of his was the victim. By
some means or other Danga was ac-
4 IulktCO. LII 1901 DouSd was LEicu DIT
| Toulouse on the charge of having MUIR
| dered and robbed an aged widow. He
was acquitted for lack of sufficient
| evidence. In 1887 he was sus-
| peeted Of having murdered an
aged couple near Epinal, and in the fol-
lowing year another married couple
were supposed to have been butchered
by him in the same district. The re-
capitulatiou of the crimes of which he
was supposed to be guilty by the judge
seemed not to affect the prisoner in the
slightest degree, he having evidently
determined to play stoical role through
out the affair. There is little chance of
| his being acquitted. G