Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-05-21
DEACON GOES TO 4 CELL
Conviction. and Sentence of
 Abeille's Slayer.
THE JUDGE AND JURY CRITICISED

One Years Imprisonment Regarded as al
 Excessive Term--If Deacon Behave H,
 Will Have to Serve But Four Months
 and Fifteen DaysA-The Trial.
 NICE, May 21.-It is the general opin ion that the sentence of one year's i'm, prisonment imposed upon Edward Parker Deacon by Judge Aubertin is ex. cessive, and that the jury, in finding tn, prisoner guilty, was moved entirely by the clamor of the French newspapers and by sympathy with the Abeille fam fly.
 The jury was out only thirty-five min utes. The verdict was guilty of pre-. meditated wouuding, but not guilty oi premeditated killing" When the sen teuce of one year was announced the crowd in the court room groaned and hissed, and order was restored with diff. dculty. MT. Deacon shook hands with his counsel and left the court room with two gendarmes Outside the people who had been awaiting for hours the an nouncement of the sentence, cheered MT. Deacon loudly. and many women waved their handkerchiefs to him.
 The morning session of the trial was devoted mainly to the testimony of Mir. Deacon, who told the story of the trag. edy substantially as it has been related in these dispatches. When court re- assembled the deposition of Mrs. Deacon was read. It stated, under date of Feb. 27, when MT. and Mrs. Deacon were con- fronted together before the examining magistrate; 'I admit having had 8 great hai1 1y,f 6osl criminal intercourse. I was arranging my hair when Abeille entered my, apart ment. I swear that the bed was un- ruffled."
 Mrs Deacon's deposition went largely over the same grounds as MT. Deacon's s testimony in the morning. Mrs. Deacon admitted having lived in the same hotel with Abeille, but said that she occupied apartments on such occasions in an en- tirely different portion of the building from that in which his rooms were situ- ated.
 MT. Deacon wrote to her twice, saying: q hope you are enjoying yourself with M. Abeille."
 The deposition continued: q often asked M. Abeille to dine with me when my husband was out. l was very miser- able with my husband and often wished for a divorce, but was prevented for my children's sake from taking proceedings. My husband knew and allowed the wis its of Abeille."
 Irma Deodat, Mrs. Deacon's maid, was called as a witness. She evidently was reluctant to say anything that would reflect on her mistress, and her testi- mony was given with hesitation and in substance that she left her mistress at 10 o'clock on the night of the trage- dy and was called in about Il o'clock to Mrs. Deacon's apartment.
 There she saw Abeille bleeding and prostrate, and helped to carry him to his room. Abeills was dressed at the time in coat and trousers. Irma said that she had been with Mrs. Deacon 12 years and had gone with her every where.
 Irma admitted that she was aware that MT. Deacon had received anony- nous letters accusing his wife of inti- macy with Abeille. The witness knew that Abeille had rooms in Paris. He was not frequent visitor at the home of the Deacons, and he usually brought his brother-in-law when he came to dine there.
 MT. Deacon never dined at home when Abeille came, though Mrs. Deacon al ways told her husband when Abeille was coming.
 Here Mr. Deacon interrupted the wit ness with the statement: 'I never dined out, except when had an engage ment."
 Gabriel Lousteau, who had been valet to Abeille, testified that there were two holes in Abeille's clothing after the shooting. His account of the tragedy, so far as he witnessed any incident con nected with it, did not differ materially from the evidence previously given.
 Paul Beautman, secretary of the Ho- tel Splendide, testified that he accom- panied Deacon to the door of Mrs. Dea- cons room. She came to the door with 8 candle in her hand. He testified to the facts of the shooting, and also made the important statement that the bed in Mrs. Deacon's sleeping room bore traces of having been occupied by two persons.
 The Procureur tried in vain to shake the testimony of Beautman on this point. The witness was positive, and subdued applause greeted him as he left the stand.
 The counsel for both sides addressed the jurymen, and the Judge having charged them, they retired, returning with the verdict as stated above.
 NIT. Deacon will be 8 cell prisoner in the Nice prison. According to the new law he will, in consideration of good be- havior, be released at the end of four months and fifteen days, as the crime for which he is sentenced is the equiva- lent of assault.