Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-08-28
HE KILLED HIS WIFE.
NEsALLIAHcE ENDS IN MURDER.
uistery Of Romantic Msrriage--Tragedy
which Brought It TO Close-
Gsts Twenty Years


when Bernard Nottingham. son Of Gen.
eral wttingham. was committed by the
Asslze Courts OF numbering MS WIFE,
the daughter OF the syndic OF the piio's
OF Royan. General witiingham Is Major
General Paul Bernard Wittingham, late
Of the Royal Engineers. who received
his first commission in that corps seven
and fifty years ago. became coionci IN
1866, and attained his present rank on
the retired list In 1871.
Bernard Nottingham Is only about 20
years OF age. Two or three years ago
he made the acquaintance OF the woman
no murdered, Suzanne Audon, daughter
Of the syndic Of the pilots OF Royan.
The couple were married on November
l. 1885, In London. in presence OF the
uarents OF the bride. but in direct op-
,.rition TO the wishes OF General Wit
q. CHAM.
From the outset the union was not an
,iptroubled one. General Wittingham re.
fused to accept his daughter-in-law as
n member Of his family. and. according
TO the prosecution. endeavored to induce
his son to abandon Suzanne. He in
formed Bernard that he should other
wise cut him off without even the pro-
verbal shilling. and 1t is matter OF
fact that he had notices placarded
throughout Rosan fntimating that ne
Uhe GeneraD was not responsible Tor
any debts contracted by his son or his
sons wife. From this period bernard
WttinghaIn's sole idea was to get rid
Of the matrimonial incubus he had Ia
ken on his shoulders He endeavored
40 persuade his wife that their marriage
was null and void. and one day. at Saintes,
he tried to prevail upon her to commit
suicide. furnishing her with q revolver
with which TO carry out the idea, on
another occasion, at Bordeaux, he III
brazler OF charcoal In their room, pre-
sumabY. according 10 the prosecutor
with the intention Of suffocating MS
wife. I'VE had agreed to die toSether'
Nottingham declares: but the prosecu-
ton contends that Suzanne had not even
been consulted In the matter.
THE DEATH OF SUZANNE.
AZ the beginning of the current year
Nottingham sent his wife to live with her
parents, he himself going 10 England.
lie returned TO Royan on May 18th. and
drove straight to the house of the Audons.
The meeting between Nottingham ana MS
wife was affectionate. but soon after the
prisoner was heard TO threaten MS wile
with a whip, saying that 1.-THE English po-
lice had assured him he might beat her
as he had fun authority over her. Mime:
Audon interfered and was turned out OF
the room. A few minutes later, however
she saw him treating his wife in the most
loving fashion. and felt treasured.
Not very long after Wittingham came
out of the room in which he mad Deeh
with his wife and cried out:
Il have wounded Suzanne. Go at once
for a doctor"
When the doctor arrived Suzanne was
dead: she had been shot in the face, ana
the bullet, after breaking the JaWpohe'
had fractured the spinal cord.
Nottingham offered no resistance to ar
rest lie stated that he had been showing |
his wife a Winchester rife he had brought |
from London and that he must have I'M |
Cuardedly touched the trigger. which was
very easy 1t is argued by the prosecu- |
tion that Suzanne who had great dread |
Of firearms would not have been likely |
10 wish 10 have the mechanism of rifle |
explained to her. on the one hand. the
post norton examination showed That the
shot had been fired downward and not
horizontally; while, on the other hand'
it was found that the trigger was not
a hair trigger, and required considerable
pressure.
In his interrogatory of the prisoner the
President described him as a spoiled child,
capricious, wilful, and sometimes httle
perverse. but he was also enterprislng |
and courageous. and had often gone out
with the Royan lfeboat. Describing the
prisoners first meeting with his future |
wife. the President said that Mile. Audon
and her mother were at the theatre, ana
that WIttingham went up to her ana
shook hands with her without any pre-
vious introduction, quite contrary 10 Eng
llsh customs. Some correspondence was
exchanged between the two, and Whiting
ham thus learned that Mile. Audon was a
perfectly respectable young woman ana
hat he must either undertake to marry
her or have no further relations with
her. She was dazzled at the prospect OF
becoming the wife OF a generals son.
The General, however. refused his con-
sent TO the marriage in the most per-
emptory manner.
WISHED TO ENTER A CONVENT.
On hearing this Suzanne Audon wrote
to the superior of a convent with view
OF becoming a nun. The following is n
passage from a letter she wrote to Wit
tingham at about this period:
ooh, Bernard, have no Illusions about
IT.. A convent is a hell for whoever goes
there to seek anything else but God. The
sackcloth robe is hard to wear. but 1
shall there weep over the love have lost
and give you release from your word"
While the President was reading this
letter Nottingham burst into tears.
on hearing of Mile Audon's intention
OF taking the veil, Wttingham said 10
her: "Wel, then, we will get married
without the consent Of my father. will
work" This resolution induced Suzanne
TO give way and she persuaded her pa
rents TO allow her to marry her head
strong lover Some time afterward. when
poverty and uncongenial labor had dissi-
pated Wittinghams romantic Illusions
he began to illtreat his wife. The Presi-
dent of the court thus described some
of the painful scenes which passed be-
tween them:
CEASED TO LOVE HER.
The President: Your education has not
prepared you for laborous life You
were in needy circumstances and dread
full poverty, and from that day you ceased
10 love Suzanne and resolved to rid your
self Of her at whatever cost. (Sensauon.)
You said to her one day: you think you
are my wife-well, you are only my mis-
tress Our marriage was q farce" At
this your young wife cried, THAT is ter
rible. / am lost and dishonored. Well. l
will disappear: 1 will kill myself" You
seized the opportunity at once and fe-
piled, "You wish to kill yourself Well.
here's revolver you have only to place
IL against your forehead. / am going out:
when I come back / shall hope TO find
you dead" Great sensation in court)
The prisoner: / was stupid enough to
say that TO her In Joking with her.
The President: But the fact remains
that you went out, leaving Nine. Wit
tingham with the revolver. 1t was a mon
strous proposition. (Sensation.) But this
young woman OF Is had no reason TO kill
herself She went down stairs and began
10 look for you in the streets OF Saintes.
where you were then living. When you
saw her you seemed to be excessively an
noyed and sneered. IF your love Is like
your words you do not love me much.
because there you are alive" (Murmurs
OF Indignation in court) Terrified by this
reproach Suzanne Audon ran TO the tele-
graph office and wired to her mother at
Rowan, "Maman, viens vite."
LIVED SEPARATELY.
After this the unhappy couple resolved
TO separate. Suzanne returned to her pa
rents, while Wittingham went to live with
his father They were, however together
again soon after at Bordeaux. where Wit
tingham proposed that they should COM
init suicide. They made all preparations
nd no .bar If