The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-11-06
CRIME IS A PUZZLE
TRIAL OF A MARQUIS IN FRANCE Is
NOW IN PROGRESS.

Bourges, Nov. 5.-The marquis o.
| Nayve, who has been on trial for weel
past, charged with the murder Of hi:
step son, was acquitted today after th'
| jury had been out forty minutes.
| In yesterday mornings Eagle a shorI
dispatch from France stated that the
trial Of the marquis de Nayve was in
progress. A former governess to the
prisoners daughter testified that all the
misery in the family was due to the sin
ster influence of the Able Rousselot
who wanted to break up the household
and thus get the wife's fortune.
The crime for which the marquis was
on trial is one that is hung with some
| mystery. The trial of the marquis de
Nayve on the charge of numbering the
| Legitimate son of his wife began al
| Bourges, France. Oct. is.
The marquis de Nayve is accused OF
numbering a boy, Is years old, the son
of his wife, on Nov. 10, 1855. by throw
ing him over a precipice. Circumstan-
| tial evidence against the marquis was
not at first sufficiently strong TO bring
him to trial. Now, however, all the old
testimony comes up supported by the de-
| nunciation of lnisewife.
In 1875 the Marquis Baptistfn de
Nayve was collector Of taxes i'll Vol
ron, Isere, France. He was poor. He
was born in 1S49 at Grenoble, and he
was the son of a shop girl, his father s
mistress, but later was legitimized by
the marriage of his father to this wo-
man. His future seemed gloomy enough
when quite suddenly an opportunity
was presented to make a fortune in a
hurry. A matrimonial agent came to
him and proposed rich marriage. The
young woman in question was of an ex-
cellent family and carefully educated.
Her parents, NJ. and Nine. Masse de
Baudreuille, were rich landed proprie-
tors. They gave the marquis 100000
francs in the marriage contract. But
the young lady had been unfortunate
When she was quite young Blanche
Masse was betrayed by a gardener in
the employ of her father. She became a
mother, but the fact was kept in the
dark. Nobody imagined that the boy
registered on July 1, 1871. at Harve, un-
der the name of Hippolyte Henri, after
ward surnamed Menaldo, was the son of
Mile. Masse.
The ariStocratic tax collector capitu-
lated. He gave up his post and took
up his quarters in the chateau at Pres
les, where he lived in style. In due time
the happy couple had two sons and a
daughter, and nothing seemed to obs
cure the horizon of their happiness.
Menaldo reached the age Of 10 and
was placed in the seminary of Pont-de-
Beauvoisin in Savoie. He knew moth
ing Of the secret Of his birth At the
end of the year he became morose and
insubordinate. He ran away from the
seminary. The poor boy, it appears.
had only one idea-to make enough
money to find out his mother. The
Marquis de Nayve, on becoming aware
of the boys determination, after con-
sulting with the cure of Sidiailles, pro-
posed to send Menaldo to Jesuit col
lege in America But this proposition
was resisted by the maternal senti-
mentts of the marquis, who repealed the
very thought of such a separation. Dis
cussion OF the project resulted in angry
scenes between the married couple, and
the marquis at last gave up.
A few days after he left the chateau
of Presles without saying anything to
his wife, and started at once for Pont-
de-Beauvoisin, where he took Menaldo
from the seminary, without telling the
superior where he was going with him
This was about the end of October, 1885.
No more was heard of poor Menaldo I'M
til Nov.14. On that day the marqufse
received a short letter from the marquis
dated Marseilles, informing her simply
Of the flight and disappearance of Men
aldo. She fancied that the event hap
pened at Marseilles, but soon after
ward NJ. de Nayve came home. He ap-
peared to be in great grief. He called
together some of his friends, and among
them the cure of Sidioilles, and told
them the anguish he was suffering on
account Of the flight and disappearance
of Menaldo, and he asked them what
was the best thing for him to do.
During this time the Italian authori-
ties started an investigation. On Nov.
IL, in the morning, between Sorrento
and Castellamare, near Vico Equense,
on the south side of the Bay of Naples,
the body of a boy was found lying on
the rocks, with mis- skull smashed and
his clothes despatched with blood and
grains. The body was found by fisher
men. who Were deeply moved by the sad
spectacle. Nothing was discovered on
the body to establish the identity Of the
child. 1t was simply remarked that
his stockings were marked with the
number 81. Upon the body there Were
two scapulars with invocations in
French. a detail which seemed TO clear
" establish the nationality of the boy.
Everybody believed that 1t was a muir
der. But how was the criminal to be
discovered? The Italian journals re-
lated the facts which were produced in
several French journals. This public
ity did not escape, of course, the Mar
quis de Nayve.
What is to be done?" said he to his
counsel7ors, manifesting extreme anx-
iety. This body is evidently that OF
Menaldo. If / reveal that fact / shall !
be accused" His friends advised him
to say nothing about il, and in this way
avoid the scandal that might come upon |
his family.
But. as the number 81. marked upon |
the stocking might indicate the semin- |
airy 10 which Menaldo belonged. the |
determined TO blot that piece /
y testimony out He went to the SUI
pe-ior and persuaded him 10 attribute /
that number 10 another pupil, who was
alive.
Nevertheless. Maria Chalk, a seam
stress OF Orleans. in whose care Menal-
10 had been placed UP 10 the period OF
lis entrance into The school. expressed
sone doubt IN the matter. She beliey-
d that the boy was seQueStrated in
sOne religious institution. That vas
ilSo the opinion Of other people and
specially the agent who brought about
he marquis marriage. and who had
-ainly claimed the promised rernune-a-
ION The disappearance OF Meualdo
made him suspicious. He considered
hat the occasion was a good one 10 Try