Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-07-16
OF JOSEPH LEsURQUE
Facts Recailed by a E-s---S Deaf in
Paris.

the Tragedy OF Inc Lyons mall. He was
d nephew of the wife o. Joseph Bona
parte, of Spain, and also of the wife Of
Marshall Bernadotte, king of Sweden.
But he is chiefly known for his connec-
ton with the case Of Joseph Lesurquas.
the most famous case Of mistaken ijen-
tity in all legal history. AS counsel fcr
the family Of the unfortunate victim,
Nicomte Clary worked hard, but in
effectually, to have the sentence re-
versed Although Lesurques was exc
cuted as far back as 1896, though his
innocence was established in 1901
though his property was restored to the
family in 1924, the corps legislatif
after that family had tried for over hale
a century to have his memory judicIaily
rehabilitated, definitely refused in 1869
to perform this last remaining act of
Justice The pedantry of French law
forbade the questioning of a jury's YER
dict by anyone save the person directly
interested. But though the law has
failed to remove the stigma on the
name Of an innocent man, Literature
and the drama have made him a popu-
lar hero. The Lyons Mail. in which his
honor has been thoroughly vindicated,
has been one Of the most popular OF all
French melodramas, and the combined
genius OF Charles Reade and of Henry
Irving have made it one of the great
successes Of the moderr English stage.
Poor LesurCues, who, when, he per-
ished on the scaffold, was but SO years
of age, was a good husband. a good
father, and good citizen. He married
III 1890. Mile. Campion, a lady of re-
spectacle family in DCuai, and DOS
sessed of a handsome dowry. Their
children were. therefore, very young
and it was in order to give them the
benefit CT superior education that ne
relinquished q public appointment at
DOuai and came to Paris, there to live
on his own private fortune, which
amounted to about 1900 francs a year
He had but just arrived in the capital
and was experimenting the furnishing
of his new home when the thunderboIt
fell. On April q, 1856, the mail coach
between Lyons and Paris was attacked
and plundered and the postillion and
courier were murdered. There was no
witnesses to the crime, but it was re-
ported that a party of horse1nen had
been seen in the vicinity at about the
time it was committed. These horse
men had taken dinner at an inn at
Montgeron. One of Lesurques' friends
named Guenot was arrested on suspi-
cion and his private papers were seized.
There was no evidence to hold him on
except that he answered the description
of one of the supposed murderers and
he was dismissed. Next day ne was
told to call for his papers at the central
bureau. He was accompanied thither
by Lesurques, an act of madness on the
part of the latter had he been guilty.
1t happened that just at that time the
Judge was taking the dispositions of wit
nesses who lived i'll the neighborhood of
the scene of the murder. Among
these were two maid servants of Mont
gerOn, who uttered simultaneous
screams at the appearance Of the Two
friends. They were put into the wit
ness box and swore positively that two
of the horsemen were present in the
audience When confronted with Les
urques and GuenOt they positively iden-
titled them. Both were arrested and
thrown into prison. At the trial four
other witnesses cCrroborated their tes-
timony with equal emphasis as re-
garded Lesurques, but were doubtful
! about Guenot. The latter succeeded in
establishing a satisfactory allbl and
was released. The formers attempted
alibi seemed to break down badly when
the day book of the jeWeler, Lagrand-
to whom he swore he had sold bill OF
goods on the very day Of the murder
was produced in court and the date OF
the charge was found tC have been al
tered. In vain the jeweler protested
that the first date was mistake, which
he had Immediately corrected; he and
all the other witnesses for Lesurques
were locked upon as self convicted per-
| iurers Lesurques was found guilty
and executed, together with one of the
! real murderers, named CourrlOl, VINO,
on mounting the scaffold, confessed his
own guilt. but declared the innocence
of Lesurques. Doubts began to arise as
to the justice of Lesurques' sentence,
and finally it was discovered that he
! had suffered through an extraordinary
resemblance to one Dubasc, the real
criminal, who was brought to justice In
/ 1901. convicted and executed.
This deplorable case had most de-
plorable sequels. The unhappy Ma
dame Lesurques went mad on hearing
the news of her husbands condemna-
ton The children were as yet too
young to understand their trouble, but
as they grew up one thought alone pos
sessed them-that of vindicating the
honor of their dead father. 1t is easy
to understand how brooding over this
purpose sent one daughter TO the mad
house in which her mother had been
confined. 1t is curious that one of the
witnesses against Lesurques- the
woman Alfroy--also went insane with
grief and remorse ct her error. Still
another victim was another daughter of
Lesurques, who worn cut by the fruit
less struggle with the pedantry of the
French laws, cast herself into the
: Seine. His son left France, took SER
vice in the Russian army and courted
and found death there. AS regards
Lesurques' fortune, which had been
confiscated his unhappy family were
more successful. In 1924, just twenty
eight years after their fathers death
they obtained grant Of $4,000 francs