Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1896-11-20
HISTORIC TRAGEDY.
CONVICTION OF JOSEPH LESURQUES
AND THE SAD SEQUEL.

AMI SSNS SI~S-Is
an Unfortunate Resemblance and Fatal
Combination of circumstances Caused
tho Execution OF a Man Whose limo
eence Was Afte-ward Established.
Although Lesurques was executed as
far back as 1896, though his Innocence
vas established in 1901, though his
property was restored to the family il
1894, the corps legiglatif, after the fam
lily had tried for over half century to
have his memory judicially rehabilitat-
ed, definitely refused in 1869 to per-
form this last remaining act Of justice.
The .odantry Ct French law forbade the
questioning OF jury's verdict by any
one save the person directly interested.
But though the law has failed to re-
move the stigma On tho name Of an in
nCcaIt man, literature and the drama
have made I-..I - popular hero. ''I1o
Lyons Mall" II which his honor Is
thoroughly vindicated, has been one OF
the most popular of all French melo-
dramas, ard the combined genius Ct
Charles Readc and Of Henry Irving have
made it one Of the great successes Of the
modern English stage.
Poor Lcsurqucs, who, when he Per. =
90 On the scaffoId, was but 50 years Of
no, was good husband, q good father
and q good citizen. He married, n
$50, Mile. Campion, lady Of respect
aJlo family in Dousi and possessed OF a
..udcomo dOwry. Their children there
no were very young and it was IL Or
or to give them tho benefit Of q supc-
rior education that he relinquishcd a
public appointment at Douai and came
So Paris, there to live On his own private
fortune, which amounted to about Z, 800
francs a yoar. lie had but just arrived
il the capital and was experimenting
tho furnishing CT his new home when
to thundCrbolt fell.
On April 27, 1896, tho mail coach be-
-Tccn lyons and Paris was ATTACHED
gld pIuuGcrcd and the position and
Cul1icr were murdered. There were 10
y. illnesses to tho crime, but it was re-
ported that 4 party Of hoTsemen had
ben seen in the vicinity at about the
<laac it was committed These hCrgCmou
hs1 taken dinner at an inn at Mont
+. III. One Of LcsUTquCS' friends nam
81 Cl~onct wac a7-ras+eJ N, e-,c,,foil,,, a,,1
5.q -,r;va+o MINORS yvcro sci2~i r7El~o
,-.i,,o cz,t5rnca to hold him o., c,-r..,.a
that he answered tho description q ole
81 tic supposed ,nurdcrcrs, aud he KS
dismissed. Next DAY he was told to ell
for bis papers at tho central bureau. &c
was accompanied thither by LcsulcEcs,
o., act IF n,af,ces en- tire mart cf tl,o
latter, Ind he Lcon p1li7tv
II h,.-.rorrl that 5nst ut that fina;!,a
i,l,r, W., t,l-i,,e, tho foroeitio,,no Of vii
moss Who lived i'm +bc naiglro?hcod of
: , scene Ct the murder, Among tl:,9c
y,.ln two 1.;aidsoryal.ts Of NCutc.rc.2.
y-n1 uttered simultaneous rcreaI.3 at
& 0 aDDoaranco oe tie two friends. They
-vara nlt into the witness ko. and sy-Cre
positively that two Of the hcrec19en
:. 70 -}rCscrt in the cr5icr~o when
confronted with T,cer~cI1as a2d C}uen0t.
they rosjtivcIy identified them. Both
zero arrested and thrown into prison.
At tho trial four OtI,Cr witnesses cor
rohoro+od tl,oir Testimony with coral
c7nDbasis IS REGARDED I,csuroues, but
.vcTn G0-7l,tf,7l nhor7+ Gunnot The latter
s7ocacdCl n establishing q satisfactory
abb and was released. The formers at
tcm7tol a'.!.i seemed to break down
badly vile. the Gavbco} oe the ievalor,
J,arrs2d--to whom he syvor9 lie had sold
% LII Of Goods on tho very day Of the
mtrllor-,y;,s produced III court and the
date Of the charge was found TO have
l..n altered In ya;1? the ioyvclay nrO-
4cs,@1 tha. tho first date was a ,,,istal,o
which ',n Lad Immediately corrected.
G,iG 10 c?I I'll the other Witnesses for
T,os1Irar.as, y-crc lacked 1non rs self con-
y;c4cI rg,irrcrs Lesur0ucs zv.s found
gu!l,r and executed, together with one
Of the real r,urderers, named Courr;0l.
who on ,f,orntiro tho scafTold. confess |
ad h;e own ,.,5ilt hnt declared the in
,cra3cc. IF iG.-..,rcq Donb+s hcpa7 m
arise "a to +re iustico Of I,esprones' sem
+e9co and fi,,"jIy il was discovered that
no had suffered through an extra0rGi- |
nary resemblance to enc D1Icgo. the real |
criminal Who vas bro77oht 10 irs+ioa in !
1901 convicted and cxcc1tc5
This dcpIorable case had most doDlor-
able ecoreIs, Tho urhaDnv Mime. L. ,
I'o' " OL'0 ll'sA NtA N'|I 1'-S? '11o - -"
81 @-1A LiAoAJttA-sl . NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Il !