Evening journal., 1896-11-10
HISTORIC TRAGEDY.
CONVICTION OF JOSEPH LEsuRoUEs
AND THE SAD SEQUEL.

Although Lesurques was executed as
Ear back as 1896, though his innoconco
was established in 1901, though his
property was restored 60 the family in
1924, the corps legislatif, after the fam.
lily had tried for over half a century tc
have his memory judicially rehabilitat-
ed, definitely refused in 1869 to per-
form this last remaining act of justice.
The pedantry Of 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 the name of an in
nocen5 man, literature and the drama
have made him popular hero. '"The
Lyons Mail" in which his honor is
thoroughly vindicated, has been one Of
the most popular Of all French melo-
dramas, and the combined genius Of
Charles Reade and of Henry Irving have
made it one Of the great successes Of the
modern English stage.
Poor Lesurques, who, when he perish
ed on the soaffold, was but 83 years Of
age, was a good husband, good father
and a good citizen. He married, in
1890, Mile. Campion, a lady of respect
able family in Douai and possessed of a
handfome dowry. Their children there
fore were very Young and it was in or
der to give them the benefit of q supe-
rior education that he relinquished a
public appointment at Douai and came
to Paris, there to live ON his own private
fortune, which amounted to about 2, 800
francs a year. He had but Just arrived
in tho capital and was experimenting
the furnishing of his new home when
the thunderbolt fell
On April 81, 1896, the mail coach be-
tween Lyons and Paris was attacked
and plundered and the position and
courier We're murdered. There wero no
witnesses TO tho crime, but it was re-
ported that party Of horsemen had
been seen in the vicinity at about the
time it was committed. These horsemen
had taken dinner at an inn at Mont
geron. One of Lesurques' friends nam
ed Guenot was arrested on,suspicion 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 he 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 depositions of wit
nesse5 who lived in the neighBorhood of
the scene Of the murder. Among these
were two maidservants OF Montgeron,
who uttered simultaneous screams at
the appearance of the two friends. They
were put into the witness box and swore
positively that two of the horsemen
were present in the audience. When
confronted with Lesurques and Guenot,
they positively identified them. Both
were arrested and thrown into prison.
At the trial four other Witnesses cor
roborated their testimony with equal
emphasis as regarded Lesurques, but
were doubtful about Guenot. The latter
succeeded in establishing a satisfactory
alibi and was released. The formers at
tempted alibi seemed to break down
badly when the daybook Of the jeweler,
Lagrand-to whom he swore he had sold
a bill Of goods on the very day Of tho
murder-was produced in court and the
date Of the charge was found to have
been altered. In vain the jeweler pro-
tested that the first date was a mistake,
which he had Immediately corrected,
and he and all the other witnesses for
Lesurques were looked upon as self con-
victed perjurers Lesurques was found
guilty and executed, together with ono
of tho real mmderers, named COurriol,
who, on mounting the scaffold, confess
ed his own guilt, but declared the in
nocence Of Lesurques. Doubts began to
arise as to the justice Of Lesurques' sem
tence and finally it was discovered that
he had suffered through an extraordi-
nary resemblance to one Dubose, the real
criminal, who was brought to justice in
1901, convicted and executed.
This deplorable case had most deplor-
able sequels. The unhappy Nine. Le-
surques went mad ON hearing the news
Of her husbands condemnation. The
children were as yet too young to under
stand their trouble, but as they grew
up one thought alone possessed them
that of vindicatipg their dead father. It
is easy to understand how brooding over
this purpose drove one daughter TO the
madhouse in which hermother had been
confined.
It is curious that oneiof the witnesses
against Eesurques-the woman Alfroy
also went insane from grief and re-
morse at her error. Still another victim
was another daughter Of Lesurques, who,
worn out by the fruitless struggle with
the pedantry Of the French laws, drown
ed herself in the Seine. His son left
France, took service in the Russian
army and courted and found death
there. As regards Lesurques' s. fortune,
which had been confscated, his unhap-
py family were moro successful. In
1924, just'2S years after their father s
death, they obtained grant Of 244, 600
francs, supplemented in 1885 by another
grant Of 252, 600 francs. London Pub
lio Opinion.
Seasiciness.