Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-12-02
'BLONDIN NOW ON TRIAL
Alleged Wife Murderer Appears In a
New England Court.
QUEER PHASES OF THE CASE
Victim Was Decapitated and Re-
mains Were Hidden Under .
Brush Heap - Suspect Eluded
Pursuers For Many Weeks.

Boston, Dec. 2.-For the alleged muir
der Of his wife, whose headless body
was found in brush heap in Chelms
ford, Mass, In June, 1901, j. Wilfrld
Blondin was placed ON trial here dur
ing the day. The case, which is one
of the most mysterious that ever came
into the hands Of the Boston police Is
based upon the theory that Blondin
from Jealousy killed his wife in a lodg-
ing house on Green street, this city,
cut off the head and in trunk had the
parts taken to Chelmsford, where lie
disposed Of the body under the brush
heap and threw the head into brook
some distance away.
The murder Is believed to have been
committed in April. The body was
found on June 10 and the head few
days later. BY the time that identifi-
cation had been made Blondin had dis
appeared. After chase which took
the officers all over New England, into
the west and into Canada Blondfn final
ly was found and arrested in New York
city last February.
Two murder indictments stand against
him, one in Suffolk county, ON which
the present trial is being held. and one
In MiddleseS county. in which Chelms-
ford is located. The theory that the
woman was killed in this city rather
than that the murder took, place in
Chelmsford where the body was found
rs the second Indictment charges, being
considered the better supported by the
evidence obtained. it was decided to
bring trial in the Suffolk court.
Two Trial Judges.
Judges Stevens and Braley We're the
presiding judges and for the first time
Attorney General Parker appeared as
prosecutor in a murder case He was
assisted by Assistant District Attorney
John ID. Mclaughlin. Blondin had
three lawyers. John II. Morrison and
James +. Owens of Lowell and ]. q.
Il. Jacques of Salem
The case was scheduled to be called
at 800. The corridors leading to the
superior criminal court room were
crowded some time before the doors
We're open. When the judges took
their places. they saw a room packed
to the remOtest corner and through the
glass panels of the outer doors could
see greater crowd that had not been
able to get in.
Blondin, clean shaven, dark clothed
and apparently unconcerned, was
brought in by Deputy Sheriff Melon
ough. From the moment the court
opened he seemed to take a deep inter
est In the proceedings. He 10 4 French
Canadian Of middle age and at the
time Of the murder was employed by 4
baker in Boston. It is understood that
his defense will be the allegation that
Mrs. Blondin had left her husband to
live with another man and that all
Blondin's actions ON the day Of the
murder will be accounted for In a way
to show that he could not have com.
mitted the crime.
The Jurymen Pollea.
1t took fifteen minutes to poll the 100
jurymen who had been summoned in
the case. Half dozen did not respond
to their Names and capiases were is-
sued.
The usual motion of the attorney
general that jury be impaneled to try
the case was the signal for Mr.. Morri-
son Of Blondin's counsel to request the
court that, in addition to the usual
questions, each juror be asked, ITO
what extent have you read the new.spa.
pers with regard to this caser'
In support of this request Mr.. Morri-
son said that during the past eighteen
there had been published more
than 200 criticisms Of his client, and
such criticisms had appeared even
within forty eight hours. Judge Bra
ley declined, however, to add this ques.
ton to those provided by statute.
The selection Of jurors was then be-
gun. Blondin had some difficulty in
what was meant by his
right Of challenge, but after q time he