Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1906-04-18
A HISTORIC TRAGEDY
EXECUTION OF JOSEPH lssuRouEs
AND IT'S SAD SEQUEL.
fne FAMOUS Legal Bisnder That oc-
CURED In France Upon which Wa.
rounded the Popular MeIodrnms
"The Lyons MALL


'eph Lesurques. an innocent man. by
the legal machinery OF France in the
eighteenth century is an incident re-
piete with pathetic phases.
Although Lesurques was executed "a
TAR back as 1790. though his innocence
was established In 1901. though his
property was restored 20 the family in
1874, thecorps legislatif, after the fam
lily had tried for over half n century Ia
nave his memory judicially rehabilitat-
co. definitely refused In 1869 TO per-
form this last remaining act Of justice.
Inc pedantry OF French law forbade
the questioning of n jury's verdict by
any one save the person directly in
terested. But though the law has fail
cd to remove the stigma on the name
or an innocent man, literature and
the drama have made him n popular
hero. The Lyons Mail" I'm which his
honor Is thoroughly indicated. has
been one Of the most popular of all
French melOdramas. and the combined
genius of Charles Reade and OF Hen
~ Irving made II one Of the great suc-
cesses OF the modern English stage.
Poor Lesurques. who. when he per
ished on the scaffold. was but thirty
three years OF age was a good nus
band, good father and u good citizen.
He married i'm 1880 Mile Campion.
lady of respectable family in Doaai
and possessed Of handsome dowrv-
Their children therefore were very
young, and it was In order TO give
them the benefit of superior edu,a-
ton that he relinquished a public an
pointment at DoUai and came to Paris.
there TO live on his own private for
tune, which amounted to about 1900
francs year. He had but lust arriv-
ed in the capital and was superintend
ing the furnishing OF his new home
when the thunderbolt fell.
On April -. 1T9G, the mail coach be-
tween Lyons and Paris was attacked
and plundered, and the position and
courier were murdered There were no
witnesses 10 the crime, but it was re-
ported that party of horSemen had
been seen In the vicinity at about the
time II was committed. These horse
men had taken dinner at an inn nj
Montgeron. One Of Lesurques friends
named Guenot was arrested ON Sis
picion. 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
murdcrerS. ana he was dismissed. Next
day he was told 10 call for his papers
at the central bureau. He was ac-
companied thlther 10y Lesurques. an
act Of madness on the part of the lat
ter had he been guilty.
II happened that just at that time the
judge was taking the dispositions OF
witnesseSsw lived I'm the nelghbor-
hood OF the scene OF the murder
Among these were two maidservants
Of MOntgeron, who uttered simultane-
GUS 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 GucnOt they positively
identified them. Both were arrested
and thrown into prison. At the trial
four other witnesses corroborated their
testimony with equal emphasis as re-
garded LcsurqueS, but were doubtful
about Guenot. The latter succeeded IN
establishing Il satisfactory allbi and
was released. The formers attempted
alibi seemed TO break down badly
when the daybOOk OF the jeweler. La
grand, 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 to have
been altered.
In vain the jeweler protested that
the first date was n mistake which he
had Immediately corrected. and he and
all the other witnesses for LeSurQues
were looked upon as self convicted
perjurers. Lesurques was found guilty
and executed, together with one of the
real murderers, named Courriol, who
on mounting the scaffold confessed his
own guilt. but declared the innocence
Of LesurqueS. Doubts began TO arise
as 10 the justice of Lesurques' SEN
tence. and finally IL was discovered
that he had suffered through eXtraordi-
nary resemblance 10 one DubOSe. the
real criminal. who was brought TO Jus
tice In 1901, convicted and executed.
This deplorable case had most de-
plorable seQuels The unhappy Nine.
Lesurques went mad on hearing the
news of her husbands condemnation.
The children were as yet too young TO
understand their trouble, but as they
them, that of indicating their dead
father. II is easy to understand how
brooding over this purpose drove one
daughter to the madhouse in which her
mother had been confined.
Ii Is curious that one of the witness
es against Lesurques, the woman Al
troy, also went insane from grief and
remorse at her error. Still another
victim was another daughter of Lee
surques. who. worn out by the fruitless
struggle with the pedantry OF the
French laws. drowned herself In the
Seine. His son left France. took serv-
ice In the Russian army and coprted
and found death there. AS regards Le-
surques' fortune. which had been con
fiscated. his unhappy family were more
successful. In 1924. just twenty eight
years after their fathers death. they
obtained Il grant Of 244,000 francs.
supplemented in 1895 by another grant
of $4,000 francs.-London Public Opia-
ion.
Too Busy.
Extreme BUSINESS" whether at school
or at college, kirk or market, is u