The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-04-10
A HISTORIC TRAGEDY
EXECUTION OF JosEPH LEsuRouEs
AND IT'S SAD SEQUEL.

!
Founded the POD1lar MeloAsama
''The Lyons Mall"
| The tragedy of the execution Of Jo-
seph Lesurques, an innocent man, by
the legal machinery Of France ia the
eighteenth century is an incident re-
plete with pathetic phases
Although Lesurques was executed a.
far back as 170o, though his innocence
was established In 1901, though his
property was restored to the family In
1924. the corps leStslatif, after the fam
lily had tried for over half century to
have his memory judicialIy rehabittat-
ed, definitely refused in 1863 to per-
form this last remaining act Of justice.
The pedantry of French law forbade
the questioning Of juFy's verdict By
any one save the person directly In
terested. But though the law has fall
ed to remove the stigma on the name
Of an innocent man, literature and
the drama have made him q popular
hero. ''The Lyons Mail" in which his
honor is thoroughly vindicated, has
been one Of the most popular Of ali
French melodramas, and the combtnea
genius Of Charles Reade and Of Heny
ry Irving made it one Of the great sac-
ceases Of the modern Enwlssh stMws.
Poor LesurQues. who when be PSF
ished on the scaftold, was but thirty
three years of age, was good hos
band, good father and u good citizen.
He married in 1870 Mile. CampiOn.
lady Of respectable family in 0ouai
and possessed of handsome dowry.
Their children therefore Were very
young. and it was in order to give
them the benefit of superior edncas
ton that he reiinquishe4 pubic ap-
pointment at DOuai End came to Paris.
there to live on his own private fer
tune, which amounted to about 1900
francs year. He hHd but just arriv-
ed in the capital and was superintend-
ing the furnishing Of his new home
when the thunderboit fell.
On April 81, 1796, the mail coach BE-
tween Lyons and Paris was attacked
and plundered, and the position and
courier were murdered There were NO
witnesses to the crime, but it YVES re-
ported that 4 party of horsemen 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 sus-
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.
murderera. and he was dismissed. Next
day he was told to call for his papers
at the central bureau. he was ac-
companied thither by LesuEQuaa, an
act Of madness on the part Of the lat
ter had he been guilty.
1t happened that just az that time the
judge was taking the dispositions Of
witnesses who lived in the neishbor-
hood of the scene Of the murder.
Among these were two mAldservanta
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 confrouted with
LesurQues and Guenot 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 Lesurques but were doubtful
about Guenot. TheEIatter succeeded In
establishing satisfactory abb and
was released. The formefse attempted
alibi seemed to break down badly
when the daybook of the JeweIef, 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 Jewelers protested that
the first date was a mistakes which h
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 seaEold confessed his
own guilt. but declared the innoeence
Of Lesurques. Doubts began to arise
as to the justice of LesurQues' sen
tence, and finally 1t was discovered
that he had suffered through extrnOrdi-
nary resemblance to one Dubo0e, the
real criminal, who was brought b Jus
tee In 1901, convicted and executed.
This deplorable case had most de-
plorable seouels. The unhappy Mime.
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
grew up one thought alone possessed
them, that Of vindicatings their dead
father. It is easy to understand how
brooding over this purpose drove one
mother had been confined.
1t 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 frultiess
struggle with the psdantry Of the
French laws, drowned herself In tha
Seine. His SON left France, took ssrv-
Ice In the Russian army and eourted
and found death there. As regards Lee
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 a grant of 244,0O0 francs,
supplemented in 1895 by another grant
OF 252, 900 francs.-LOndOn Public Opin
ion.
Wanted, Key.
Continental Europe would AFFORD q
vast outlet for the very class OF meats
most diflcult to find market for In
Britain or America, II key to unlock
the doors could in. any way be found.
The common people there are praO-
ticalIy without beef at all times. Horse
meat Is in frequent evidence. They
would feast upon grades and cuts Of
beef which we are too fastidious to
buy. And as for hams, bacon, sau-
sage, lard, etc, the product Of literally
millions of corn fed hogs could be mar
keted In France, Germany and contig-
uous countries II way could be found
through the custom house, Ohio
Farmer.
opanaons ana ThsAr TFAth.