Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-24
TWO FRENCH SENSATIONS.
Children's Wonderful Escape-Aged
Man Acquitted of Murder.

Special Cablegram to The Star. \
PARIS, June 24-Truly wonderful has
been the escape from death of two chill
dren who fell out of train running in the
north of France, and were little the worse
for the adventure. A Madame Binot was
travelling to Arras with her four chill
dren when suddenly the door Of the COM
partment flew open. and Marcel, aged four.
tumbled out on the line, soon followed by
Emile. who is twelve. The poor mother,
who did not know how to set the alarm
signal going, was compelled to wait until
Arras was reached to report the accident.
One of the officials set off at once and
met the two small boys tramping along
together on the line in the direction of
Arras. goods trains was approaching,
which picked them up and the mother s
delight may be imagined when her little
ones We're brought to her safe and sound
except for few bruises.
An employee nearly seventy years old, a
widower with two married daughters, has
just been tried by the Seine assze court
for the murder of a corsetiere half a CEN
fury old, and has been acquitted, rather
a curious commentary on the protest which
SO many jures are making against the
proposed abolition Of capital punishment
and their husbands, thinking that the old
man was leading a lonely life looked out
for an eligible wife for him, and their
choice fell on the corsetiere, who ap
peared to have considered him a very
good match. The couple were formally
engaged last summer after meeting at
dejeuner given for the purpose of en-
aiding them to become acquainted, and
all went we'll for several months, the
bridegroom-elect being extremely generous
in his presents to his betrothed. The
trouble came when he suggested that she
should take up her abode with him. for
the few weeks preceding their wedding.
The corsetiere removed to his dwelling,
1t having been argued that at their age
there could be no improperly in this but
the woman had hardly settled there when
the disagreeable fact began to dawn upon
her that the old employe was by no means
as well off she had been led to I'M
derstand. The dwelling was bitterly cold,
and the fare was most frugal. Where
all of the money of which she had
heard so much, she asked anxiously, and
her aged sutton confessed that it had
nearly all gone on the gifts which he
had presented to her and that he had only
a matter of $3.50 left.
Here was poor outlook, she pondered.
man on the verge Of seventy with
mere trifle in the way of property. She
would have to support him in a few
years. No, this would never do. After
a residence of twelve days the corsetiere
left his dwelling and went back to her
own abode, sadder and wiser than when
she came. But the old employee was in
no mood to put up with this desertion.
The presents had cost him a great deal of
money. and he considered that he had
been cruelty deceived. Taking a revolver
with him, he proceeded to the shop of the
corsetiere, who was lying Ill in back
room. and after a lot of alteration in
which she firmly declined to return to
him he discharged three shots at the poor
woman and killed her. At the trial he
said in his defense. that he had been as
1t were in a dream and had not realized
what he was doing. His counsel backed
him up by representing him as poor old
man for whom his children had wished to
find a happy home, but who had been
basely tricked. And a result of all Of
this special pleading the jury returned a
verdict of not guilty.
In sympathy with England and the
United States the price of flour, and. con-
sequently of bread, has gone up and will
further rise here very shortly. For a won
der France at present is not self-sufhcing
in the production of wheat. BY the end
of the next three months closing July 81
next, the country will have consumed 81
100000 hectoliters of wheat. The stock
in hand to cover that period is 25,000,000
hectOliters. France will, therefore, have
to purchase at least 1000, 900 hectoliters
from abroad. Proposals are made to seri-
ously reduce temporarily the customs duty
on imported wheat.