The Randall County news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1908-1926, 1910-04-22
AN ERROR
OF JUSTICE
By BERTHA D. ALSOP
Copyright 1910. by American Press
Association

| ne L!ouS inaiI cOdcD was bowling
along over 4 road banked on each side
by wood Among the inside pas.
sengers was gentleman notable for
white wig. He chatted freely with
the others, making himself generally
agreeable. so that when he alighted
at a village midway between Paris
and Lyons he was greatly missed.
Not half an hour after he left the
coach man riding black horse left
thicket beside the road. shot the
courier of the mail. robbed him and
made away with the booty in the d.
rection from which he came.
Several Of the passengers, hearing
the shot. put their heads out of the
window and saw the robber.
Great heavens" cried one 1T Is
the gentleman who was riding with
us awhile ago. would know him any.
where, especially by his white wig"
And | would know him without the
wig" said another.
The courier was dead, having been
shot through the heart His body was
left at the house of peasant. and the
coach proceeded Arriving at Lyons.
the murder and robbery 81 ere reported
and mounted police seul back To scour
the country for the man IN the white
wig He was found in the town at
which he had ulighted \ couple Of
gendarmes ran up to him and seized
him while drinking glass Of wine in
a cafe
What does this tneanE he cried
you think to throw the police off
the track by assurance" said one of
the gendarmes. You got of the
Lyons mail Yesterday at this village.
rode ahead by a circuitous path. stop
ped the coach. shot the courier. robbed
him and dashed away. What have
you done with the plunderT'
"This is mistake"' cried the man.
"You can prove the mistake before
the magistrate. Come along"
The magistrate asked the prisoner a
number of questions as to his bust
ness. what he was doing on the mail
and his name. He said that he was
wine merchant of Paris and travelling
for the purpose Of buying wine. His
name was Jean Lesaurques. The mag
istrate upon a statement OF the facts
attending the crime concluded to send
the suspected man to Lyons for trial.
LesaurQues was thrown into prison
to await trial for murder and robbery
The driver Of the coach identified him
as one who had travelled inside for
some distance and as the man who had
committed the crime. Several Of the
passengers who had caught sight Of the
murderer testified to the same thing
Lesaurques claimed that on reaching
the village where he had left the
coach he had mounted a horse-black-
and ridden out among the vineyards
Unfortunately he had not stopped to
speak except with one vine grower,
but as he would have had time TO rob
the coach and talk with this man aft
erward an alibi was not proved
The prisoner was convicted and was
about to receive sentence when Il wo-
man rushed into the court and said
to the Judge:
Your worship Is about to send an
innocent man to be guilotined This
man is not the murderer"
How do you know that?" asked the
Judge
Because know the man who plan
ned the robbery. and he told me all
about it, The man who committed the
murder is one DuboSq The prisoner
very much resembles him
Where is this Dubosq to he found
asked the judge.
That question is not easily answer.
ed He is Il professional criminal and
the worst of the gang that cousplrrd
to commit this robbery"
The judge thought tor time aud
then said:
The testimony of this woman is not
admissible She admits that she has
the confidence of the gang that did
the murder. 1t is II very natural de
vice for them TO send her in here to
tell this story in order to save the muir
utItT. Ills CdSt uuSt rest Ou lue ltS-
timony of those who rode with the
prisoner in the coach and those who
saw him shoot the courier. Jean Le-
saurques. have you anything To say
why sentence of death should not be
passed upon your
This woman's story is doubtless
true" replied the prisoner. Il never
saw her before in my life. In reject
ing her testimony you are condemning
an innocent man. This Dubosq will in
time be captured. and 1t will then come
out that he committed this crime"
Lesaurques died protesting his limo
cence.
Four years passed, during which
several members of the gang who
were implicated In the murder were
captured, and 1t became known that
there was such man as Dubosq
among them and the prime mover and
executor of their crimes. Finally Du-
bosq was captured. but he escaped
He was captured a second time, but
tho clipnorv COL aSpapad again a third