Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-01-19

den Of the Tuillerfes. (Here Nine. de
Leautaud declared that II was Marie
Lefarge who had been the sole object
of his devotion.) According to the
accused woman's story. Nine. de Leau-
tand. after giving her the diamonds,
proceeded to number Of tricks In or
der to create the impression that they
had been stolen: and the police had
even been summoned to search the
chateau All this procedure was to
throw her husband OF the scent and
to prevent him from discovering her
secret
The jury refused to accept this ex-
PLANTATION. and Marie Lafarge was SEN
fenced to two years Imprisonment for
the theft Meanwhile, however. the
murder charge had been proceeded
with. The post norton examination
had been completed. But the French
experts of that day seem to have been
as much at variance as those of our
own time. Despite the fact that La
fargo had died manifesting every symp
tenn OF arsenical poisoning, the pres
ence of this drug In his body was never
satisfactorily proved. Orfila. the most
eminent toxicologist Of the day. could
discover only half milligramme of ar.
senic in the body. Raspail. another
distinguished French physician. found
no more than the o1e-hundredth part
of milligramme, and therefore de-
clared In favor Of the accused woman,
as did several other experts, who could
detect no arsenic at all But the out
the machinery Of the criminal law OF
France which presupposes the guilt OF
the accused until his innocence Il
proved. induced the jury to return
a verdict of guilty. Marie Lafarge
was sentenced to imprisonment at hard
labor for life, after exposure In the pub
lie pillory. This latter portion OF
her sentence was, however, RENTED.
The shorter sentence Of two years
imprisonment for the theft of the dia-
monds was merged In the greater.
Marie Lafarge was sent to the prison
at Montpelier. where she remained dur
ing period Of IL years. The animos-
ity against her which had largely been
responsible for her conviction now
gave way to a revulsion Of feeling.
Letters poured in upon her from all
parts of the country. OF ell, not more
than hat a dozen at most taxed her
with the crime. They were signed, by
persons In all ranks of society. offer
ing marriage, suggesting means Of es,
1 - IL AL of4 fRo . Of IN
her guilt During the period Of her
Imprisonment Marie Lafarge replied TO
almost all OF these. besides solacing
herself by writing several volumes Of
memoirs and prison experiences.
Finally. when Napoleon III. became en-
peror. she appealed to him. and obtain
ed full pardon in 1852.
Many believed in Marie's innocence
to the last, among them being her coun-
sci, Maitre Lachaud. who afterward
achieved high renown in his profess
sion. Years later, after she died. he
regularly sent flowers to decorate her
grave Another equally loyal support
er was Marie's maid. who went to
prison with her and remained for
full year at her side; and another was
a young girl, cousin of her husband.
who likewise accompanied her to the
Montpelier jail
This case, which Is one of tho most
celebrated in criminal annals, has been
made the subject of an exhaustive re-
port by two eminent Prussian jurists
who have insisted that no proof OF guilt
had been obtained, and that the Jury
convicted their prisoner in Difference
to popular 'clamor.
But who. then. was the murderer?
The German jurists wind up their
argumentsby saying:
Had we been the public prosecu-
tor, we would rather have formulated
charges against Denis Barber"
There were, in fact, as many suspi-
cious circumstances to incriminate
Barber as to incriminate Marie. This
confidential clerk, living in the house
as had already been stated. under a
false name, was a man of notorious
character. 1t developed that Lafarge
himself had long made useiof him In
certain financial transactions of very
shady character. Among these was
the manufacture of fraudulent bills Of
exchange which were negotiated for
advances Of money. Barber had con-
ceived strong dislike toward Marie.
It was he who originated the reports
against her, and be who had first
suggested to the new doctor. brought
in at the time when the iron-master's
sickness became alarming. that Marie
had sent him to purchase arsenic and
begged him to make no mention Of 1t.
When he was put. into the witness box
at the trial he frequently contradicted
himself. saying. for example. on one
occasion that be had volunteered this
information. and at another time that
he had only confessed 1t when press
ed for information by the physician
In fact, 1t was shown that Lafarge
and Barber had been confederates In
a series OF swindling operations. the
discovery Of which was imminent at
1.-THE time when the iron-master was first
struck down by his mysterious ailment-
Furthermore. it developed that at the
time when Lafarge went to Paris to
take out his patent upon the new proc
ess, Barber was there also, in secret.
When Lafarge was taken III Barber
had constant access to his sick room