Arizona republican., 1914-03-24
U I17e U Great Trials
 %
 History
TRIALOF THE DUG DE CHOISEUL-PRASLIN

No bloodier or more ineXcusable 1 murder is recorded in the pages of history than that of the Duchess of Praslin by her husband. the Duke de Choiseul- Praslin. In a measure It was one of the principal causes that led to the French Revolution of 1S4S. Every vice of the time was traced to the aris- tocracy. The people looked upon the nobility as the cause of all their trouble. They watched with suspicion every act of this class which tended to resklessnes and immortality. The na- ton was in this state when the Duke of Praslin murdered his wife. She was woman of most excellent accom- plishments The interest in the trial excited much attention in this country, for the reason that the governess of the Praslin family left Paris shortly after the murder and took up a resi- dence in New York.
 The old blood-rOyal of France flowed in the veins of the Choiseul- Praslin family. The Due who brought disgrace upon the name was born in 1905, and at the age of twenty he married Fanny, a daughter of Count Sabastiani, a dis tinguished French general. The Due and Duchess had. by the union, three sons and six daughters.
 For some years before the murder grave discord had arisen between the pair One serious cause of quarrel was said to be the influence which the gov erness of his daughters, Nils. Deluzy- | Desportes, had gained over the Due. The Duchess objected to the continu- ance of this lady in the family, and 1 particularly complained of her es- stranging from her the affections of I her daughters.
 I At last the gOvernesS was compelled 1 to quit. but instead of leaving Paris | she took up quarters nearby the Pras- l lin home. where she was frequently visited by the Due
 1 On August r, 1S41, the Praslin fam 1 fly moved from their country residence. where they had been spending the sum-
 mer, to their superb Paris home in the | Rue du Faubourg St. Honore After | their arrival the Due and his three 1 daughters went to visit the former governess. and upon their return the 1 father retired to his room about eleven o'clock
 The Duchess was also out during the evening and returned to her home and went to her room about 30 She dis
 missed her maid. Her body was dis | covered the following morning early
 near the chimney of her room pierced with about forty wounds. The news spread like wildfire and all Paris was
 excited. An investigation was instant ly begun. Everything proved that the Duchess had attempted to escape from her assassin. The first blow had been given while she was in bed The mur- l derer. necessarily covered with blood. must have left traces of it on his way: and that stained way was found to be towards the apartment of her husband Drops and marks of blood were visible from the door of the Duchess cabinet to the door of the Dukes bedroom The Duke made statement on 1 August IS in which he described how.
 having heard noise in the Duchess
 room. he went there and found her
 lying by the chimney covered with
 blood. He claimed that the blood car
 ried between the room of his wife and his own was on account of the blood
 that he had gotten on himself whi e
 coming to the assistance of the Duchess.
 At the preliminary examination ICharpentier, the Dukes valet, and Mar
 garet Leclerc, a domestic. gave dam
 aging testimony against their master.
 Then came the examination before the Chancellor Pasquier, President of the
 Chamber of Peers. That official earn
 estly adjured the Duke to relieve his
 mind by frank confession of the
 crime. They also examined most
 carefully Mile. Deluzy as to the rela-
 tons between herhelf, the Duke and
 the children
 | When the Chancellor asked her if
 she did not think her actions were