Arizona republican., 1914-09-11
Trial of
Lyons Mail Robbery

| HO COul ~ ilO VI inc Pooe oAAiSO "
the Rue st. Martin was, on the 9th of
April, 1896, filled with an excitable
crowd of people, many of whom would
rush to the end of the rue and look
| eagerly up the boulevard along which
| the overdue mail from BreSt traversed.
The highways of France at that time
were over-run by highWaymen and
robbers and the people of Paris had
been terrified by the number Of
attrocious thefts which had been COM
mitted
| The Brest mail would change cour-
iers here and would then depart for
| Lyons. Napoleon at this time was
| fighting in Italy, and in reply to his
appeals for money, a valuable cOnsign
ment of specie was to be despatched
| by the government.
| The government courier, Jean EXcOf-
fon, who was making his last journey,
| breathed a sigh of relief when the mail,
an important looking vehicle with three
horses, drew in safely. The courier
and postillion, Nanteau, now compared
notes and made everything safe from
any unexpected attack. One passenger
who was to travel by the mail, and
who gave his name as Laborde, was
settled inside, and the coach, with more
| than 100000 livres under it's basket
shaped hood, clattered off in the direc
ton of Villeneuve st. Georges where
the horses were to be changed.
AS the mail pulled up, a well dressed
young man jumped hastily on his
horse and galloped off in the direction
of Melum. Having changed horses, the
Lyons mail moved off once more Here
Nanteau was relieved in the saddle by
Etienne Audebert. The next morning,
| a postillion of the Pouilly Mail was
amazed to see the great Lyons Mail
standing in the road, scattered papers
and bloodstains being mute evidence
of the dastardly murder that had been
perpetrated. A further investigation
revealed the bloodstained bodies of Ex-
COTTON and Audebert But nothing was
to be found of the passenger Laborde.
The story Of the cIme is as follows
Hardly had the coach with its val
liable cargo passed Lieursaint when
! the figures of our mounted men ap-
peared and the leader imperatively
ordered Audebert to stop. He was made
conspicuous by the smart little wig he
wore. Close beside him was a man of
foppish deVil-may- appearance.
Another fierce looking Provencal
and the third a crafty looking Italian
| 1t was now quite dark, and the Italian
striking tas he thoughD, at the cour
| Ter. Excoffon gave the other inmate
| Laborde, a nasty scratch
| What are you doing?" angrily
shouted the latter, throwing off his
| cloak: I'VE are here for robbery and
not for butchery."
| The Provencal Vidal by name), the
Italian Rossi, and Laborde, then fiercely
attacked ExcoffOn, who was, although,
he fought bravely, soon overcome The
position was ordered to take the coach
down the Pouilly Road and when being
attacked put up a stubborn resistance,
his hand being found hacked in four
places. The mail was then hurriedly
rifled and the hapless bodies were
| thrown, Audebert's into a spinny and
the courier's into corn field.
The next morning the horrible dis
covery was made by the Pouilly Mails
postillion.
The foppish youth whose name was
Courriol the next day went to Paris to
return the four horses This being not
ed he was traced and was arrested with
a criminal, Richards. who knew of the
robbery and had shared in the plumber
In spite of his bad character, this man
was acquainted with many honest men,
two of whom We're with him, Joseph
Lesurques and Guenot. They were all
| four arrested
Two witnesses from small inns were
sure of the youth Courrio. but to the
surprise of everyone they also charged
Lesurques and Guenot as being two of
the four who had committed the crime.
They however, set up an alibi to the
effect that on the Sth Lesurques had
spent two hours in the morning with a
1eweleri one Legrand and in the even
ing with Guenot and a painter Hill
aire Ledru. But the president calling
for the entry book of the jeweler found
that it had originally been 9th and
then erased.
The president was then sure of Les
urques' guilt. and although Courriol
was persistent in his protestation of
his own guilt and the innocence of
Lesurques they We're both convicted
The other two prisoners proved their
innocence. Many people testified to
the innocence of Lesurques, but all was
of no avail. for Lesurques, after writing
a public letter to Dubosc, the real MUIR
derer, together with Courriol. was ex-
ecuted.
| The passenger on the mail, whose
real name was Durochat, was arrested
a short time after and being identified,
| confessed and implicated the ringlead-
ers Dubosc and Vidal and told how, hav-
| ing feigned sleep most of the way, the
crime was carried out as before de-
scribed, with the aid of Vidal, Dubosc,
Rossi, Courriol and himself
Two weeks after Laborde was SEN
fenced to death. He implicated all the
others. In December Vidal was gull
lotined. The witnesses who had been
so sure of the Identification of Lesur-
ques were now more positive that they
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