The Sentinel=record., 1915-04-11
FRENCH ARMY OFFICER SHOT HER BECAUSE SHE REFUSED
 TO LEAVE HIM.
WAS ON FIELD OF BATTLE
Order Had Been Issued That None of the Officers Wives Should Be Pres. ent and She Refused to Leave Her Husband.

Paris, April 1O-G:35 D. m.--Cap- tain Jean Herail, an officer in the French cavalry, was acquitted by eourtmartial when tried today for killing his wife at Compiegne last November because she persisted in following the army to be near him in direct violation Of orders issued by the military authorities.
 When Captain Heran was sent to the front his wife, to whom he was deeply attached, went to visit him. The French commander-in-chief had just issued a circular prohibiting all officers and soldiers from receiving their wives during the campaign A superior officer demonstrated with Captain Herail, and though the cap tain endeavOred to persuade his wife to return home she continued to post p0ne her departure. X second warn ing was given the captain with no better result, and when a third warn ing came he was told he would be cashiered unless Madame Herail im- mediatey left This she refused to do and the cavalry officer, fearing dishonor and degradation, shot his wife.
 For some time after the killing, Herail was a mental and physical wreck, and it was feared he would not survive. Recently. however, the captain recovered
 r. was brought ont that Captain Herail became mentally unbalanced through worry over the possible re- suits of his wife's refusal to obey this law and leave him.
 Seldom has a more pathetic scena been witnessed in a Paris court than when Captain Herail took the stand in his own defense The soldier wept as he told of the great love which he bore for his wife, and of now, when she steadfastly refused to return home and he believed that he would be cashiered he became absolutely mad and was driven to the last ex. tremity" of killing his loved one. The courtroom was crowded with women and officers and as Captain Herail sobbed out his story many of them shed tears of sympathy.
 Captain Herail told of the mutual love which prompted his wife to re- fuse to be separated from him while he was at the front, and of his own loal life.
 You do not realize how great was the love l had for my wife, he said, brokenly. When 1 believed | would be cashiered because of her deter mined refusal to return home, al- though implored her time and again, l became mad, absolutely mad, and was driven to the last extremity"
 Here the captain broke down and sobbed bitterly for five minutes and many of the women and uniformed officers in the court room were so af- fected by the gray-haired soldiers agitation that they, too, wept.
 Colonel Jacquillat, who presided over the court, reproved Captain Herail sharply for placing all the blame upon his wife and asked why he did not use some other method than to shoot her.
 'I did" replied the captain. "I tried every means. 1 was unstrung: l was out of my mind to kill the wife l loved"
 Captain Herail went into many de- tails of his happy married life, his testimony lasting for an hour. Eight times he was overcome and broke into tears.
 Colonel Moineville, commanding Captain Herai's regiment, the Elev- enth Hussars, testified regarding the orders which had been communicated to officers forbidding wives from vis- iting their husbands at the front. He spoke of the defendants excellent military service during 22 years in the regular army.
 Major BoucAez told the court of reading the colonels final order to Captain Herail that his wife must leave him or he would be courtmar- tialed for disobedienee When he had heard this order read Captain Herail went into the next room where his wife was.
 Major Bouchez then heard a shot and rushing into the room found Mime. Herail lying before the fire place. The major summoned the