New Britain herald., 1929-11-22
MERCY MURDERER
 WINS HIS FREEDOM
French Case EV0kes Much Con-
 troyersy-IS Fourth Of Kind
By NINOTT SAUNDERS

Draguignan, France, Nov. 22.-"l delivered my mother from horrible misery. l loved her, and l gave her peace"
 E. Like a requiem, that dramatic plea, which won freedom for con-
 tcssed parricide, has swept over France. But while finding favor in r public opinion, it has greatly disturb
 ed judicial cilclcs.
 For presumably immUtable law denying the right to kill in the name of morcy-again has been
 challenged and beaten. Richard Corbett. Jr.. 2S-year-old Anglo
 Frenchman who shot and killed his
 mother to release her from the tor turc oi an incurable disease, cmo-
 tionally sought to justify his act and
 was vindicatcd by q jury
 Others Freed in Similar Cases I,, There have been three preccdents
 in recent years. and every person who so boldly has pleaded that an individual may assume the power of life and death has gone free. DO you understand the gravity Of your act?" the tribunal asked Corbott as he stood pale but defi-
 ant on the witness stand. 'The l acl of parricidc is the most ser- ous ofrnsc d man may commit. rnder French law. You have in fringed dangerously on the roli- gious and social principles of SO ciety.
 You, a philosopher of some cruditon, should understand what havoc can be caused by allowing such crimes to be committed. No man is master Of him.n. Per haps your mother might have re- covered from her illness. Her life might have been prolonged. Does not that trouble your conscionce?" Holds to Religious Belief That is d matter of religious holi"f,' responded young Corbett after reflection. "I delivered my mother from horrible misery. loved her. and I gave her pcacc.' Cortrtt's father was an English man, member of d well-llnown fami- ly. who later became British Consul al Hyorcs, France. His mother for , ,u fly was maid in the service of [. he CorbCt family in England
 corbct's father, then a young man
 became infatuated with the b"auti- iul Frc?"h girl and married her. H. ~ died in 1909.
 Richard, throughout his youth
 was torn between his love for hi! 4 mother and th" pressure Of Engli&I relatives who tried to recover him l , Io vas partially educated in Eng Iaud but when Il" was 21 he dcclar cd himself q French citizen and sav honorable service dmins the . sNloroccan campaign
 i, When nc learned of his mothers serious illness l. t year, young Cor betL hurried to her side at Ilycrc and nursed her for months, She suf Tered from cancer and although al possible specialists were called in they agreed that she had no chanc of recovery, Sine was given drus . daily to soften her pain. Mother Desired Death The torture Of the mother bocGm lH" lOItU UrC Ol the son LII dll' Hmtring in hls car" and dryOiion fo i her, She begged that she might b allowed Q die She tried to hrib"
 servant 10 smuggl" a revolver to het one evening Richard gave hi
 mother strong narcotic to r"icH her pain. During tho might he sat b her bedside. watching her. "What cOuld do?" he asked dur ing examination. "fIcr only proSp"C was agony, l saw the sweat of in
 tolcrable pain on her forehead.
 was too much for any son to bear.
 At 1 o'clock in tn" morning h shot her through the temple. Deat
 was instantaneous. Throughout tn
 night he was stricken with grief an
 when the police found him he wa stretched across the body of hi
 mother, unconscious. He had sht
 himself in the region of the heart i
 an attempt to commit suicide. II
 condition was critical, but after a
 operation, and weeks in a hoSpita
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