Bridlington and Quay Gazette. — 1882-12-30 (Bridlington, Humberside, England)

SWISS MURDER.  - - ----A case of murder, which bas been the occasion of oonsiderable excitement in Canton Vaud, has just been tried at Lausanne. The accused were • man, Emile Crritonoud, aged 23, and a woman, aged 28, named Sophie Morel. They were charged with haying mustered an old man named Facet, the guard of a lei el railway err.allig in the neighbourhood a Lausanne. Sophie Morel kept his house and lived with him ouretufement. Late on the night of the 281 h of August last she accosted a railway watch man and told bin that Facet had been murdered. Some person unknown to her, she said, had asked the old man In Looms into the road and then killed him ; *hen she put her head out of the window to see what was going on, the murderer struck her twice with the hutt-end of a gun, but as soon as the coast WWI clear she had run out of the cottage, and now appealed to the watchman for protection. She appeared to be badly hurt, and her face was streaming with blood. Her story was at first accepted without question' but from the moment that the police began to study the circumstances of the murder, aid inquire about Sophie Morel's antecedent., they entertained grave doubts as to the veracity of Ler statements. She was watched, questioned, and tempted to commit herself. A girl named Coma., • fellow-patient in the hospital, with whom Morel had become very intimate, one day informed the police that Sophie had avowed her c nmplicity in Favez's murder. According to Corona's testimony, the statement made by Morel WM to the effect that she and Cretorioud laid • plot to kill and rob the old man, that she wan the trot to strike him as he entered the e.ottsge, that he defended himself with the hook which he mad for pulling stones from under the rails, and that, while his attrition was theta engaged, erritononi came behiod aid gave Facet • death stroke with his genets:tr. This incident lei, of course, to Morel's arrest and that of her supposed accomplice; but she persistently denied having made any avowal, and adhered with singuiar tenacity to her previous statement. On the other hand, many circumstances came to light which confirmed the theory suggeeted by the alleged confession. Several articles which had belonged to Fayec were found in Morel's possession, and she admitted having rifled hie pockets as he lay dead on the ground. According to Crritormud's confession, which imported another element of diasculty into the case, he alone was the murderer, and he corroborated Morel's owls, in every particular. He contended, however, Wit the trim. WWI not premeditated. It veastain• tag bard on the night of August 28, he paid, and as he pulled Fasez's but, being the worse for drink at the time, he looked in at the window and asked for an ' umbrella. The old man brought him the umbrella, but reproached him for looking through the window, whereupon hot words ensued, blown were exchanged, and he knocked Facet down with his gun without , moaningto kill him. Then, seeing somebody at the window, he struck in that direction, and when he found that Facet was dead be took his watch and made off. The prosecution, nevarthelese, held to the theory tiat Motel was principal, and Csritonoud an accessary only. The strongest point against the woman MPS that, although she denied baring recognised themurderer when he stench her at the window, and equaily denied having made any statement to the girl Conan, it was impossible that the latter sh mid have known, except from her, that Crritonond wan the Man. In the end the jury found the man guilty of murder and robbery, and acquitted the woman. capital punishment has been long abolished in Cantos Vaud, but Cretonoud'e sentence, 25 years seclusion, la probably • penalty even more terrible than &ail%