The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette. — 1868-07-28 (Dorchester, Dorset, England)

TRIAL FOR MUIDIR IN FRANCL— Two women. Marie Flentot, • domestic tervent, aged 24, and her ; mother, Marguerite Merlette, have jut been tried in [ Para on • charge of murder. Time victim wan • lady named Chantereau, aged 110, and unmarried, but who , for more than 20 years had cohabited with a person ; named Forest, • builder, and passed as his wife. She resided during the summer at • pleasant villa on the I banks of the Marne, at La Varenne-St. -Hilaire, a short ' distance from Peri.; 11. Forest, being detained in town by business, was always absent from his country seat during the week, and only arrived on Saturday evening I tostay over the Sunday At about half-pest one on the I weeping of the 10th August last the house at La ' Verenne was discovered to be on fire. The flames were I got under in about an hour, after which the body of Mddle. Chanteresu was found on a bed which load only been partially burnt • the head was completely car. bonised, but, singularly enough, the body wins only scorched, and the mattresses on which it lay were not I destroyed. This feet struck the persons who came to render assistance, and the first impression was that • crime had been committed, suspicion falling on the servatot Fleutot, who was alone with Mddle. I Chantereau at the moment of the disaster; but es IL Forest found his property in the house, to the amount of over 300,000 f. in cash and securities. remaining intact, and as the body bore no marks of violence, that supposition fell to the ground, and the fire end the death of Millie. Chantereau were concluded to have been the result of an accident. In February last, how. ever, from information which U. Forest had received, • search was made in the apartment at Hem occupied by the mother of the girl Fleutet, and • large quantity of property was found, consisting of bedding, linen, jewellery, articles of wearing apparel, lec., of the value of from 4,000 C to 5,000 f., all of which had belonged to the aleceabeti lady. A judicial inquiry was then opened, and showed that the murder must have been committed by the women Fleutot, whited by her mother, who went frequently to visit her, and they were in consequence both arrested. The investigation proved that they had endeavoured to drown the unfortunate lady while she wan taking • bath, and the finger' of the younger prisoner still bore marks of a bite which she had evidently received from Mddle. Chantercau while the latter was struggling in the water. The crime had apparently been effected by means of blows on the head. The two women had then removed a quantity of property to the railway station to carry it off, and had finally set the house on fire to conceal the murder and robbery. The medical evidence showed that the head of Mddle. Chantereau most have been burnt, probably to remove traces of the violence used, before the body was placed on the bed where It was found. The previous career of each of the two women showed that they were of a dishonest and depraved character. The daughter has already undergone a underline. tion to six month's imprisonment for theft in • previous situation, and when with another master had set fire to the apartment to conceal some dishonest act. She had borne an illegitimate child, and since leaving the service of IL Forest had cohabited with a man an the same rooter which her mother occupied. She showed great assurance on the trial, parrying the the questions put to her with some ability. The dr. eumstantialevidence was, however, conclusive, and the prisoners were each condemned to hard labour for life. On hearing the sentence the girl Fleutot, who had probably expected a capital punishrnent,could not restrain a smile of satisfaction' which excited the Indignation of the public present, and some cries of "Death! death!" wore heard from the audience.  Moaqurross.—Although the report that mosquitoes have appeared in England has been questioned, there is no room to doubt the fact. A week or two "Woe they were at Woolwich, and now we hem of them at Chatham A medical correspondent, who has had ex. perience of mosquito bites in tropical climates, states that at Woolwich two artillerymen have been temporally blinded from swollen eyelids, whilst indamed hands and faces are common. The invaders ere this week very troublesome in the Harbert Hospital at Woolwich.