The Sun. — 1855-09-07 (London, England)

ROBBERY AND MURDER.  The Court of Assizes of the Nord has just been occupied two days in trying two men named Legrand and Bouchard, for murder and robbery. An elderly couple named Moucheront, retired brewers, lived at Marbaix, and were ki.own to have large sums of money in their house. On the 28th February last their servant, a female named \Very, on going to the house at an early hour in the morning, was horrified to find them both lying dead in a pool of blood. Their skulls were completely crushed in, apparently by blows from hammers ; they were dreadfully wounded in different parts of their per-ons with sharp instruments ; and their throats were cut from ear to ear. They had evidently been murdered on the previous evening, when seated by their fireside ; and as there were two chairs placed besides theirs, and as a jug and three glasses, containing beer, were en the table, it was supposed that the murderers were two men who had called upon them, and to whom they bad offered a glass of beer. Several drawers in different parts of the house had been broken open, and large sums of money, amounting to more than 50,000 f., which they were known to have contained, were stolen, as were also a gold wat,th and a quantity of plate. Suspicion fell on two brothers named Bouchard, men of bad character belonging to the village, and an anonymous letter was sent to the authorities stating that those men, accompanied by one Legrand, their brother•in-law, who was also a bad character, had been seen in the evening of the 27th going towards the house of the Aloucheronts. The three men were in consequence arrested. A. few days after the wife of Thelesphore Bouchard, one of the accused men, revealed that in the night of the 27th Feb., her husband and her brother Adolphe, after having been absent the greater part of the preceding day, had returned home at a late hour, and had entered the house, not by the door, but by the stable window ; that they had immediatel' washed their clothes, had examined them carefully the next morning, had destroyed a pair of shoes though quite new, and had made her wash a cravat. She also stated that they had informed her and their sister Clara that they had returned home late, and had washed their clothes, because they had had a fight with some gamekeepers, and they specially requested them net to talk of the affair, as they said that if found outl It they would be sure to get a year's imprisonment• turned out that they had, two days after this, sent hr e_i sister Clara to Paris, hut the authorities had her their sister home. When interrogated, she stated that she had several times overheard her brothers and Legrand talk of ncommitting murder for the sake of robbery, and had heard them indioate Moucheront and his wife their victims. A few days after these to a fellow facts had been as likely to be ascertained, Thelesphore Bouchard confessedwashe, his broprisoner named Barleon, that it and Barleon was about and remove 'her, and and Legrand who had corutomitbteed rtehleeamseudr,derbse, begged him to go to his hiouesee, where it was secreted, rout's gold watch from from Moucheront, which he Barleon told the director of and also to take away a ablapeg af hadul buried r ied money,n a ditcha s o stolen a t a place called Faux Monnne_ a said, and Bouchard having the h e watchat the repeated this, immediately was about to leave the gaol, to haste named the prison Crapes, what begged another prisoner, ts‘t,he man has and money beforek own to this man that he iiad buried same time made n Faux authoritiesAia " e t' couldaad removearrive t o his house and totahFe another sum of money in a. ditch at Catillon, and tome ' in a ditch at Marbaix , and he promisedlin a large more part of the booty provided he would remove it and keep silent. Crapez immediately communicated the man's confession to the gaol authorities. On hearing that he had done so, T. Bouchard was plunged in despair and determined to commit suicide. He sent for the director of the prison, and told him that it was he and Legrand who had committed the murders, and he describes] minutely how they had done them ; but be proteste that his .th.e crimes. Shortly brother Adolphe bad had no sharekit‘i after the man hanged himself. 2141°1Phe however, admitted, on being interrogated, that be w' plice in the murder- and robbery, and thatas haenhaadecant" perpetratedwatch near the there. houseT hweh ji‘lisrty declared ei se abrreodt hbiorthatnhde prisonersL graid ouilty, but with extenuating circumst in favour of A. Bouo'at d. The Court sentencedances Legrand to death, and Bouchard to hard labour for life. In the course of the proceedings, it was stated that Crapez, on making