The Warwickshire Herald. — 1890-03-20 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

EPIDEMIC OF CRIME.  The Daily Telegraph Paris correspondent chronicles two more terrible crimes. One took place at No. 70, Boulevard Momper-name, where lived M. Picard, *a clerk in the Ministry of Public Instruction, with a woman named Marie Rebut. M. Picard paned as a model of a Government employe, and his neighbours were under the impression that Rebut was his wife, so closely did the existence of the couple resemble that of steady-going married people. For some time past Marie Rebut had been ill with • dangerous affection in this throat, for which she had to undergo an operation. This preyed on the mind of Picard, who appeared unduly excited, but the friends who had been keeping bollear with him took no notice of his altered manner, and left him with Marie Rebut and her youngest sister. Early on Friday morning the latter was awakened from sleep by the sound of voices, and she saw Picard giving his mistress something to drink out of a bowl. Hardly had Marie Rebut partaken of the drink when she cried out that she was poisoned. Picard made no remark in reply, whereupon the little girl got out of bed and proceeded to her sister's aid. After she had done so Picard produced• big revolver and fired three shuts point blank at hi- paramour. He then went into the kitchen, swallowed some of the stuff which he had given the woman—which proved to be • solution of oopperies—took up his revolver once snore and blew the roof of his skull off with the three remaining bullets. Before giving his final gasp he was able to drag himself to the foot of Marie Rebut'. Lied, Ware he died. The woman herself was also dead before her little sister returned with the concierge of the house, whom she had roused up. The other drains was enacted in • " regular* household, that of Si. and Madame Mayer of the Rue Monge. The hu. band and wife lined as war with one another, and while the former was at work in his private office, Madame Meyer approached him with • pot tub of binning paraffin oil, which she flung over him. The man, literati), on fin from head to foot, rushed upstairs to the 1.001111 Of police-inspector who lived in the house, but the inspector's servant, when she ine-tted the door, recoiled terror-stricken front the night before her, and retreated inside. Madame Slayer in tits meantime armed herself with the revolver and ran after her husband, in whose back she lodged six bullets. Hearing the sounds of the shuts, the woman concierge of the house ran courageously to the anistance if the wounded Orion, and extinguished the tismes ti. at enveloped him. The police-inspector, at he riek of being shot, rushed after Madame May r, who locked herself in her room, arid turnirg the loaded revolver egitinst herself, tired five bullets into her Went. Sire died anima instantaneously, her husband haviiig lingered a short time before lie succumbed to lire fearful injuries. The woman, who was 45 years of age, her husband being 51.4 is supposed to have given way toe fit of insanity. These climes, repellant in heir horror, are only the principal ones that bead 're list of the sombre tragedies that have left crimson traces in the annals of the Mid-Lenten festivities of the present year.  M. ',enfant', the sculptor, has committed suicide in a train between Paris and Brest, by firing three -evolver shots in the head and near the heart. The deceased's chief artistic works were "Pro Petrie Mori," "Christat the Tomb," the "Devilfish Fisher," " The Holy Virgin." and "CEdions "