The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1867-04-20 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

MURDER OF A YOUNG BELGIAN BY A WIDOW.  Intkpendante Beige relates the circumstances of a shocking murder recently perpetrated through jealousy, the criminal being a widow, named Cercneil, and the victim a young Belgian, named Adolphe Schoonooghe, with whom she had carried on an improper intimacy for a ciineiderable time. Referring to the name Cereneil (4 viler coffin or bier, the writer prefaces his narrative by asking whether names are not predestined. It would he impossible to find one which agreed more dismally with the crime of which justice has now revealed the incidents. It was through wanton passions and • mad attachment, which she kept alive by alcoholic stimulants, that the widow Cercueil was doomed to bring to a tragic end an amour which hail never been very interesting. Even while her husband was alb, she was Intimate with gell,,masarhe, a young workman, said to have been very handsome. 11,1 who was loved by another woman as well as by 111111aillt i'eicueil. When her husband died she had passed her fortieth year, and she became aware that the young Belgian was daily separating himself from her more and more. What put the crown on the jealousy of the widow was the belief that her lover was thinking of marrying. From that moment she appears to have conceived the design of her pitiless vengeance. It was proved that on Ow lith October Adolphe spent the night with the widow, and was rot afterwards seen. After some days, seeing that neither the wommt I', relied nor her lover reappeared, the porter formed some vague suspicions. He broke into the room, and the that object which met his view was the body of the young man covered only by his shirt. and gathered into a stooping posture near the bed on the side of which his head was leaning. He had died of suffocation, and in the room were still found three pans full of the ashes of charcoal. The first exclama. Hon of the widow was, "Quite right, I have revenged myself : he deserved his fate, it was he who caused me all my misery, and ba.ced me to desert iny child." The tnith was, that the violence of her passion had stifled maternal love, and that Ole had preferred deurting her child ti giving up her lover. Having been brought before the court her own confession, the widow Cercueff loudly denied the charge, and pretended that the young man must have committed suicide in her absence. There is no reason to Medd that, after leaving for some hours in order to allow the Mulling charcoal to 110 Its fatal work, she must have re-entered the room and lain quietly on the bed beside which lay the ilead body of her lover. For the two next nights, moreover, she most have slept near the corpse. She was interrogated as follows: " You had conceived for him Who afterwards became your victim a mad and uncontnßable passion ; when you perceived his indifference you wished to hold him by threats. 011 one occasion he found a knife under your pillow, and said to his fellow-workman, ' That woman is capable of killing me.' Every one heard your ...threats of vengeance. You knew that he had another mistrlss " The widow Cercueil wept, and said nothing "it is said that after the death of your lover you went to the cemetery, that you gave yourself up to despair, and that sou tore the ground with your nails in order that pin isight see the Is sly again." "I shall always regret him." the prisoner answered. "You pretended that he committed suicide : that In most imlikely, as he was • young man of • gay and buoyant dispinsition. lie loved his life, only he must have been wearied of your persecution."  The widow persisted in denying that she was guilty. The jury of the Seine, in finding her guilty, set aside the charge of premeditation, and allowed extenuating circumstances. She was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment.