Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1867-04-20 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

MURDER OF A YOUNG BELGIAN BY A WIDOW.  L'lnde'pendance Beige relates the circumstances of a shocking murder recently perpetrated through jealousy, the criminal being a wiaow, named Cercuell, and the victim a young Belgian, named Adolphe Schoonooghe, with whom she had carried on an improper intimacy for a considerable time. Referring to the name Cermacil oglice coffin or bier', the writer prefaces his narrative by asking whether names are not predestined. It would be 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 a mad attachment. which she kept alive by alcoholic stimulants, that the widow Cercueil was doomed to bring too tragic end an amour which had never been very interesting. Even while her husband was alive she was intimate with Schoonooghe, a young workman, said to have been very handsome. and who was loved by another w.onan as well as by NI whom; Cercueil. When her husband died she had passed her lortietli 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 in the 14th October Adolphe spent the night with the widow, and was not afterwards seen. After sonic days. seeing that neither the woman Cercueil nor her lover reappeared, the porter formed some vague suspicions. He broke into the room, and the first object which met his view was the body of the young man envnred nnly by his shirt, aud gathered into a stooping posture near the bed on the side of Whin Ws head was mantng. He had died of suffocation, and in the room were still found three pans full of the ashes of charcoal The first exclamation of the widow was, "Quite right, I have revenged myself; he deserved his fate, it was he who caused me all my misery, and forced are to desert my chili." The truth was, that the violence of her passion had stifled maternal Mve, and that she hail preferred deserting her child to giving up her lover. Having been brought before the court on her own confession, the widow Cercueil loudly denied the charge, and pretended that the young Dian must have committed suicide in her absence. There is no reaam to dont that, after leaving Pie some hours in order to allow the burning charcoal to do its fatal work, she must have re-entered the room and lain quietly on the bed beside which lay the dead body of her lover. For the two next nights, moreover, she must have slept near the corpse. She was interrogated as follows , " You had conceived for him who afterwards became your victim a mad and uncontrollable passion ; when you perceived his indifference you wished to hold him by threats. On one occasion he found a knife under your pillow-, and said to his fellow-worknian, 'That woman is capable of killing me.' Every one heard your threats of vengeance. You knew that lie had mother mistress." 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 you tore the ground with your nails in order that you might one the body again." "I shall always regret him,' the prisoner answered. "You pretended that he committed suicide ; that is most unlikely, as he was a young man of a gay and buoyant disposition. Ile 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 VIOA sentenced to ten years imprisonment.