MURDER IN A TRAIN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 72, 24 March 1906, Page 13

MURDER IN A TRAIN.

FRENCH TUNNEL CRIME. '__ CONTFESSIOX. 'As briefly announced by cable, *n appal---Ims; murder, recalling that perpetrated by Lefroy on the London, Brighton.* and South. Coast Railway, *nd that on the Western of France line, in which M. Bareme, Prefect of the Eure, was the victim, many years ago, was discovered at Virltm. in the 'Am. The murdered man was travelling to Geneva from Lyons, after having previously been in London, Paris, and Nice on business. He was M. Durel. a Frenchman. long Director of the Kursal, and well known in Paris as a writer, of pantomimic pieces and organiser of spectacular ballets. Two men have been arrested for the crime. and one of them made a dramatic confession. M. Durel was a Lyons man, and had lived for a quarter of a century Ir* Geneva. He was murdered in France, while the train was in the tunnel between Virieu-le-Grand and Rossillon, in the department of Aln. His body was found on the line, near Yirieu, in a fearfully mutilated condition, with the throat cut- The state of a first-class compartment of the train arriving at Geneva from Lyons at midnight first aroused suspicions. An

overcoat was found in the compartment, with papers bearing M. Durel's name An examination of the line soon revealed the tragedy. M. Durel was 47, and was by profession an architect. The Kursaal of Geneva was constructed after his plans in 187 S. and later on he became owner and director of the establishment. He had also large business interests in Lyons, Nice, and Brussels, and was regarded as a very prosperous man. He was frequently travelling, and always went by the same trains. AI. Durel had been to Nice, and had received valuable bonds there—probably amounting to £14,000. M. Durel's pockets were cleared of everything. An examination of the body was made by the magistrate at Belley, in the Aln. revealing terrib'e injuries. Deceased was stabbed in three places, and his throat was cut. The thrusts were MADE BY A DAGGER OR STILETTO, and one of them perforated a lung. The head was battered by the fall on vie line, and the body had been dragged on for some distance by the train. Acting on information collected by the police with remarkable celerity, two ycnng men, named Marzo and Georges, were arrested at Meximieux. A restaurant-keeper at Virieu gavf a description of two xoung men who had been at his establishment 12 times within three days, and whose behavionr excited suspicion. The above arrests were made on the strength of the descriptions supplied by the. landlord. One of the accused. Louis Georges, lives at Meximieux, in the Am. The other (says the Paris correspondent of the London "Daily Telegraph'") is Eugene Marzo. and is of Italian origin, his residence being usually Lyons, where his father Is a plaster and cement contractor. Georges was formerly employed on the Lyons line. He and Marzo were fast friends, and both are reported to he very bad characters. They were engaged, according to certain persons who have been giving information abont them to the police, in the "white slave traffic," and made many trips together to Paris.

The gendarmes who arrested the pair found in their rooms at Meximieux a gold watch supposed to belong to M. Durel, about £12 in gold, and a note of the Bank of Geneva, wbere the murdered man lived. Their appearance before the examining magistrate bad a dramatic sequel. Louis Georges, a man of 30, was first examined. > Georges at first tried to give evasive an- | swers. The magistrate, however, produced the gold watch found in tbe room of the houseat Meximieux, where Georges lived, or, rather lodged with his mother, andwhere Marzo was also abiding temporarily. "Mme. Dnrel," said the juge d'instructlon.

fixing his eyes on the man, "states positively that this watch belonged to ber murdered husband. How did you come by it, Louis Georges? Tell mc that." The

PRISONER AT ONCE pAVE IN: "I see," he said, "that I can no longer conceal from yon, Monsieur le Judge. Yes, I did the job. I was instigator of the affair, and I am the lowest of wretches. I enticed my young friend Marzo into it. It was I who hit the man with the leadenknobbed stick, and then Marzo stabbed him with a dagger. Marzo and I were long hard up, and wanted money for a big spree. We both knew that the Une from Lyons to Culoz and Geneva was often used by rich merchants and travellers carrying a good deal of money. On December 20th last we made a trial trip from Amberien to Vlren-de-Grand, but we saw nobody worth looting. We went over the same ground several times without success. While we were at Amberieu station 'we spotted a solitary traveller in a first class carriage. We got in with him, and saif that he was wearing a thick gold chain, and that he had a handsome brown valis* with hotel tickets on it. Marzo and I went into the corridor when the train moved, ahd consulted. The man was dozing over a newspaper. I struck him with a heavilyknobbed stick, and then Marzo stabbed him in the breast three times. The train was in a tunnel, and after we had taken the man's watch, pocket boot, and valise, we threw, him out, as he was still breathing. We went out at Yirleu, and there took two first class tickets for Lyons, but we only pretended to get into the train. That was done to throw the station people off the scent, and to make them say to the police' that we went on to Lyons. We got across the country, opened the valise—which only co.ntaii.ed clothes—bnt we found bant notes In the pocket book for a little over 400". I threw the valise into a pond, and after a fatiguing Journey we went to my home _.t Meximieux, where we were arrested."

Eugent Marzo was then examined. He stated practically over again what his accomplice had already said. He was led on by Georges, who first Initiated him into the practices of fast life in Lyons, and afterwards in Paris, whence the two recently returned hard up. Marzo fully admitted having helped Georges to despatch M_< Durel in the railway carriage.