FAMOUS TRIALS

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 148, 25 June 1927, Page 23

FAMOUS TRIALS

JJarie Fortunes Lafarge. born ilarie fjppelle, the heroine of this mysterious jfair, was ot good birth. Her father, Colonel Cappeile. had served in the French artillery at Waterloo. On his death, his Marie was adopted by her aunt, jfatfeme Garat. whose husband was a high | official in the Bank ot France. Her ehildI kood, however, was lonely, her one intimate companion being a young girl of aimilar age. Marie de Nieolai, who became jjje wife of the Marquis de Leautaud. It was not for want of suitors that Harie Cappelie failed to follow her friend's I eaunple, and tied a rich husband for i ierself. On the conrary. she had many guitors. But this was only natural, since, jjj addition to being extremely good-look-ing, her father had left her a dot of 100,000 francs, a sum which then represented a small fortune. She was. however. in no hurry to leave the luxurious home of her uncle and aunt, and she had also resolved to marry for 'iove.'' or not at all. Her guardians applauded the resolve, gtifl, they did not mean it to be taken literally. Accordingly, they set to work to select a husband for her. All unknown to M. and Mme. Garat. Fate was working with them. They heard of a young man. Charles Lafarge by name, who seemed in every way eligible. .Thus, from inquiries that they set on foot, they gathered that he was about 27 years old, of good family, with a chateau in the Correze district, and the owner of a snug business as an ironmaster, bringing him an income of 80,000 francs. /Farther he had no '"entanglements." An Meal husband for Marie, they decided. If, however, the Garats had not been in aach a hurry, and had pushed their inquiries a little further, they would have discovered that Charles Lafarge was not 'all that he represented himself to be. As to his business, he had one, it was true; but the income he derived from its was neither 80,000 francs, nor 80,000 anything. As a matter ot fact, his finances just then were at a distinctly low ebb, and all Jus property was heavily mortgaged. The real truth about Charles Lafarge was that he had betaken himself to Paris for the express purpose of finding a wife. Not being of a particularly romantic temperament, he put the matter in the hands of a certain M. de Fpy, the proprietor of a flourishing matrimonial agency. His instructions to that individual iwere explicit. What he wanted, he said, .was somebody with a dowry. If the lady happened to have birth and beauty as well, so much the better. Cash, however, was the main thing. Married In Haste. As it was the broker's business to know everybody in Paris who had marriageable daughters (or other feminine dependents) on their hands, he of course knew the Garats. Without losing any time, he called on them, and painted such a glowing picture of M. Lafarge, the "rich ironmaster," 1 and his qualities that they felt he would be an ideal husband for their niece. In French fashion, they told hex just what they wanted; and she, as was the custom with properly brought up girls of the period, advanced no objections. If Marie Cappelie had dreamed dreams of a handsome young loved coming to carry her off, they were shattered at the first interview she had with Charles Lafarge. She found him provincial and boorish, and comparing very unfavourably with the polished men of the world she was accustomed to meet in her aunt's salon. Being, however, much too well brought up to question the wishes of her foster parents, she declared herself ready to become Madame Lafarge whenever it suited them. It seems to have suited them almost at once, for the engagement was publicly announced five days later; and the wedding took place within another week. Quick work! Charles Lafarge's plans did not include a honeymoon. TTi« idea was to take his wife straight to Le Glandier, where his widowed mother and sister lived with him. There a shock awaited her, for the chateau which had been described as a "magnificent mansion," resolved itself into a wretched half-ruined eountry house, ill furnished and uncomfortable, solitary and remote. . . Accustomed as she was to her Parisian luxury and refinement, Marie's heart sank when she saw the drear prospect in stor for her. Feeling that she could not endurt it, the moment she was in the house sh save way to an acute attack o. "nerves," or at any rate of hyster-.a Before anybody s could stop her, sh rushed upstairs, and, locking herself intc her bedroom, wrote a letter to the mar •he had just married, begging that h would release her. But this was not all for, incredible though it sounds, sh actually accused herself of misconduct prio to the wedding, even declaring that sh •till corresponded with a lover. The effect that this letter produced oi Charles Lafarge was nearly to send him of his head. At first he raged and stormed and declared dramatically that he wa "dishonoured." Then, when he calmed down, he did what he ought to have done immediately he read it, and consulted his mother. To his astonishment, she did not appear unduly upset. "Don't upset yourself," she said. "All young brides have their tantrums. This only means that Marie is tired out by her long journey. By to-morrow morning, shell have forgotten all about it." "But the letter?" faltered Charles. ? My God! she says terrible things in. it. "Pooh, my son. she doesn't mean a word of them. I'll have a talk with her. Leave this to me." Apparently the "talk" which the old lady had with her daughter-in-law was effective. At any rate, the other retracted everything she had written, declaring it to be the result of "nerves," and that there was not a word of truth in it. Followed a happy reconciliation •11 round, and the commencement x>f a period of conjugal felicity. In short, everything just as it should be. The reconciliation appeared to be complete. To all intents and purposes the young wife got over her early repugnence to the gloom and dulness of Le Glandier, and settled down there to make the best of things. It was difficult, however, to make the best of her mother-in-law, for old Madame Lafarge resented a young and attractive girl becoming mistress where •he herself had ruled so long. Marie exhibited swh tact and a desire to live i on good terms with all the members of . the household that she gradually won their tolerance, if not their affection. Where i her husband was concerned, he no longer had any cause to complain of his wife's ' coldness, and whenever he was called away ) on business she wrote him long letters ; full of tenderness and love. < As it happened, Charles went away "on business" very often. But the business ; was genuine, being concerned, as hitherto, with the raising of money to free himself ; from the embarrassments which he had < studiously hidden from his wife. On these expeditions he was always accom- i panted by his foreman, a certain Denis i Barbier, who was soon to stalk a sinister i figure across the drama for which the t •tage at Le Glandier was already being <: aet. 2 Although nominally nothing more than i an employee of his, there was a close bond 1 between the master and man. The bond e was not a creditable one, for the two were linked by a long standing history of joint i fraud. To secure some much needed cash, i Lafarge had issued bills considerably in excess of the real value of his property ( and Barbier had endorsed these documents with some good "names," and got them < discounted. It was to raise still further t money that, in November, 1839. the pair e went off to Paris. This business kept t •*«»■ there a month, during which inter- i %7*\ Charles received several affectionate | g ■•ttera from Marie. His mother also t

case of; marie lafarge.

FRENCH POISONING MYSTERY

By HORACE WYNDHAM.

wrote to say that, at her request, she was sending him a box of home-made delicacies. As soon as he had eaten a portion of one he was attacked with convulsion*. Who Poisoned Charles Lafarge?

As soon as he was sufficiently recovered to travel, he returned to Le Glandier. It was obvious, however, that he was still very ill. He was at once put to bed. where Marie, who showed great distress at his condition, insisted on nursing him and preparing his food. Nor would she allow anybody else in his room. The utmost she would permit of his mother was to send for the family doctor. When this individual appeared, he declared M. Lafarge to be suffering from '"colic.'' and prescribed simple remedies. These. naturally enough, had no effect, and the patient merely grew worse. Thereupon his mother took another opinion. The second doctor followed a more up-to-date method of diagnosis. He examined the sick man's food. What he discovered there caused him to look very serious, for a bowl of broth that had been prepared for his consumption was found to contain a powder that certainly resembled arsenic. Antidotes were promptly administered. But it was then too late to do anything, and Charles Lafarge. beyond the skill ot the entire faculty, died in horrible convulsions a few hours later.

Since arsenic appeared to be the cause of death, two important questions arose. The first was, how had it come to Le Glandier? and the second was, who had administered it to the dead man? There was, however, no mystery as to the presence of the poison. Marie Lafarge told the doctor that she herself had procured it to destroy the rats with which the place was over-run. She had bought it openly from a chemist, and she produced her letter to him for the doctor* inspection. Feeling vaguely uneasy at this new teurn of events, the doctor questioned the members of the household. Some of them had curious and disturbing things to tell him. Thus a Madame Brun mentioned that she had once found Marie surreptitiouslv mixing a "white powder" with her husband's food; Denis Barbier had a circumstantial story of having been employed bv his young mistress to fetch a fresh supplv of arsenic and that she had forbidden him to mention the fact; and a kitchen maid volunteered a very similar statement Finally, old Madame Lafarge demanded that an autopsy should be performed on her dead son. While the doctor and his assistant were carrying out their gruesome work, Madame Lafarge went to the police, and declared that her son's death had been encompassed by his wife. Acting on what she told them, they applied to the nearest magistrate for a warrant. One was issued without demur; and the next evening a couple of agents appeared at Le Glandier and took Marie Lafarge into custody. A Travesty af Justice. Other countries, other judicial systems. The trial of Marie Lafarge was conducted in the approved French fashion of the period. Thus, the guilt of the prisoner was assumed at the outset by the presiding judge, who delivered long harangues and tirades, and hectored witnesses and advocates whenever they said something he did not expect; and the opposing counsel lost their tempers and hurled insults at one another.

M. Decoux, who, as Advocate-General, . conducted the prosecution, certainly put ' Marie Lafarge on the rack. From tne , first, he let it be clearly seen that he meant to secure her conviction at all ; costs; and that, as prosecutor, it would have been a reflection on ma professional , capacity if she were to slip through his i fingers. He fastened upon every small i point that told against her. and brushed contemptuously aside everything advanced • in her favour. "Who was it," he demanded in theatrical fashion, "that caused the death of the deceased? Will the defence dare to say that it was his mother? Oh, let them not_ venture to insinuate such a thing. Ah, Marie Lafarge, you tremble, for you know full well that yours was the hand that poured in the poison!'' The principal witness for the prosecution was Denis Barbier. The role was obviously to his liking, a circumstance which he made no effort to conceal. He swore that from the first he had suspected his young mistress of plotting her husband's death; and she had. he said, told him to get her gome arsenic, and not to mention the fact to anyone at Le Glandier. On this disclosure, a juryman inquired why, since he suspected her, he had obtained the poison she wanted? "I was afraid of her displeasure," was the answer. This was accepted as sufficient reason for compounding a felony. The AdvocateGeneral, too, could see nothing to cavil at when the defence showed his pet witness contradicting himself, and making a number of assertions that were demonstrably untrue. Nor was he discredited when it transpired that he had passed under a false name, and carried out a series of swindling transactions in Paris and elsewhere. Each of the three barristers appearing for Marie Lafarge made a gallant effort to shatter the forces massed against her. The brunt of the counter-attack was borne by Lachaud, the junior, of the trio. He stood up boldly to the sneers and thunders and angry scoldings of the great Decoux, and refused point blank to be coerced either by him or by the judge. "I am at a loss to understand the threats of the Advocate-General." he declared passionately. "It is urged against me by him that I have imported heat into my eonduct of this case. I don't deny it. I feel heat. I feel it strongly, when I think of this wronged and unhappy woman from whom justice is being withheld. Her innocence is established in my heart; and the more she is disparaged by you, the more vigorous and pronounced will be my efforts to protect her." What the prosecution relied upon above all else was to establish the fact that there was arsenic in the dead man's body. Although a careful analysis of his organs had already been made without revealing any, the Advocate-General demanded that another should be conducted by M. Duputryen, a well-known Parisian chemist. Once more the grave was disturbed, and three days were occupied in carrying out the dreadful task. At the end of this period M. Duputryen stood up in a hushed and breathless Court to declare the result of his autopsy. "On my honour, and on my conscience, and before God," he announced solemnly. "I have not discovered a single trace of arsenie in any portion of the body or Charles Lafarge." When they heard these words, and realised what they meant, the public burst into a volume of frantic cheering. Pressing unchecked round the occupant of the dock, they shook her hand, mingling their congratulations with those of her counsel. Marie Lafarge, pale and trembling from the long ordeal she had endured, would have fallen in a. swoon, had not Lachaud supported her. '"Courage," he whispered. "A little moment, and the judge will pronounce you innocent. This was the cue for the AdvocateGeneral.. "Since when," he demanded in his most cutting tones, "has the sanctuary of justice become an arena for the exhibition of evil passions? Does the defence really think that the prosecution has no further resources at its command?" Then, gathering up his papers, he-held • whispered colloquy with the grim figure in the

red robe on the bench above him. Its purport was soon seen, tor the judge brusquely announced that there -would be yet another analysis, and that this otv ■would be performed by M. Orfila, the chiei Government expert from Paris.

When; on the evening of the seventeenth day of the sitting. Marie Lafarge took her place in the dock, to hear the result of this final and definitive analvsis, it was observed that her jet black hair had become snow white. But the poor woman's suspense was not to last long, as M. Orfila was ushered at once to the witness-* stand. There, in ten brief words he pronounced her doom.

'"I have found arsenic in the body o; Charles Lafarge.''

As he finished speaking, the guttering candles before him flickered and went out". ■With them, flickered and went out the last hope of Marie Lafarge. The public prosecutor at once claimed a verdict of guilty. The jury, who would not have known a lump of arsenic from a lump of chalk, and had no knowledge as to how a delicate chemical test for its recognition was performed, obliged him. But. in finding Marie Lafarge guilty of murder, they also found "extenuating circumstances." Had it not been for this. she would inevitably have gone to the guillotine. As it was, the judge condemned her to imprisonment for life, and further ordered that she should first be '"exposed'' in the pillory in the public square at Tulle. This second piece of savagery. however, teas afterwards cancelled. An Unsolved Mystery. In the 1340's things were very much as they are nowadays. The story of Mane Lafarge found responsive ecaioes among almost all who heard it: and, in her prison cell, she attracted much more interest than she had ever done in her freedom. During the first few months ot her confinement she was said to have received six thousand letters, many of them accompanied be offers of marriage. At the end of twelve long years, during the whole of which period she was never heard to utter any complaint, t!ie Emperor granted her a free pardon. But this act of grace had been withheld too long to be of any benefit, for Marie Lafarge, worn out with anxiety and sorrow, was then a dying woman. When her death occurred, a few months later. she was only thirty-six. There are mysteries in practicallv all cases of poisoning. Undoubtedly there is one here. But this one will never be solved, for the grave that finally closed over Marie Lafarge is 1852 also closed over the secret of her husband's death in 1340.