MYTHICAL MURDERS

Evening Star, Issue 19298, 10 July 1926, Page 10

MYTHICAL MURDERS

FIVE EXECUTED SUPPOSED VICTIMS ALIVE pjvf) persons who were executed for a supposed murder of three brother' 1<?0 years ago have pist been pro\cd innocent by a Nancy magistrate, M. Louis SadouL Two laborers working in a quarry at Vittel turned up a quantity ofwhar they thought wero human bone.',. A retired naval surgeon who was called to the spot confirmed their opinion, and declared that tho bones had been buried about seven or eight years, tie identified six skulls, all imperfect, and several shin bones and thigh bones. Nobody had ever nny_doubt' that a murder bad been committed, and tho authorities began to try to piece together the scattered bits of evidence. “ THE CARDINALS.” Suspicion quickly fell on a family known locally by the strange nickname of “ the Cardinals.” whoso real name was Arnould—threo brothers and

a sister, who lived with their old mother immediately opposite tha quarry. Tim Aruoulds had a bad reputation in Vittel, which they seem, to Romo extent, at any rate, to have deserved. The problem, however, was to establish tho identity of the victims. Nobody had disappeared trnm Vittel, nor had there been any talk of missing men in the surrounding district. Then it was remembered that among the entile merchants who came to tho spnng and autumn .lairs from other parts of I'Vanco sonic had not turned up for several years. Notably three brothers called Didiot, from_ the Department of the Colo cl ’Or, with whom the A moulds, who were prosperous cattle breeders, had had regular dealings, had not been seen for seven years. This was sufficient for the authorities, and tho five “Cardinals” were immediately arrested and charged with the crime. There was very little evidence against them until tho village idiot, known as “ Diodiche,” declared that soinb years earlier he had seen one of tho' brothers Arnould and a woman carrying a corpse. ONLY SHEEP DEAD. His evidence was confirmed by a girl called Ivoso Emonct, with tho difference that tho “corpse ” was not quire dead, but. dying. Finally the five Arnnnlds were found guilty, sentenced to death, and executed together. M. Sadonl has now discovered that the brothers Didiot were alive at. tho time of the execution of their supposed murderers. In a hook dealing with the mystery, which lues just been published, ho reproduces the registers of their deaths, which occurred respectively in ISO 6, ,7'ld, and 1814. The bones discovered in the quarry were probably those of sheep, as Mroe Arnould had said from the first. The most extraordinary circumstance is that neither the judicial authorities nor ihe Arnoulds or their legal advisers ever thought of inquiring whether the Didiots were really dead. It was just taken for granted that they were.