COURT IN TEARS.

Grey River Argus, 9 April 1912, Page 8

COURT IN TEARS.

4* SOFT-HEARTED '■ FRENCH JURY. One of the tragic-comic scones which are so common m French justice was witnessed at the Charento Assizes at tne trial of a restaurant-kteper, Louis Hugron, for the murder of his wife aim attempted .murder of his young daughter. ins story was a pitiful ono.^ His ambitions were modest. His only desire had been to make an honest Hying and bequeath some, small amount to. his daughter to help her through life. Tie beg-an as a. servant, saved money, and set up a small establishment — the restaurant of the Eighteen Sauce- 1 pans in the Rue Montmarte. At Jirsi all went well and he was in the seventh heaven. Then suddenly his customers began to leave . him. He had only £BUU, representing his savings, left, and this was stolen from him. ; • In his sorrow he confided everything to his wife. To his stupefaction she burst into tears and told him that she was the real cause of his ruin. She had, it appeared, been systematically robbing the till* for the benefit of one of the waiters who haa captured her affections. ■ In his utter misery he forgave her. She cailed on him to kill her, whereupon he suggested that they should kill one another. She agreed, but insisted that they, should kill., the child as well to save her from future misery. That decision reached, the- two determined to . spend the iast wreck of their fortune, some £12, before dying. Thoy left the restaurant, made a tour in the west, and when only fourpence was left determined to end their existence. ■Hug-ron and his daughter told the story while, the prosecuting- counsel and the judge spoke will a quiveV in their voices and the jury bent down their heads ta hide the copious flood of tears. He had aimed at his daughter, he said, so as not to seriously injure her... He had fired a his wife to "lull hex and had done his best to kill himself. His survival was yet another failure in his career of disaster. The jury were so overcome with emotion that, after a thrilling appeal from Hugron' s counsel for "mercy, they found him not guilty, and the Court sobbed and applauded.