A FATHER KILLED BY HIS SON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6823, 29 September 1883, Page 2 (Supplement)

A FATHER KILLED BY HIS SON.

Aγ the recent assizes held at Pau two young peasants, named Dermit and Birth-.buru, we're tried for the murder of the .lattcr'a father, and the strancest feature in the cace was that the alleged motive for the murder was that B irthaburii was anxious to be in a position to escape serving in the army under the plea of being the eldest sou of a widow. Dermit was accused of haviDg aided in the commission of the murder t'> oblige his friend. The murder was committed nearly three years ago. No evidence was obtained' by the police until last summer, when a man 1 who said that he had witnessed the murder, .and who had benn afraid to speak, came f?rwa'rd and described the scene, statins that the son strangled the father while Dermit held him down. After thi3 witness had given his evidence a fortune-teller of Bayonne was placed in the box. This old woman stated that a few days after tho murder the two prisoners called to see her, and asked her to tell th'.ir fortunes. She was much struck, by their despondent appearance, aud supposing that they had recently lost some near relative, she said, "I see by the cards you have had a death in the family." Dermit said, " Yes, we have killed t'ue old man !'•' The fortune-teller at first thought they were indulging in some sinister joke, but they, apparently regretting their hasty utterance, forced her to go upon her knees and solemnly swear that she would never divulge their secret. She alleged that, fearing to share the fate of the murdered man, she took the oath, and that they tlien told her the whole story. She kept her oath for two years, but hearing that ono of the two had been arrested on suspicion, she came forward to tell what she knew. Other witnesses stated thafctho dead man's son had for some time einco the murder been a prey to the moat , terrible hallucinations, and this perhaps was ' the reason why the jury gave him the benefit | of extenuating circumstances, and bo saved him from ■ the scaffold, the s.ntence being penal servitude for life.