LOVE DRAMA IN A STATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14507, 22 October 1910, Page 2 (Supplement)

LOVE DRAMA IN A STATION.

BAKER'S VENGEANCE.

TRACKED TO PARIS. Ax extraordinary drama of love and murder was enacted at tho Northern station in Paris on a recent Monday afternoon. Tho affair was the tragic sequel to a wife's visit to Paris, an Italian named Victor Facenda fatally shooting his wife's lover, and inflicting injury on his wife. The victim is Phillippo Bocta, also an Italian, and all three have been living in Glasgow, whore Facenda carried on a confectionery business. Before, going to Glasgow Facenda is said to have lived at Brighton. Bocta is a journeyman confectioner, aged 21. and had not long been in Glasgow. When he arrived there ho made tho acquaintance of Mr. and Mrs. Facenda, at whoso house he l>ecame a frequent visitor. Ho is said to have paid marked attention to Mrs. Facenda, who was much younger than her husband. Three weeks after the wife left her husband's roof, whether intending to remain away permanently or not is uncertain. She announced her intention of going to Paris, and of visiting her parents in Italy. Arriving in Paris she took lodgings near the Northern Station. A week after her departure young Bocta took it into his head to visit the Continent, and one morning he disappeared from Glasgow'. The husband heard of his departure soon afterwards, and that Bocta and Mrs. Facenda had been seen together in Paris. The husband, infuriated with Bocta, and suspecting his wife, at once set out for Paris in search of them. For four days he searched in vain. He suspected that tho couple, either singly or together, would soon return to England, and so for couple of days he hung about- the Northern. Station, keeping a sharp eye on the passengers travelling bv the boat, trains. At- two o'clock on the Monday afternoon his hunt was successful. He arrived at the station 15 minutes before tho departure of the boat rain for Boulogne. After a glance at the people on the platform ho went to a waiting-room and on putting his head inside he was just in time to see his wife and Bocta leaving by another door and making for the waiting train. Following them hurriedly lie drew a revolver, and, as lie afterwards explained, feeling that it- would be an act of v ? ward ice to attack his rival from behind, he : wung Bocta round witfi" his left hand, ana at onco shot him with the revolver he held ill the other.

Bocta, grievously wounded in the chest, ran shrieking to (he stationmaster's office, and hid behind a desk. Ho ran out- on to the platform after a few seconds and dashed towards Facenda, but his strength was gone, and he dropped dead on the platform. Facenda, meanwhile, had turned upon his wife, and had fired at her. The bullet, however, struck her stays and glanced off. inflicting only a surface" wound. Police seized him at once and bore him away. He behaved with remarkable coolness, and only expressed regret when lit heard that, after all. his wife was not dead. He made no resistance.

When examined by a magistrate he frankly admitted the crime. "Do what you will," he said, "there is only one thing I am sorry for, and it- is that the woman is not dead."