MURDER MYSTERY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20537, 11 April 1930, Page 11

MURDER MYSTERY.

ACCUSED MAN RELEASED.

FRENCH POLICE METHODS

(Received April 10, 11.05 p.m.) PARIS, April 10

Tho Armenian tailor Almazian, who was arrested on a charge of murdering his friend Francois Pigaudin in September, 1929, has been released, Tho man has spent, six months in prison notwithstanding tho fact that it has lonp been plain that, there was no evidence of his guilt. Tho clamour in the French press is increasing against third decree methods such as were employed in Alniazian's case. The Police Commit tee of the Chamber iif Deputies to-day adopted a hill limiting the power of Ihe police over individual liberty, including preventive detention, domiciliary searches, etc. 1 lie committee also called on tho Government to introduce another bill to deal with arbitrary arrests and tho investigation of crime by so-called scientific methods. The police stdl have no clue to the murderer of I'iigaudin.

The body of Francois Kigaudin, an accountant, was found in -t wicker trunk at the Nord railway station at Lille, on September 13, 1929. Hi was known that Kigaudin was the lover of Madatno Almazian, a young Parisiennc. The murder was complicated by the fact that lligaudin's mother had been strangled mysteriously in her rooms in the previous April. The murder of Kigaudin was unexplained. It was known that he was a leading anarchist engaged in espionage. It was believed (hat he had incurred (he enmilv of his gang. Thorn had been .several mysterious foreign callers at his home, including a woman, after his disappearance. The police found that, his bedroom had been ransacked, Kigaudin s murdered mother was housekeeper to Altnereyda, leader of the notorious P>onnefc Rouge, plot during the war. The woman was suspected of the betrayal of her employer, and it was not known whether Ahnereyda committed suicide or vas murdered. ' Kigaudin had declared that lie would devole his life to running down his mother's murderer. Eventually Almazian was arreted. On October 20 "(lie. Paris correspondent, of the Daily Mail said: Allegations of unheardof brutality in inflicting I lie third degree are. made in the Paris press against certain 'police inspectors. The charges are. in connection with the questioning of Almazian. L'Ocuvro and other newspapers point out that a. statement made bv Dr. .Paul confirms the brutality. L'Ocuvro says other scandalous methods used—(hough they do not leave their mark—included shipping naked Iho accused, who was presumed to be guilty, at police headquarters. The paper says Almazian was even given highly-salted food and I hen was refused a drink. Also (lie classical (rick of preventing Iho questioned man from sleeping was employed, lie kept protesting l»«s innocence. L'Ocuvre demands (ho most severe examination of the facts.