Horrible Tragedy in France.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3726, 28 April 1899, Page 6

Horrible Tragedy in France.

JEALOUS SON MURDERS HIS FATHER LAND jSWEETHEART.

The little village of Belout, nearßordeaux, was on February 28th the'scene of-a dreadful double murder, one of . the victims being the.murderer’s own father. 1 iVhile Madame Girard and her maid-ser-vant were walking on the farm at Belout they saw Maurice Girard (the son of the former), a young man of .twenty years | of age, rushing towards them with a gun. 'Young Girard,' whqse ■ appearance bore signs of the! great agitation under which be was labouring, cried to the two women ‘ I have killed'my father ; you will never see him again.” He then ran up to,Clementine (the servant, who is, only seventeen years of. age), • seized her. round the waist, and kissed her twice passionately on the mouth. Then drawing, off a few paces he fired full at hey, missed once -owing to a sudden movement of. the poor girl, and .then fired a second time with- fatal effect, the. bullet entering the head behind the .right, ear and killing her upon the spot; • ■ The ■ father was found in the ’ kitchen of the farmhouse,, lying . bathed- in blood-from, a large, wound in the head, and he expired within a few moments of the arrival of somafarm labourers. The most terrible part of the whole thing is that the motive ;of ’the .'double crime, for which (Maurice Girard will doubtless suffer;the last penalty if the authorities, can . catch .him, is, said to have been', jealousy, -Maurice being bitterly jealous’ of. his father, whom he believed to , beon intimate terms with Clementine, whom he himself had hoped to marry.

The sympathy of the neighbours is almost nammously with the murderer, who is still at large.