The Craze for Notoreity.

Southland Times, Issue 10200, 4 July 1889, Page 4

The Craze for Notoreity.

+ _ A startling case of mnicler and enicide was discovered on the Midland railway, at Trent station, near Derby, late on a Saturday evening in March, the murderer being ft foreigner named Robert Feron, about twenty years of age, and tbe victim an actfens, named Lily Bnrford, about twenty-one yearr of age, a native cf Bpennymo'.r, Durham. • The act'appears to have .been premeditated, It 'would •eem that the male deseared is a native of Brußselß, and^for aome time past has been engaged as a foreign correspondent at cne of the large manufacturing and wholesale houses in Derby. An attachment had sprung up Detwecn the two young people, and for.a considerable time p&st they had been on most affectionate terms. On Saturday, 'wkm Feron called upon the young lady at her relatives' house in Derby, where she had been staying, lie was carrying a bunch of lilies, which he at onoe gave to his sweetheart Ste appeared to have btea expecting him. Previous to his arrival, howevir, she had- remarked t'6 someone in the bonne that 'she must pat on some clean clothes, &s she was going to die before the evening was over.' An she mede this remark without displaying any exci'crrcat, and appeared in her usual state of health and mind, no notice whatever was taken of it. In fact to all appearances they met as usual, ' tilted in a casual sort of way, and their befeaviour ia no way arocsed the suspicion of the young lady's friends. After staying for a short time they lletf t together in » cab awaiting them for the' Derby Central ttation. On the.platform both were seen together apparently on the most friendly terms, and they entered the first -:lass refreshment room together. Two first-class return tickets to j^ottingaam were tskea; At Notliogham tb^y walked leisurely on as far as the market place, where they again partook of refreshment at the Talbot Hotel, and subsequently returned to tha.^lidland station at Nottingham, and on the platform there they were noticed, but nothing either in their conduct or manner attracted attention. Having bad further refreshment, the two entered a firstclass carriage in tbe 920 exprers train, and occupied the carriage alone. Nothing more was seea or heard of tbem until the train reached Trent station, a distance of »ix miles, when, on going to collect tickets, one of the patform porters was horrified to find both lying on the floor in a pool of blood. On examination he found tbat both bad received bullet wounds in the head, almost in identical spot?, The young fellow was dead but the womaa showed gome few signs of life. A Bilver-plated revolver, six charges, with four discharged, lay on the carriage floor. The train being an express to Derby the bodies were conveyed to the Derby Icfirmary,wheie tbe house surgeon, on making an examination pronouncid that life had been extinct in the ca*e o2 the young fellow a considerable time, Tae young woman had a ballet wound in the Jeft side of tbe bead, and her injuries were at once seen to be fatul also ; she died in fifteen minutes after her admission. On searching the young fellow's clothe* six more bnllets were found wrapped up in paper. Only 4s lid was found in money upon him wbile there was a letter lately received from a friend of hie written in a foreign langcage en closing him £12, In addition there *ere "several love letters which had passed between tns two, but all were written in the most friendly manner, forming no ground for the gad tragedy. It has, moreover, tamed out that 'he unfortunate young woman had recently given up her determination to follow the profession or an actress and had applied for a situation as a btrmaid a r the Midland Hotel. None of the passengers who travelled by tbe same train heard tc» reports ot the revolver or became aware of the sad affair until Trent was Teached, Tbe girl went to Derby three weeks ago for the purpose of obtaining a ba'maid's »ituation at the Midland Hotel. Failing in thif, she appears to have become depressed in spirits and visited theatres and ether places of amusement At the theatre she met Feron, who has, during his year's sojourn in Derby.shown a penchant for toe society of actresses and music. hall artistes. He had been leadiDg a gay life, and same few months ago he became so much beyond the control of those who were made responsible for his conduct at Derby tbat one of tbeftiends of his family requested Perm's father to come over from Brussels, He came and after the visit Feron becam«* quieer, though his fondness for tbratMcKl society re mained about the same, While in Derby he made the acquaintance of a tradesman's daughter, wbo «oon after declined h>s com panionahip, whereupon he threatened that unless she coisenj^ri to a rendezvous he would fchoot her with a revolver, which be produced. Tbis weapon he regularly carried with him and frequently showed it to friends. Soon alter Feron and the grl Burford became acquainted a strong; attachment sprung up between them, and Feron was a f-equent visitor at the girlV lodgings in Princes Square, Derby. She disclosed to bim after a time tnef ct that she was engaged to ba married, bat coifecsed her preference for Feron. In the presence of other persons the young pair have of/en spoken of making a sensation by committing su : c de and ending their Hvea together, She remarked on SaUrday, before leaving! for Nottingham with b r lover, tbat they intended to do something sensational and would be found d?ad in the train. She only regretted tbat she would not be able to hear the newsboys shouting ihe BOWS of the occurrence, and witness the faces of the people who came to tbe door of the compa t merit. Another rcmiik made before tbe journey was undertaken going to show that she aad Feron premeditated sflf destruction was that she put on clean clo'hes, aa she was going to die. 'Jheie observations werei however, treated by h r landlady simply »8 silly jokef,and no not cc was taken of them. Nor when, btfore the recurn jonrney commenced, Feron gaily remarked to an acquaintance on tke Nottingham platform that he was about to commit enicide, was tke remark treated seriou !y ( Tha^> -which, however, more conclusively than anything else points to the foolish pair having determined to die together is the discovery of a letter addreised by the girl to a friend at Bpennymoor, Durham, where her home was. Therein she declared her intention to die with her lover. «_«— _____