THE CHINA MAIL, OCTOBER 19, 1939
TO-DAY'S STRANGE STORY OF REAL PEOPLE
THE CASE OF MARIE LAFARGE
BY VINCENT TOWNE
The most baffling of all French murder mysteries involved the daughter of one of Napoleon's favourite officers, Colonel Cappelle, of the Old Guard. This beautiful' girl was also the granddaughter of the famous Duke of Orleans (Philippe Egalite) by his companion and house- keeper, Mme. de Genlis.
MARIE LAFARGE. ON THE WITNESS STAND
Marie Cappelle had a very lonely girlhood. After her father's death. when she was very young, her mother remarried, and she was adopted by her aunt. Many men sought her hand, but she failed to return their love, and continued to endure her secluded existence until the age of cording to his own testimony, the box had visited the Larges 23, when influenced by her uncle, when presented to him, contained their marriage. she consented to a marriage of con- venience with Charles Lafargo, a young ironmaster who lived with his mother in a lonely country house, Lee Glandiers.
in-
soon
after
was sentenced to the pillory and the guillotine. Protests, poured in to the Government from all over the coun-, try, and finally, on account of pub- lic opinion, her sentence, was muted to life imprisonment.
com-
re-
While she languished in prison it developed that just at the time when, according to testimony, the Marquise de Liautaud was being blackmailed, a French official bearing: the same name as the blackmailer, had ceived from Paris a mysterious, box expressed by some one named Liau- taud, to whom it was returned opened. With this new testimony, the prisoner's counsel attempted reopen the case, but she had languish- ed in prison for 12 years before be ing finally pardoned. She then tired to a secluded watering place, where five months after regaining her. freedom, she died.
un-
to
re-
an
German Two famous
authorities on criminal jurisprudence wrote exhaustive treatise setting forth the conclusion that the real murderer of Lafarge had been the evil Denis. The blackmailer in the case died in а madhouse about the time of Marie's
death. French society was shocked when
-
con-
the diamonds described were found in Marie's dressing case. Consider- ing the wealth of the families cerned, this incident became a my- stery that deepened with the fair suspect's repeated statements to her attorney that she could not explain the apparent theft even to him.
not the several small cakes described by his wife, but one large one. Eat- ing a piece of it, he was taken violent- ly ill. With Denis, he then returned home, having negotiated a lóan of On the day of their return from $2000, which transaction was careful their honeymoon Marie locked her- ly concealed from Marie. His illness self in her room and slipped under continuing, Marie was in constant at- the door to her entreating husband tendance at his bedside. As his sleep a note asking him to free her from
was constantly annoyed by rats
The young widow was, however, her vows, as the loved another and. festing the old home, she, as on pre- tried for the theft while still await- could not endure the contemplation vious occasions, ordered arsenic for ing trial for the murder. At length of a life at Les Glandiers. But the their extermination, and Denis pro- she confessed to her attorney that couple became reconciled and cir- cured it from the chemist.
the Marquise had selected her as a cumstances seemed to indicate that
Lafarge suffered a painful illness, go-between to sell her diamonds and the story of the former lover was
to attacks of with the money meet the demands a fiction invented by Marie. There- supposed to be due after she took her place in Lafarge's
of a former lover, who had threaten- ed to blackmail her. But this story home, furthered his interests and made herself beloved by his employees
was not believed by the jurors and Lafarge was convicted of Mme. and neighbours.
stealing her friend's gems. All France two camps-the now, divided into
anti-Lafargists. But Lafargists and the diamond case proved to be the young widow's undoing. Her sub- sequent murder trial, lasted 17 days and resulted in her conviction. She
tem-
his honest in
But Marie
colic, to which he had been subjected
since childhood.
ar- Finally there
rived upon the scene one Mme. Brun, an intimate of Marie's mother-in-law. Lafarge was a man of hot
The Ironmaster now grew worse and per, and it soon developed that he Marie begged that a famous specia- list be called in for consultation, but was not altogether business
his mother insisted upon engaging a continued to transform the ugly coun- young inexperienced physician. try house into a cheerful home and to bring sunshine even into the soul of her grim mother-in-law, who had disliked her from the first.
transactions.
Lafarge died and after Marie had retired to her room to give way to her grief she was
amazed to find herself locked in. It then developed that as a result of insinuations made by Mme. Brun she had been suspect- ed of poisoning her husband. Mme. elder, Brun and Mme. Lafarge, the
suspected Marie's claimed to have guilt for some days before her hus- they had con- band's death, yet
After some time the young bride fell ill. Calling her husband to her bedside, she told him that as evidence of her love and devotion she wished to make a will leaving him the sole enjoyment of her fortune, and Lafarge, touched by her act, made a will of his own, leaving her every- tinued to allow her to prepare
Medical experts, who made thing that he possessed. Finally, to food.
reported raise money for the development of postmortem upon Lafarge,
his
£
not
a new enterprise, the ironmaster went that they had found no trace of polson to Paris taking with him one Denis, in his body, whereupon her mother- a foreman. This sinister individual in-law apologized for having suspect- seemed to exert an evil influence over ed her, but the authorities did Lafarge and to share some knowledge seem to be satisfied, and the widow, that gave him power over his em- now only 24 years old, was subjected ployer.
to a rigid examination, during which Lafarge remained away more than her enemies, Mme. Brun and
the finger of suspicion a month, during which time he and pointed
As a result, Marie, 8 his wife exchanged affectionate let- against her. ters. In one of these missives she bride of less than one year, was taken told her husband that she had
sent to prison.
Denis
While awaiting trial the unhappy to him a box containing a miniature
to another woman was subjected of herself and a few little cakes which she had made, requesting that he shock. The public prosecutor receiv- eat one at midnight, at which hour ed a letter signed "Marquis de Liau- she, according to an ancient custom, taud" and begging that the Lafarge would eat a similar one herself as a chateau be searched for valuable dia- Now pledge of their love.
monds belonging to his wife. The box arrived at Lafarge's ho- it happened that the young Marquis tel and was opened not by himself, de Liataud had been Marle's girlhood that she but by a servant. Afterward, ac- chum and confidante and
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