Recant Discovery of a Wholesale Tragedy in Belgium.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 17, 9 March 1870, Page 7

Recant Discovery of a Wholesale Tragedy in Belgium.

[From the Glasgow [Temld.] Tlie recently discovered crime, or rather' series of crimes, perpetrated at Hornu, equals and in some respects surpasses in atrocity the Pantin tragedy, anil has probably had no parallel in this country since the time'of Eurke'and' Hare, to whose crimes they bear a strong resemblance. The following, is the account given by the Organe dk Mons :~ About,four years ago a young man. camo to reside at Hornu, where he obtained employment as a shepherd. Shortly afterwards he made the acquaintance of a young woman, whom he married in the beginning of 1866." James Dessous le Moustier, for such was his name, had no means whatever, neither had his wife; nevertheless, he very soon started as a sheep dealer on his own account, and the readiness with which the brothers Thirion opened * credits soon gave him an opportunity of entering into relations with them. These Thirions were three in number, brothers, remarkable on account of their great stature ; and the rough and ragged costumes in which they made their appearance in the Market of Mons contrasted with the large sums of money they carried in their belts. About eighteen months-ago one of the brothers, named Nicholas, came to Mons, and thence to several places in the vicinity. After some time had elapsed, one of his family -went in search of him, and he, too, disappeared in a like mysterious manner. After him came the third brother to seek him and he also vanished. Strange to say that, although all three were traced to Hornu and to Moustier's house, the authorities only cited Moustier before them to answer certain questions, and, notwithstanding that public opinion accused him' of murdering the three brothers, they did nothing more in the matter—did not even search his house, and he remained free from molestation. From this time fortli he prospered greatly ; he, who a short time previously had not a halfpenny, became a sheep dealer on a somewhat large scale, and in point of fortune one of the notabilities of the place. Jt should be stated, however, that the inhabitants of Hornu regarded him with a certain degree of horror, and held as little communication with him as possible. It was remarked at the time, or shortly after the disappearance of the brothers, that he had a well in the 'front court of his house filled up, on the pretence that he intended to put up a pair of large gates as the future entrance ; he also had another place filled up, and a little outhouse built over it. These proceedings, considering the evil rumours that were afloat concerning him, ought to have attracted the attention of the authorities ; but no such thing, he was allowed to lead a quiet and peaceful life. Things remained in this condition until his wife fell sick, and the nature of her ailment was such as perplexed the medical man who attended her. During the day she was very well; but in the course of the night she was seized with vomiting, after drinking the liquids prepared for her by her husband. In the daytime he was absent on business, and she was obliged to prepare them herself. This alternate state continued during a week, and the doctor,, unable to come to any conclusion as to the malady which afflicted her, called in another member of the profession, and a day was fixed for examining the patient. On the day ap pointed, Moustier, contrary to his usual practice, remained at home, and on this particular day it was remarked that his wife was seized with vomiting. The doctors on their arrival took possession of the vomit, greatly to the dissatisfaction of Moustier, and carried it away with them, having conceived suspicions that she was poisoned. The next day the woman was visited by the doctors, who found her much better; nevertheless, her husband went to her relatives and told them she was laboring under a complaint that might carry her oft' at any moment; he also went to a priest and told him tho same thing and requested him to call on her. This was on a Saturday. On the following Monday while her sister was tendng her, his wife was going on "in a highly satisfactory manner, when, all of a sudden, she was again seized with a violent vomiting and purging, and in a short time died. The next day, Tuesday, Moustier wont about his business in his usual quiet way, merely giving directions that the funeral should be a. fii-st-class one. On returning to his house, he met in the street the doctor who had been attending his wife, and said, '< Ahem, here is a pretty job ; niy wife died during the night!" Astonished by the sudden death of the woman, the doctor at once communicated his suspicions to the authorities, and they on the following day ordered his arrest. When the police told him of the charge- against him he , merely said " Ah, if that were all !"' His'arrest was followed by a search of his house and premises, and on digging out the well he had caused to be filled up, they Found first one body and then a second—the first in such an advanced stage of decomposition that it was ordy held together by the clothes worn in its lifetime. The second body was much less so, and was easily identified as that of Nicholas Thirion. These discoveries in the well brought to the recollection of the neighbours the fil-

ling up of the other place. The outhouse over this was knocked down and the hole, dug out, and here they discovered the body of tho other brother. Like the other bodies, it was extended at full length, with tho arms crossed on the chest. This, too, was greatly decomposed ; so much so that on attempting to, remove it the head fell off. The excitement caused by these discoveries was intense, the more so as they revived' the recollection that two cattle merchants had mysteriously disappeared about two years previously, who also had been traced to the vicinity of Mons. The prisoner, it should be mentioned, had a mistiess who was in the habit of coming to his house to work, his wife being cognisant of the nature of tho connection between the woman and her husband The next move of the authorities was to bring the prisoner before the corpses to see what effect the sudden appearance would produce upon him. His arms were pinioned by a straight jacket, and his eyes covered with a bandage, and in this condition he was conveyed to his house and stationed before the bodies, which had been arranged for the purpose. When all was ready tho bandage was suddenly snatched from his eyes, and the first thing he beheld was the spectacle we have described. At sight of these hideous objects he showed signs of emotion, and became deadly pale; but when one of the magistrates exclaimed, " It was you who killed them," he protested against the accusation, and said, "It was not I; it was Hoyon." This Hoyon is a shepherd living at Hornu, and is about 60 years of age. Up to this time he had only been shown two bodies; he was now suddenly wheeled partly round, and he saw the third body stretched out before him. At sight of this he could hold out no longer, and confessed .that he had murdered the brothers with the assistance of Hoyon. At the same time he most energetically protested that he did not pQison his wife. Having confessed so much, he had no hesitation in making other avowals as to the manner in which the murders were perpetrated. The first proceeding was to make them drunk, and then he strangled them, aided by Hoyon. The latter, when taken into custody and confronted with his accuser, denied vehemently that ho had any share in the crimes imputed to him. As _ regards the money, for the sake of which he had committed the murders, Moustier affirmed that ouly one of them had any about him. This was Pierre, who had in his girdle two bank notes for 1000 francs, and between 1500 and 2000 francs in gold ; and the notes he had. appropriated to himself, and the gold he divided with his accomplice. The periods at which the murders were committed, and the ages of his victims, were as follows : Pierre Joseph Thirion, aged 62 years, murdered in March lb68; Nicholas, 58 years, murdered inthe following April; Gustavo, aged 43, murdered in May.