TERRIBLE TRAGEDY IN BRUSSELS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 574, 18 April 1873, Page 3

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY IN BRUSSELS.

—o— LTndepenee 'Beige of the 29t hj of December, gives the following.account of an aw*ul tragedy which lately happened in Brussels: —M. Edmond P. was. a half-pay captain of cavalry, who left his native town of Chateau Cbinon about four years ago, in order to accept a position as manager of an iron foundry in tire vicinity of Brussels. In the year 1842, at the age of twenty-four, ho was sous-lieU'tenaiit of a regiment of dragoons garrisoned at Lille. There he seduced the daughter of a respectable merchant and abandoned her to her shame. The poor girl so'm found herself in a condition which rendered exposure unavoidable. In order to ■conceal he" fault, she fled from [her father’s house, and was seen no more. Last week-Captain F. visited, in company of a e v fr ends, one of the most frequented, beer gardens in Brussels. While thcree engaged in a game of cards, a quarrel arcs between one of his friends and a young officer of the rifle rorps. Captain F. took the part of his friend. High words followed and insults. The upshot was that Captain P. challenged the youug officer to fight a duel with pistols. They met on the following day and Captain F. killed his adversary by sending a bullet into his heart. This was on Friday morning. Captain F. now hurried home in order to prepare for escape to France. On the Sunday, after having settled all his affairs, he packed his valise, and was about to leave, when a woman in black presented herself abruptly at the door. Her face was covered with a thick veil, and she appeared greatly agitated, her body trembling all over. Captain P., highly surprised and something like troubled with a gloomy foreboding, asked her into tho reception-room. Scarcely, had he pronounced the first word, whoa the unknown lady in black drew up her veil in a sudden convulsive manner, and showed him a face pale as death and eyes full of anger and tears. At the sight of that face the Captain retreated a step and uttered a cry of horror and astonishment. In that woman, in tears and dressed in black, with faded features and hair all grey, he recognised his victim of thirty years ago—the daughter of the Lille merchant. “Wretch 1” she exclaimed, advancing upon him, all pale and threatening ; “ accursed being ! villain ! murderer ! It was not enough to have dishonored a woman—to haVo basely abandoned her! You had to kill her child—to assassinate your son ! And such crimes should go unpunished. The most monstrous of misdeeds should leave you the name of honest man. No, miserable destroyer of so many innocent beings, you shall perish by tho hands of your victim.” Scarcely had she spoken these words when she drcwarevolvor from under her cloak, fired twice, and blew tho Captain’s brains out. She then fired a third and fatal shot at herself. Hearing the sound of three shots tho servants and neighbors came running in, very much frightened. A fearful sight presented itself to them—two bodies lying side by side on the floor and weltering in blood. The body of Captain P gavo no sign of life ; and that of his former victim was breathing yet, and by dint of exertions revived, for. a few minutes only. She was taken to the nearest hospital, where she expired in the middle of tho following night atferjhaving answered an interrogatory and told the facts we have related.