EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDES AND MURDERS IN FRANCE.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 70, 9 November 1864, Page 5 (Supplement)

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDES AND MURDERS IN FRANCE.

The Echo de la Marne gives an account of two suicides and a murder by members of the , same family at Loisy (Marne), tha two .-crime's being the, consequence of fcha eating of two-sfcraw-berrics .by* a chlid. The daughter of aM. 'Renaiix, i a resident-Yin the above-named Tillage, was to make her first communion a week ago. In the. j'. morning,- however, before proceeding to the church, while ' standing before a dish of strawberries, forgetting^ for a moment the solemn ceremony in whichshe was about to take part, she inadvertently." tasted theiruit.. This was, of course, sufficient to exclude her from the communion that day. The child navertheless, attended the service i but' -without joining in -it, and the cure, learning from her the cause of her abstention, spoke to her i kindly, and told her to return the following morninof. She reached home and stated what ha I occurred to her parents, and the latter appear to have reproached her in severe language, an.l to h iv<i. terrilied her by an exaggerated description ."of the consequence of her fault. After retiring .'to rest, the child's terror seems to have overcome i, her reason, as she rose, dressed herself, and secretly leaving the house fled across the fields and took refuge at a farm at some short distance. Here *he was recognised, bntinstea I of bein^ sent back home was taken to the school which she attended in Uic village. In the meantime, the mother, happening to enter tho room where her daughter slept, found the bed empty, She was seized by a terrible misgiving that her daughter had drowned herself. The mother instantly rushed in the direction of the Marue, and was seen no more. Four days later the body was found on alow bank at Solanges. A brother-in-law of Mdme. Renaux, residing in the same neighborhood, had some time previously given signs of mental derangement, and the disappearance of his brother's wile, for whom he ha:l a great respect and allection, sufficed to entirely unsettle his mind. The night preceding the morning on which tho body was found he became most vio-L-nt, and from time to time took up his fowling piece His wife who was alone in the house with him, was struck with terror, but dared not move. In the morning he went out" with hi 3 gun, but was shortly after seen returning in a state of great excitement. A. farm-servant had time to inform tho madman's wife of her danger, and-sh'^cpnceali'd herself in a garret. The servant, Uosvev^f, pai 1 for his devote'dness wi.bhhis life, us. Renaux jturned on the man 1 and discharged the guainl;<rlits- breast, killing iirih on the spot._" Rea^Wi.ij.e'xt''' pointed the barrel to his own fo^Si|^^utl^b"l^v out his brains. It was at ttv: a^^^V;^^.^^."^ 1 '"^ 0 -,; was being accomplished tltfft~thc;^:ly,.of Mlnw. Kenaux was found at SoktngSs";- ''-Tliejinurderer leaves a wife and son, and the murdered man a wife ai-ul two children. ' ■ ■• - -