TORTURED, BURIED ALIVE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 787, 7 October 1929, Page 1

TORTURED, BURIED ALIVE

Gruesome Story from France A DIABOLICAL VENGEANCE “Knights of Themis” at V/ork AN amazing and gruesome story comes from France, telling of the torture and burial alive of the so-called Marquis de Champaubert,” an erstwhile notorious swindler. A mysterious society called the “Knights of Themis." says it did him to death, and makes the sinister announcement that it is only beginning its work among swindlers. <United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright', < Australian and X.Z. Press Association) (United. Service)

Reed. 9.5 a.m. PARIS, Sunday. j The Paris police received an anon- j ymous letter, in which was a diagram, stating that the "Marquis de Champaubert” was buried alive near Verneuil-sur-Seine. Members of the force hastened to the spot named. They found at a place in a wood indicated oil the diagram a tube-pipe protruding from some freshly disturbed earth. Digging'operations revealed a coffin containing the dead body of a man. The pipe was of sufficient length and size to have enabled the man In the coffin to breathe, so it is believed that his death was due to starvation. It is reported that the pseudonym “Marquis de Champaubert” concealed the identity of Pascal Clement, who was prominent some years ago in connection with an allaged swindle. Recently Clement went to reside with liis mother at St. Denis in the hope of living down his past. The man's burial alive possibly was a diabolical form of revenge. His body was clad in a shirt only with a pair of trousers folded under his head as a pillow. The man's faq..e bore traces of terrible sufferings. A post-mortem examination revealed symptoms of asphyxia as well as starvation. Deceased’s elbows, knees, back, and .head were bruised. Death had occurred at least 48 hours before the. discovery of the body. The pipe communicating with the coffin was solidly made of brick clay. MYSTERIOUS “KNiGHTS" In a letter to “Le Matin,” the selfstyled “Knights of Themis” state that a woman assuming the name of Madame Dorgeval formed a society, professedly of members or the French aristocracy. She wrote to Clement in prison, regarding the publication of his memoirs. She met him at Trouville on his release, and drove him to an estate appropriately named the Bois de Justice, where he was buried. She also wrote to Clement's mother, saying farewell to her on his behalf. In his pockets, the “Knights” found a plan which they believed referred to the hiding-place of the money Clement had obtained by swindling.

| The “Knights” decided fo use % form of torture employed by the in- ! quisition. called the water test. They bound the victim, inserted a funnel in his mouth and poured in water, o | litre at a time, questioning him regarding the plans, till at the seventh litre Clement confessed that hidden in . | the forest was a box containing | 15,000,00 u francs worth of securities. The “Knights” searched aad fouiui the box. The contents included firstclass British securities. They de- ■ cided to carry out the final punishment. Tlie letter adds: “The Knights ard only beginning their work. They i will deal similarly with other swind- . i lers.” • The opinion is generally held* however, that the incident was intended only to boost Clement’s memoirs, and that the tragedy, which is thought to have been unexpected, was due to only one airpipe being used* preventing a through dra lght for clearing the carbonic acid gas from the coffin. But it is not clear why the accomplices, if they were such* failed to liberate the man in time. AMAZING EXPLOIT The Grand Guigncissque death of the pseudo marquis recalls the no less Grand Guignolesque exploit in which he was the chief -actor in 1924. Giving the name of the “Marquis dd Champaubert” Clement rented a chateau near Dinard. He asked a jeweller to take there a magnificent . collection of gems. The jeweller did . so. Ho was invited to sit in a room . in which a specially-fitted up apparatus - slowly began to chloroform him. i The jeweller managed to escape and informed the police. Clement was arrested and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. The anonymous letter which led to the discovery was first received by a friend of Clement’s named Gryvalet* i who communicated with the police, i As a result of statements by Clement’s friends the police have arrested a grave-digger named Boulogne. Ha is an ex-convict whose nickname is “the tattooer.” It is alleged that he . actually buried the “Marquis.”