SENSATIONAL TRAGEDY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 173, 9 December 1912, Page 5

SENSATIONAL TRAGEDY.

A CALLOUS CRIMINAL.

By Cable—Press Association—Copyright.

Received 8, 5.5 p.m.

Paris, December 8. Lacombe, prior to the shooting, submited Ducret's wife to amazing torture. He entered the Ducrets' chamber at night and taunted him with betraying him to the police. He announced that he would kill them both and also their child. He compelled the Ducrets to go to bed, where it was more convenient to kill them. Meanwhile he sang snatches of ribald songs and forced Ducret to toss a coin, adding, "If it is tails I will kill you immediately, if heads at dawn." The coin turned a" head. Throughout the night he terrorised the couple with a revolver, and at six o'clock fired a fusillade, The discharge extinguished the lamp. The shots struck Ducret in the throat and chest. His wife fell flat and escaped. Lacombe left the house, and has not been captured.

A Paris cablegram of December 5 says: An anarchist named Ducret was fatally shot. It is believed his assailant was an anarchist named Lacombe, who was implicated in the Le Saubrias affair, where bandits shot a ticket collector and placed a bomb in the stationmaster's office. Ducret was regarded as an informer.