With regard to (1), several witnesses declared that Lacoste had
complained to them of feeling ill after drinking with Meilhan, but none
could speak of seeing the two men together. M. Mothe, the friend
cited by Meilhan, less positive in his evidence in court than the acte
d'accusation made him out to be, could not remember if it was on the
16th of May that he had spent the whole afternoon with Meilhan. It was
so much his habit to be with Meilhan during the days of the fair that
he had no distinct recollection of any of them. Another witness, having
business with Lacoste, declared that on the day in question it was
impossible for Meilhan to have been alone with Lacoste during the time
that the latter was supposed to have taken the poisoned drink. Lescure,
in whose auberge Lacoste was supposed to have had the drink, failed to
remember such an incident. The evidence that Meilhan had given Lacoste
the drink was all second-hand; that to the contrary was definite.
For the most part the evidence with regard to (2), that Lacoste became
very ill immediately on his return from the fair, was hearsay. The
servants belonging to the Lacoste household all maintained that
the vomiting did not seize the old man until the night of
Wednesday-Thursday. Indeed, two witnesses testified that the old man, in
spite of his supposed headache, essayed to show them how well he could
dance. This was on his return from the fair where he was supposed
to have been given a poisoned drink at three o'clock. The evidence
regarding the seclusion of Lacoste by his wife was contradictory, but
the most direct of it maintained that it was the old man himself, if
anyone, who wanted to be left alone. On this point arises the question
of the delay in calling the doctor. Witness after witness testified to
Lacoste's hatred of the medical faculty and to his preference for dosing
himself. He declared his faith in a local vet.
On (3), the bulk of the evidence against Lacoste's having the suggested
afflictions came simply from witnesses who had not heard of them.
There was, on the contrary, quite a number of witnesses to declare that
Lacoste did suffer from a skin disease, and that he was in the habit
of using quack remedies, the stronger the better. It was also testified
that Lacoste was in the habit of prescribing his remedies for other
people. A witness declared that a woman to whom Lacoste had given
medicine for an indisposition had become crippled, and still was
crippled.
With regard to (4), the Mayor merely repeated the evidence given in
his first statement, but the cure', who also saw the deed assigning an
annuity to Meilhan, said that it was not in Mme Lacoste's writing, and
that it was signed with the unusual "Euphemie." This last witness added
that Mme Lacoste's reputation was irreproachable, and that her relations
with her husband were happy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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