“EXTRAORDINARY MURDERS.—This morning, about three o’clock, the
inhabitants of the Quartier St. Roch were aroused from sleep by a
succession of terrific shrieks, issuing, apparently, from the fourth
story of a house in the Rue Morgue, known to be in the sole occupancy of
one Madame L’Espanaye, and her daughter, Mademoiselle Camille L’Espanaye.
After some delay, occasioned by a fruitless attempt to procure admission
in the usual manner, the gateway was broken in with a crow-bar, and
eight or ten of the neighbors entered, accompanied by two _gendarmes_.
By this time the cries had ceased; but, as the party rushed up the first
flight of stairs, two or more rough voices, in angry contention, were
distinguished, and seemed to proceed from the upper part of the house.
As the second landing was reached, these sounds, also, had ceased, and
everything remained perfectly quiet. The party spread themselves, and
hurried from room to room. Upon arriving at a large back chamber in the
fourth story (the door of which, being found locked, with the key inside,
was forced open), a spectacle presented itself which struck every one
present not less with horror than with astonishment.
“The apartment was in the wildest disorder,—the furniture broken and
thrown about in all directions. There was only one bedstead; and from
this the bed had been removed, and thrown into the middle of the floor.
On a chair lay a razor besmeared with blood. On the hearth were two or
three long and thick tresses of gray human hair, also dabbled in blood,
and seeming to have been pulled out by the roots. Upon the floor were
found four Napoleons, an ear-ring of topaz, three large silver spoons,
three smaller of _métal d’Alger_, and two bags, containing nearly four
thousand francs in gold. The drawers of a bureau, which stood in one
corner, were open, and had been, apparently, rifled, although many
articles still remained in them. A small iron safe was discovered under
the bed (not under the bedstead). It was open, with the key still in the
door. It had no contents beyond a few old letters, and other papers of
little consequence.
“Of Madame L’Espanaye no traces were here seen; but an unusual quantity
of soot being observed in the fireplace, a search was made in the
chimney, and (horrible to relate!) the corpse of the daughter, head
downward, was dragged therefrom, it having been thus forced up the narrow
aperture for a considerable distance. The body was quite warm. Upon
examining it, many excoriations were perceived, no doubt occasioned by
the violence with which it had been thrust up and disengaged. Upon the
face were many severe scratches, and upon the throat dark bruises and
deep indentations of finger-nails, as if the deceased had been throttled
to death.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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