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 Causes Célèbres. ined the body, and found no trace of any violence. An autopsy revealed the fact that death had been the result of poison. Desrües was again confronted with the in habitants of the house, who recalled to him certain acts and words of his. He replied with bold assurance : " That is all very well to say; but it is necessary for you to prove it. You are mistaken as to the person." An investigation was again commenced in the vicinity of Versailles. On examining the registers of death in the different par ishes, they were not long in discovering the record of the death of young Beaupre; and by interrogating the inhabitants in the vi cinity they speedily found the essential witnesses, — the Abbe Manin and the two Pecquets. On the 22d of April the exhu mation of the body of the pretended Beaupre was ordered, and the next day all the wit nesses in Paris and the two prisoners were brought to Versailles for the purpose of identifying it. The Abbe Manin, the Pecquets, Bertin, and Donon the schoolmaster did not hesi tate to recognize in the decomposed body, the first three the young Beaupre, the two others the young De la Motte. When Desrües's turn came, he gazed upon the body with an ill-concealed emotion. "It is badly decomposed," he said. " I do not recognize it; no, I do not recognize it." Then, after a pause, he continued : " I do not pretend to deny that these may be the remains of that poor child. These gentlemen are honest men, — you can believe what they say. But I swear, before God, that I am in nocent of this death. I only wished to con ceal an unforeseen accident." His voice trembled. He became deathly pale, and rapidly making the sign of the cross, yielded, for the first time in his life per haps, to an emotion stronger than his will, and sank down in a half-fainting condition. When Desrües had been taken from the room, an effort was made to induce his wife, who had been greatly affected by this scene, to confess that she had lied in saying that 59

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she had seen Madame de la Motte depart for Versailles; but she persisted in her assertion. Recovering his self-possession, Desrües again declared that he was innocent. Ma dame de la Motte had abandoned her son, and he, Desrües, had found himself in the painful situation of having to answer for the sudden illness of the young man. He lost his head, and attempted to conceal this death. This statement was highly improbable, and was not borne out by the facts, and they proved this to him; but his assurance had re turned, and he stoutly maintained his position. The surgeons charged with making an autopsy concluded their work, and reported that death in this case had been caused by a corrosive poison. It then became necessary to confront Des riies with the witnesses summoned from Lyons. All the employes of the Hotel Blanc recognized in him the false Desportes. Madame Pourra, the notary's wife, could not swear that the little man was the person who had called on her husband, but she unhesi tatingly identified one of Madame Desrües's dresses as the one worn by the veiled lady. It was impossible to ascertain who the lady was who had called on Desrües at the H6tel Blanc, but she was undoubtedly some woman of doubtful reputation who had been engaged by him to play a r6le in this sinister drama. With such overwhelming evidence in his possession, the Procureur-general of La Chaise had no need of further delay, and the trial of Desrües for the murder of mother and son was at once commenced. A verdict of " Guilty " being rendered, on the 30th of April sentence was pronounced upon him. It was ordered that he should make the amende honorable before the door of the prin cipal church; that he should be conveyed thither in a cart, wearing upon his breast and upon his back a placard bearing the in scription Empoisonneur de dessein prc'indditf. He was to wear only a shirt, a cord about his neck, and to carry a torch in his right hand. After having in a loud, clear voice confessed