A strange murder in Belgium, called. the "Bernays tragedy," is
attracting the attention of all Europe. An engineer, named Armand Peltzer, is accused of instigating his brother L6on to murder M. Bernays, a Belgian advocate, in order that he, the instigator, might marry Madame Bernays, with whom he had intimate relations—innocent or otherwise. We have stated the facts and theory of the Government prosecutors elsewhere, but may add here that while the evidence goes
heavily against Lion—indeed, he publicly admits a man- slaughter—his brother's share in the affair is as yet legally far from proved. The witnesses called to show the motive— namely, the criminal intimacy with Madame Bernays—partly broke down. Should Armand be acquitted, the crime would be one of the least explicable of the century, Lion having no quarrel with I3ernays, and nothing to gain from him, yet having admittedly invited him to the house where he was found, a week after, dead,
Previous page
