Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

DESRUES, ANTOINE FRANCOIS (1744 – 1777)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V08, Page 103 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

DESRUES, See also:ANTOINE See also:FRANCOIS (1744 – 1777) , See also:French poisoner, was See also:born at See also:Chartres in 1744, of humble parents. He went to See also:Paris to seek his See also:fortune, and started in business as a See also:grocer. He was known as a See also:man of See also:great piety and devotion, and his business was reputed to be a flourishing one, but when, in 1773, he gave up his See also:shop, his finances, owing to See also:personal extravagance, were in a deplorable See also:condition. Nevertheless he entered into negotiations with a Madame de la Mothe for the See also:purchase from her of a See also:country See also:estate, and, when the See also:time came for the See also:payment of the purchase See also:money, invited her to stay with him in Paris pending the See also:transfer. While she. was still his See also:guest, he poisoned first her and then her son, a youth of sixteen. Then, having forged a See also:receipt for the purchase money, he endeavoured to obtain See also:possession of the See also:property. But by this time the disappearance of Madame de la Mothe and her son had aroused suspicion. Desrues was arrested, the bodies of his victims were discovered, and the See also:crime was brought See also:home to him. He was tried, found guilty and condemned to be torn asunder alive and burned. The See also:sentence was carried out (1797), Desrues repeating hypocritical protestations of his innocence to the last. The whole affair created a great sensation at the time, and as See also:late as 1828 a dramatic version of it was performed in Paris.

End of Article: DESRUES, ANTOINE FRANCOIS (1744 – 1777)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
DESPRLS, SUZANNE (1875– ) 		[next]
DESSAIA, JOSEPH MARIE, COUNT (1764-1834)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries