Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 September 1881 — A Boy Fiend. [ARTICLE]

A Boy Fiend.

On the 26th of February last Felix Lemaltre, a boy 15 years of age. walked Into the police station ip the Rue de Taujgre, Paris, and gave himself up. “I am an apprentice,” said he, “and I surrender myself to justice for the murder of a littleV>y, whom I have killed with a knife at the hoisl du Doubs.” The officer In charge was startled at the statementrbut, put the boy under arrest and made an investigation. In a room in the hptel du Poube the dead body of Jean SchoeneUj the sou of a poor rag picker, was found. There was a long knife cut in his body, which had ripped open the stomach, and the throat mid been cut. There was blood on the bed, and marks of bloodv fingers on the bed clothing. The knife, covered with blood, lay upon the floor. Why the boy assassin should have com mitten* such a crime was a mystery. At the police station he was questioned. “On tha 15th of this month,” he said, “I stole 200 f from my employer, M. Sirapt, of the Rue d’ Aboukir. I spent the money at the theatre, and in pteas-

Us mudom. Yesterday, finding myself penniless. I ‘saw everything red,’ ands6dd«3y the thought of killing a child oune to ms* Chance brought In mi the poor Bttle boy whom I killed. . Finding him in the street I showed him • steel chain and Simised him that ho should have It if would ftKov ms. 9fben ha vi*s in ’ room I tied his hands behind his naoh, aoVhwSgh ifMt Then I dressed him and twice plunged my kDife into his body. Tostop his cries I cut his j&ngpe and then his throat. I cannot explain what led me to do the’ deed. I had jtead many .novels and in one of them remembered such a scene as I put into Ueeatisa’’ The boy was nbt fn the least excited. He made his confession in an off-hand way, as If telling a story. The news of the murder spread, and a crowd gathered outside the police station* Lem&itre enjoyed the oon fusion and the clamor of the people, and the police were forced to believe that he oommitted the crime for no other res*oti than that his name should be on everybody's lips. He bad never seen Ids victim before. The youthful assasam was looked up, add Rig to mprder,^ai&l thefi be kill some one. The court jrpuld ant consider bis statemefrtfwnd gave him th« heaviest senteflhWmowed to young crfininals—twenty years at hard labor and ten years surveillance by the po=' - ... n r- > * (*.-•