Little Demon in the City of Light: A True Story of Murder and Mesmerism in Belle Epoque Paris Author: | Language: English | ISBN:
B00I2QF496 | Format: PDF
Little Demon in the City of Light: A True Story of Murder and Mesmerism in Belle Epoque Paris Description
A delicious account of a murder most gallic - think CSI Paris meets Georges Simenon - whose lurid comibation of sex, brutality, forensics, and hypnotism riveted first a nation and then the world.
Little Demon in the City of Light is the thrilling - and so wonderfully French - story of a gruesome 1889 murder of a lascivious court official at the hands of a ruthless con man and his pliant mistress and the international manhunt, sensational trial, and an inquiry into the limits of hypnotic power that ensued.
In France at the end of the 19th century a great debate raged over the question of whether someone could be hypnotically compelled to commit a crime in violation of his or her moral convictions. When Toussaint-Augustin Gouff? entered 3, rue Tronson du Coudray, he expected nothing but a delightful assignation with the comely young Gabrielle Bompard. Instead, he was murdered - hanged! - by her and her companion Michel Eyraud. The body was then stuffed in a trunk and dumped on a riverbank near Lyon.
As the inquiry into the guilt or innocence of the woman the French tabloids dubbed the "Little Demon" escalated, the most respected minds in France debated whether Gabrielle Bompard was the pawn of her mesmerizing lover or simply a coldly calculating murderess. And, at the burning center of it all: Could hypnosis force people to commit crimes against their will?
- Audible Audio Edition
- Listening Length: 11 hours and 6 minutes
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Unabridged
- Publisher: Random House Audio
- Audible.com Release Date: February 25, 2014
- Whispersync for Voice: Ready
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00I2QF496
In the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and the Paris Exhibition of 1889, Steven Levingston tells the tale of murder, mesmerism and an explosion of international media coverage.
This is the true story of the young mistress of a middle aged married man and their plan to murder and rob a wealthy acquaintance. After the murder, it all goes wrong. The payoff is far less than expected, and, after fleeing to America, their relationship fails and through different means, both end up back in Paris, under police custody, facing a trial that foreshadows the media coverage of OJ Simpson.
The story combines the impressive detective work of Monsieur Goron, the early developments of modern CSI work, and the growing power of the media to display the dramatic impact of a sensational murder that was followed by much of the western world.
Add to that an early attempt at a variation of an insanity plea - in this case, claiming that hypnotism caused one of the principles to take part in the murder, and we get a compelling tale written expertly by Levingston.
Most dramatic is the media coverage, and the public's hunger for more and more sordid details of the events. We tend to think that paparazzi and sensationalized media is a modern creation. But clearly, that development goes back to at least the late 19th century.
The only negative I have for the book is the lack of pictures - there are many references to different locations that still exist in Paris, and yet we don't get to see any of that unless we make a separate trip to the Internet.
That's a minor quibble though, and otherwise I found the book engaging to read and am interesting view of an exciting time in European history.
By DMD
VINE VOICE
Can a person be induced under hypnosis to commit a crime?
That question was at the heart of a 19th century murder trial in Paris and its resolution sealed the fate of the defendants.
Toussaint-Augustin Gouffe, a widowed legal official with a taste for amorous adventures, was lured by the promise of a liaison with an attractive young woman to an apartment where he was murdered on July 26, 1889.
Gabrielle Bompard, the woman in question, was the 20-year-old mistress of Michel Eyraud, a brutal conman twice her age who had recently lost his job with a trading firm on suspicion of stealing funds.
Though disappointed the victim was carrying less cash than anticipated, they proceeded with their premeditated plan of stuffing the body into a large trunk. The trunk was later dumped on a riverbank near Lyon. By the time the body was discovered, it had decomposed to a state of being nearly unrecognizable and the killers had fled the country.
Dogged perseverance by Marie-Francois Goron, chief of Surete, and elementary forms of forensics led to identification of the body and the tracking down of the killers. Gabrielle’s defense claims she was overly susceptible to hypnosis and the influence of her lover made the trial an historical spectacle pitting two schools of thought against one another.
Whether she was as innocent of duplicity as claimed or not, doubt did spare the woman dubbed “the Little Demon” by the press from the guillotine.
Levingston, a respected journalist, has woven a well researched tale of murder, insights on the subject of hypnotism and the intricacies of the French legal system. Well told and recommended.
By John R. Lindermuth
VINE VOICE
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