THE LYONS MAIL The Truth on the Murders Being an authentic Account Given By One of the Descendants of the Murdered Courier

Hardback. A famous French criminal case which occurred during the French Revolution. During the night of 27 and 28 April 1796, a mail coach was ambushed outside Paris by several men who stole a large sum of money (7 million livres). The stage coach was supposed to go to Lyons from Paris, carrying money for the Army of Italy. Both the driver and the armed guard were brutally killed. A third man onboard (whose identity was never established) disappeared without a trace.

Following investigations, six men (Couriol, Guénot, Richard, Bruer, Bernard and Lesurques) were arrested. After a trial, four of them were guillotined (except Guénot and Richard). Later, Joseph Lesurques was rehabilitated: he always claimed innocence (the other convicts also said he had nothing to do with the robbery). Due to a physical resemblance with one of the suspects, he probably was mistaken by witnesses. Today, this case is remembered in France for being a famous example of miscarriage of justice. 317pp. 8vo. h/back. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. Browned and foxed edges and eps, sunned covers. Vg.