User:Lalie Lavaissiere/sandbox

Albert Solleilland


Albret Louis Jules Soleilland born at Nevers, January 3, 1881 and dead at l’Ile Royale in May 1920, is a french cabinetmaker convicted of rape and murder of a 11 years old girl, Marthe Erbelding the 31th of January in 1907. The case that gives rise to a real journalistic show raises a popular stir. Sentenced to death the July 23th of 1907 by the assize court of the Seine, Solleiland is pardoned by the president of the republic Armand Fallieres, abolitionist. The death penalty being automatically commuted to forced labour for life in case of pardon, he was send to the penal colony at Ile Royale, where he lived until the end of his life.

Context
The Soleilland’s case: On the 31th of January in 1907, in Paris, Albert Soleilland, worker in a small workshop making car seats, friend of the Erbelding couple, picks up their child Marthe in the late morning. His wife, Julienne, must bring the little girl to see a show at the Ba-Ta-Clan, for which she has acquired two gifts tickets. Julienne’s boss require that she comes back to her sewing room in order to complete an urgent work, so much so that is Albert Solleilland who bring the little girl himself to the show around 2:30 p.m. He comes back at 5p.m., alone, at the Erbelding’s house and tell them that their daughter moved out during intermission and never came back. As he couldn’t found her, he thought that she came home by herself.

After research with the parents, the little girl’s disappearance is signaled at the police station around 10 p.m.. Albert Soleilland is quickly suspected, even though the Erbelding give him all their trust. Soleilland’s declarations present many inconsistencies. As well as none of the employee of the Ba-Ta-Clan remembers seeing Albert and Marthe, when Soleilland says that the artist was singing ribald song, it would appear that, this day, the singer, sick, was missing. Solleilland’s past does not help his credibility: in 1902, he was sentenced for breach of trust, and then prostituted his wife and tried to rape his sister-in-law in 1906 threatening her with a knife. The 8 of February he ends up confessing his crime. He declares that Marthe didn’t wanted to go to the concert without Julienne then admit strangled the girl in his own house before transport the corps to the East train station. It’s here that the body is found, wrapped in open weave fabric.