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that the murder was committed at such a position, and under such
circumstances, that the bearing it to the river became necessary. Now,
the assassination might have taken place upon the river's brink, or on
the river itself; and, thus, the throwing the corpse in the water might
have been resorted to, at any period of the day or night, as the most
obvious and most immediate mode of disposal. You will understand that I
suggest nothing here as probable, or as cöincident with my own opinion.
My design, so far, has no reference to the facts of the case. I wish
merely to caution you against the whole tone of L'Etoile's suggestion,
by calling your attention to its ex parte character at the outset.
"
Having prescribed thus a limit to suit its own preconceived notions;
having assumed that, if this were the body of Marie, it could have been
in the water but a very brief time; the journal goes on to say:
'All experience has shown that drowned bodies, or bodies thrown into the
water immediately after death by violence, require from six to ten days
for sufficient decomposition to take place to bring them to the top
of the water. Even when a cannon is fired over a corpse, and it rises
before at least five or six days' immersion, it sinks again if let
alone.'
"
These assertions have been tacitly received by every paper in Paris,
with the exception of Le Moniteur. (*15) This latter print endeavors
to combat that portion of the paragraph which has reference to 'drowned
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