La Presse, April 7, 1920, p. 1

THEY FACE THE SAME CHARGE

Télesphore Gagnon is accused of murder, just like his wife.

THEIR TRIAL AT THE QUEBEC ASSIZES ON MONDAY

(From the correspondent of La PRESSE)
Quebec City, 7 — Yesterday afternoon, the members of the Grand Jury at the Assizes brought two true bills of indictment against Télesphore Gagnon and his wife, Marie-Anne Houde, both accused of the murder of Aurore Gagnon, the daughter of the former.

Until yesterday, only the Gagnon woman stood accused of the murder of this child, her husband having been accused only of manslaughter. Following the preliminary investigation before the Sessions of the Peace Court, Justice P. A. Choquette had not wanted to have an accusation of murder laid against Télesphore Gagnon, who had been sent before the Assizes to face only an accusation of homicide. The Gagnon woman alone had faced an accusation of murder.

But the Crown Attorneys, Monsieur Lachance and Monsieur Arthur Fitzpatrick, were not satisfied with that, and they applied to the Attorney General to change the charges that Télesphore Gagnon would face before the Grand Jury, without going through the formality of a new preliminary investigation, as the criminal code allows. The Attorney General granted this request, and yesterday an accusation of murder was brought before the Assizes against Télesphore Gagnon, as well as against his wife, Marie-Anne Houde.

After having examined the evidence, the members of the Grand Jury did not hesitate to bring a true bill of indictment, or charges, against the accused in both cases.

The trial of the Gagnon couple will begin next Monday. The two accused will be defended by the Honourable J. N. Francoeur, K.C. The Honourable Justice L. P. Pelletier will preside over the trial.

We remind our readers that both are accused of having caused the death of little Aurore Gagnon, a child from the first marriage of Télesphore Gagnon, in Ste. Philomène, in the county of Lotbinière. This little girl, who was ten years of age, died last February 12 as a result of mistreatment that she allegedly suffered at the hands of the two accused.