Episode 4

In Paris, on January 31, 1907, an 11-year-old child, Marthe Erbelding, was raped and murdered. The atrocious crime falls badly: the law on the abolition of the death penalty is under discussion. The culprit, Albert Soleilland, is a friend of the family. Shocked by the horror of the facts, public opinion claims death for the murderer of the little girl. The Assize Court pronounces capital punishment. Against the advice of the street, President Fallières will commute the sentence to forced labor for life, but the law on abolition will be permanently buried.