The National Register. — London, England, 1816-04-28 00:00:00

APRIL Vt. up by the procutcur.general 'l'he reading lasted more than ban The A evocaTu-arNEnat. retraced rapidly the facts of the indirtmert, and fixed the attention of the jury on the principal points; he applied himself particularly to the distinction in the ca-sea of the ilitierent prisoners. Some but cto answer for s crime: others fur an offence only, lie remarked that the Chamber of Accusation had remitted to the three Englishmen the charge of having conspired against the legitimate goveru. 'tient of France. I now leave (said hr) the facts to develope themselves, it is right that you should receive your first im pressions from the evidence. You will observe with coolness, and determine with coolness. I need not tell yogi, gentlemen it ti'' jury, that justiee, whose impassis e organ you are, has nn revird to the distinctions established in society, weak or powerful, rich or poor, natives or foreigners, in all the accused justice sees only men, it knows nothing of their quality, it wishes to know their actions; but what more can I add to the dignified sentiment width you entertain ter your fractions; When the question concerns equity. justice, honour, I need use no tiarthi r recommendation to a French jury. Madame Lavaletle, liie young lady her daughter, and 'their old fetuale domestic, have not been summoned here as witue , scs at the regito , l of the public prosecutor, but of the . prisoner Eberle, therefore they will not be !mind till after the charges are gone through. The Presideiit here successively interrogated the accused, their answers referred to the details already given in the in. die tuuwnt. . . . . . tVe pars over in silence the long interrogatories of Eberle, and the debate which they gas e rise to between him and her. guider, as no new fact resulted from them Eberle still ap. P wired to labour rimier the most nnfavottrable Presumptions, while the keeper of the prison was only so far culpable, that he had omitted some precautions which lie did not think ne cessary, and shown sensibility when he should have shown only vigilance. 'f ears dimmed his sight, a gaoler should tic% er weep. M. the Pnestricx . r made I'm! following, observation to the 'gaoler: " On the guth of December being informed by air the Advocates-General that the execution of the eon% tet larva lette was to take place next day, von went to consult M. the C o ma Anglo, prefect or P olice. Ton said to him,' Alailenee Larahette is in the prison. most 1 tear her from the arms of her hosband ?' M. the Conn: Angles said to you. • 1 gise you no ad vice, see your superiors, it is tar yOll to know what are the duties of your situation. You are a Mall, but you are a guider.' do not say, added the President, what you might t..) have stanc, bat at least you should have redoubled your vigilance." The President then addressed himself to M. Bruce: • Q. How long have you loom in Prance?- 4. About 13 month 4. Q. Yon remained here during the stay of /Intinapartei— A. Yes., I lest Paris two hour, after littonaparte, when he went to take command of tile army. I ditl.not think it right that an English gentleman should remain in a country which had emu- IneliCett li stilitice against III• own. Q. It appears that you returned to Paris, and were here on the gstlt Julie. 1. It Wan bCt`allse Sitc;:t, who com manded that part of the frontier which 1 wished to pass, refusal to let Ise pass, iu spite of a letter which l mote to UM. and I was obliged to return to Paris. Q. You wrote also to Nla.laine the Duchess of it. Leu, whom you called Imperial although }our ose F ro nt .,A h in d Dever recognised Ilitonaparte an emperor.--1• It is true that 1 wrote such a letter, I gave her that title, because it was the one she bore. . Q. You were connected with several persons in the intimate confidence of Ltuunaparte, particularly the Duke of Vicenza? -- V. It is true but Ido not sec is bat relation these questions have to the affair of Lavulelte. Q. It b. nut tar the accused to judge of the merit or of the alike' of the questions addressed to him: the President has a discretionary power ()quitting what questions he thioks pro per. Was the..e not found at your house th. 7 ori•zinal of the answer of the Duke of Wellington to NluvAial Ar.. You took a very lively iutore , t in Marshal !Sky Yes, a very lively interest, I do not blush to own it. The lutist lively interest during his trial. 44. Was it to you that the first overture was made of the plan of transportiii4 Lavaletle out of France, and of the plait uj toncealnienti--A. There was no question of cuwealtutatt, fur that was no longer possibie. (The President explained the judiciary sense of the word reedy. I; was to shelter a luau from proseention, to withdraw him front the power of the law, by concealing him Muter for a short or a long time.) l'he are well here reconnt.d the manner in which he bail heel' mysteriously solicited to eo-operate in the Hight of Lava lette from Paris. If possible, said he, I would have effected I:is elcape I> myself alone ; for I could not repulse a man who had pot his lit: , into my fronts. I, however, obtained kis con sent to confide his secret to one of my friends. I spoke to one friend, who gave me a charge to another. I will not name these friends; they wilt name themselves. Q. It was you who received Lavalette at the house of Capt. }Hutchinson?--.t. I received hint when he was conducted to the house of that person whom I have not named. _ 11 lutchin.son, who was close to Bruce, bade him name Weil President.--Ttais ifisevetion V. ty useless, fur 31eAsrs. Hatt • chinson nail Wilson have denied nothing, 114 '.ou know by tle! publication of tivose pieces which hare been circulated in it manner SO C.)ittr.tvy to our practice. Y.,u know that Lavatette , passed the nizlat ati the house of Capt. Hutchausun, and that Hutchinson dues riot deity it. itrnee.—lt was not myself who enzaged Hutchinson, who a.:•taivizes me. to pronounce his n.uue, to receive 31. de Lava tette. o..n e ral Wilson (rlsitrzl.—lt was I. Thc President to 31. Bruce.—Ther.• was found at the house ,s;* Omit, a inemorand of an expence of 1.00 francs are easielled by Lavalette's jounaey. Bruce paid this sum, anal sent me the me morandum at my request. The President Baca iaterrozated 31. Mitchinson, who azreed to all the facts that enneermai him. It was at has house that Livalette slept on the night from the 7th to the Sib of January. There is no trace or the retreat or Luvalette between this pe• riot and the 211th of De-ember preceding. Q. kTu Ilutchinsuit)—Vuu escorted Lavalctte i—A. Yes, on hors. back. Q. You wished no doubt to serve your friend: ?—A. Nut so: I was actuated by a senti..ient of hannat.:ty, Q. But you dad not take a plait:roar intere t—an interest of the heart, in th:s project, b , • cause you gays a memorandum of your a (.. nenal tta Boni —t, I .141 so, beau.: desired to d,, .; e ; 1.,1t. i IV • 4.l;At interest in laavalette„ Tc • •• ''t' .:suo.— Did you know Lavalette • but . .,.• • t . ` ,• .11.1 -. A. s • I'. Q.v • Ci n , Nu: service ! \. I'C ,:. + Tmr. NATIOVAL ITGIATEL l'uo hw spread thrutigh Ehrupt, by a celehrateJ violent sospwanis agaiwit the morality of et•rtain agents of 800 naparte Ecypti—A. It is true; 1 saki that which I belie‘cd to be the troth. The aceosed here &dared that it wlss himself alone who made all the dispositions, and took all the -measures Mr the escape of Lava;cue ; he confirmed all the facts related in the act of ween,ation ; he added, that Lavatette Has dressed in an ens cre , l with an English great coat. and mutinied with a hat of the Fratlish form. Bruce here laid hold of the military cap of Hutchinson, and showed it to the Presi dent, saying it was such as that. Q. (To Wilson)—You knew that Lavalettc was condemned to death by a jury?—:l. Yes, certainly: it was his condemna. tion that rendered my assistance necessary. Q. Yon know the crime for which he was condemned, for having suppressed the prochunations of the King, for having on the 20th of March put himsellin correspondence with the usurper, and for having co-operated in the return of 8110114- part(' %—A. We arc not agreed us to his crime. I believe that Baiumparte undertook this enterprise without any cou uexion in France. . U. It is not my business to institute a political controversy. Lavatette was condemned fur having violently seized a public authority; for has ing corresponded with finonaparte, and stopped the king's proclamations ; an•l for having deceived tif.e inhabitants of France as to the true simation of Paris.- Much less of politics than of humanity entered into my con duet. Bruce, in speaking to me about Lavidetto, addressed himself to my heart. I dare Batter myself that his hope and confidence in me have not been deceived. fir Robert de clared further, that Mr. Hutchinson did nothing but by his in fluence, and that, in what he then did, he was guided by no political feeling a liatsoever, [Monty by motives ofilummity. Having said this, lie sat down. The court then proceeded to the examination of witnes,ses. The first persons implicated by their depu•iti•ins was Eberle, the head-turnkey ; and the following facts were proved asiainst him : . . Afonsicur Roquette, junior, the gaoler, Bodiscao the keeper, and several turnkeys, confirm the circumstances detailed in the indictment, and which particularly inculpated Eberle. It seemed to result from the wlndeof these depositions, that Eberle had left open all the doors lititireen the chain hot- of Lavolette and the great wicket in the first part of the prison ; that at the moment when the bell rang, and Ir• went up to the chamber to reccive the out , r to hid the thainnan be ready, the disguise was already completed. It is ilitlieult to admit that lie did not perceive it. Instead of obeying the order which Roquette, inn. gave him to rim immediately after the chair, he directly came back to the prison, and went with ridiculous precaution to stint in !‘ladanie Lav:ll ,4 tte, saying, she at least should not come out without rood ordors ; and while the minister of po lice was intorrogating the gaoler on the circumstances of the escape, Eberle said it was very easy t.) distinguish Madame de Lavalette front her Int , band. There was half a head differ ence between thou. Wliv,asked Roquette, did you not make that rem Irk when it might have been useful Olt! marry! answered Eberle, my principal was there, and I had nothing to say. Almost the whole definer of this culprit was confined I. gin inutile lie to the witnesses, and to repeat," it is a falsehood : nothiarcan be more false." It is proper for that iuteresting class of poor citizens who have no other means of existence exeept hard and daily la bour, to preserve with care the deposition of Brigand, a Work hug wawa). Gnerin, called Marengo, the usual chairman of Madame vallet.e, proposed to hint to take the place of his comrade, who probably was not able to aid him Brit slay. Brig/tad consented, and after several jimmies carried Madame Lavallette to the Coticiergerie, and waited fur her with Guerin at the guard- IsVUNe. of the gendarmerie : a little before the corning out front the prison, lienoit Bonneville comes and As rs him a eh:v. of w Me, and says to him, " You will has e, perhaps, a little grs atcr weight ti , an at coming, but you must go with speesl; there ale loins to be earned." `fs 10ni , ," s..y s Brigand, what is to be done for than Such a sum is i.ot offered w Maim cause: I ass an holiest man ; have a with and children : I will not bring them into trouble." " You arc then a --(one of the worst teens: in the French languags ); money should be earned when it I am a poor man. but I do Roe wish to gain my sub sistence except by holiest lahnnr. Bah ! said the ether, what do you risk alien Monsieur tells you there is no danger Conte, 31arengo, said lie, leave all this stuff: come along with me : Susie mischief will 'lappeu to yin!: I ani going home ; and with that he threw down the leather strap with which he used to support the chair. lie returned posse, and acquainted his' wife with the offer which had been mad: to him, and wait his refusal. l' mu have dune well, said die. 'fhe next slay he learned that the chair men were imprisoned—that Lavallette bad escaped : Ob I Base done well, said he. The witness showed a great deal of emotion, and even shed tears, at the. necessity of inculpating his comrade Guerin. We preserve as much as we can the tote of frattline:.: and nature which tit,. witness exhibited in his deporition. Gentle meu, he said, weeping. do not be offended with me if I slid not give infant:tat:on a: the time : I was beside my ielf. Marengo, continued Brigand, brought me the wages for my job, aml said to net, you vs...re wrong in leaving us: it was nut what yon thought : the chair was stomed sin the q u a y, ant i i t was ati..s who was w ithin. however, if you arc examined, you have no occasion to say that money was tittered to you. !fear • me, answered I ; 1 abandoned the job yesterday . don't cate Die, or I shall tell the truth. From all this it appeared that this Brigand was an honest • fellow ; and the Presideet, on &missing him, addressid lain in the following flittering words : —" You have givea a guest ex ample of hammy: you have proved by your conduct that 1111. UMW mid probity arc to be found io the lumen classes : mo tionr this conduct; maintain your wife, wed up your children in these Immovable principles; and belles.. that, sooner or later, clam in this world, virtue rinds its recom pense." The evidence for the prosecution being gone through, the witnesses for the defence wrsi called. The et ire of lirigaud repeats a part of the details given by her husband. Guerin and Benoit Bonneville oppose to this doable declara tion an absolute N. B. It deserves to be remarked, that the desertion of Bri gand hat Mg compelled the valet-de-eliambre to seek speeshiy for :Mother erne: roan, Lavitlette rettl.tilltsit tour minutes in the sedaii-chair at very gate of the Cniciergerie they must bare app...., ed to Wan very long sines. After some • her witnesses, whose testimony was quite insig alfic., a, Med .me Luvah'tte was I:Weiland. ifer entrance was aimouneed by arm rour,expressive of the Interest and curiosity of tie hadicv e. Ware" she appeared, Wilson, Ilutchinsoit, and t, s , • •a :srotontul bow. •1••., •..• • • ;. esi of Matlaux Lavevttc were Cl. so great, that when interrogated, she could scarcely articulate her own name; and when asked her age, she replied " 27, I believe." After having collected her ideas for some moments, she said —" The distress which I feel does not proceed froin any fear, but from a kind of alarm on seeing myself before a tribunal, and amidst so large an audience, The President.—Madame, it is not public justice which has Plunmioned you here; it is some of the accused who have invoked your testimony. Lavalette.—l declare that the persons who have called me, contributed its no respect to the escape of M. Lava tette : no one was in my confidence; I alone did the whole. Some details acre asked of her as to certain circumstances which, though minute in appearance, might throw light on AC% t rat facts of the accusation. She replied, that she did not re collect them, and assigned for her defect of memory an excuse which will be easily admitted :" At that moment," she said,•• 1 was too much occupied with the execution of may plan to pay attention to what was passing around me." M. Clavean, Eberle's counsel, requested her to fix precisely the moment of the disguise ; and to state whether it was already executed when Eberle came to receive his last orders. Madame Lavalette, w Ito was unaware of the cohsemtences of her answer, said," at that moment the disguise was completed, because M. Luvalette had got off." The Presideut.—l will put t.e Madame only one question. Have you ever knowu or seen these gentlemen Euglisla),or any one of them? They immediately ruse, and Madame La valetie, after having looked at them for a moment, declared, that had octet known or before seen the:,,. Mademoiselle Las alttt - es;as then introduced ;as she itnt quite 1 1, the administering the oath to her was dispensed with. She answered to the first questions tu so feeble a voice, and her embarrassment appeared so painful, that the President, after asking the consent of the prisoners, signified that she might withdraw. The court rose at half-past five. M. Claverm is cannsel for Eberle; M. plaque for the gaoler Roquette ; M.ilogql,, fur Bonneville; anti M. Dui ) i ))) fur the thice Euglislu.neu. , SECOND DAY.---Ti etD,ty, APRIL a 'This day the examination of witnesses was continued. The colonel of the staff Griseniiir, and the major of ' , mil r• merle Jensae, attest, the one ceilidh'', and the other in writing, that, having been charged with the command and internal sil periutendenee of the Conciergerie dnriu MarshatiVey's they say.. Roquette constantly exercise and recommend the ntost exact vigilance ; and these * 'messes were convinced that the iattaoltment of this gaotef to his duties was supported and increased by his excellent principles and opinions. S 'tar testimony was given tut hint by several inspectors of police The widow Dittoit, rtgell 72, confidential woman of Mieltime Isitvalette, called for the accused. declared that .ii Oid It'. C0111C.:( ;Illy of the eircumsbnices which preceded or ace,aispd. nied the lict of the escape; she did not even recollect ssito the person was that introduced tier without permission into the chamber of the convict. It was in soh' ovine of the judges ;mil jurymen pressed her with riitestion4—in vain the president re !Maar d her (tithe oath she had takes : she persisted in saying, that a severe iudismisition prevented her from retaiaing ally recolketion. M. the President, unwilling that she should per jure herself, dismissed her, Meier% mg, tt s onw thi hg , I know nu t what, presents ute from arming tile hawk vi justice against poi." The woman (I , Trie, a neichhattrof Eberle's *ire, stated, that, at the period of the entrance of the trom:s into Paris, the wife °Otte accuse.' ',hewed her a not of 1,200 fr. about which she appeals d 13 1 .1114 d , and consulted her as to the useaos of placing it lit Laporte, one of the ordinary chairmen of NT:olrrne Lavaiette, and who, on the day °is the escape, had heen replaced by Ilsi mint, deposed, that the dry after, when he asked I.lrigatit why he had not finished his job, the latter made 110 attention oh offers hissing been tisirde to him, but excused himself by say ins, that twit days before lie hail made a severe journey, which Inid buained him. _ . Here ended the examination of the witnesses; upon which the Adsocate General, rise and addressed the court : A criminal, he observed, a cons ict, has escaped time justice: happy for bun if he escape tram remorse, and it he eau bud a place st here fie limy sheer w ith serenity a forehead st hich the pulic'at timid,/ has scathed : a wife has saved her husband; kt it he the subject of her jot, provided the act which has done her honour shalt not compromise any one. It is easy to account fur the share which saute of thin accused, on whose tate yua have to pronounce, took in this esiterpri ze ; their sentiments, their ditties, their interests, esp:ain the part 'which they played ; but Mitt happens it that these three foreigners are before.you What was the nature of the interest which they took in satin. the convicts ? They were neither the relatives, tin. friends, Loy even the acquaintances of Las alm te. Will ;hey say that they act. d from views of bninalitty ? Bat how ilia iscterise that hu• manity which displays itself only - by a coutexpt of public or. der, and the infraction of the hies? How appreciate that lin. inane inteution, it' the corresperoltnce of Cis , accused , prove that hatri 41 of our law s is in their hearts; that our repose is odious and 4lisagreca lite to than: if they saw not in that estate al.) thing lint an outtage on authority, a sedan/us means of fa nting a resolution i 11 this act, feeble in itself, was a sort of initiative of the project, it became the duty of public justice to search it to the bottom, and to ',ace to you the machination to its very focus. The Advocate tkiseral applied himself iu the tint instance tocumpare and diyi aciate the facts relative to the escape of Lavalettr t and great order and yeeision mark rd the ware which each of the accused had in the act, and the motive which mieht list e actuated hint. lie disti;4.uisited be twet u crime and simple offence; sod assienel to each, us if were, the punishment which he Mildred. wi Clout, however, depriving uny one prisoner of the belie of toe wdulgt nee of the jury, lie then naturally came to foe iiirctice of tau:reeling the rub iet, and it was here that the these Luelisliumu came upon the stage. Tire first part of this affair, he said, is intelligible enough. All the f.,rts have ;I reSel!wia:lce to vvery-day Occurvelicts. We base a %%Ulliall who eases lire husband—a enuril who ne glects his eharge—another svh,. altows !Aimed to be Ctif ' s up:AA— A domes:ie who devotes himself for his master--and nary Wall is seduced by the attractions of a prat teethe. The origin of all this is to be found, notiu the principles, but iu the passions and affections cf men. hitherto we have recounted a history—we now come to a romance. You have In en se - Sacill with this idea; you have put tit.s titst onestieti to y cllist I\l:4 why were the Eiio , ll etigilgvil in this attair i Their isiterferimee cannot he explain-) on ordinary principles. They themselves declare and protest on their liomiur, that, before thvic partici. inition in the crime, they did not know the iadiviii.l.ll u..* , service they exer.ed all their efforts, We .ire L .....