The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-04-02 00:00:00

THE TRIAL OF PRINCE PIERRE
BONAPARTE.

The trial of Prince Pierre Bonaparte before the High
Court of Justice at Tours, which commenced on Mon-
day last, the 21st instant, terminated with the acquittal
of the prisoner on all the points Previous to the sum-
ming up the accused was asked by the President if he
wished to add anything in his defence. In reply, he
said, "I have always spoken the truth, and nothing
hut the truth, in this matter." The jury retired at
twenty minutes to two, and at five minutes to three
returned and delivered their verdict.

The Times, in a leader, commenting on the verdict, and
givmg a summary of the case, says:-

The result of the trial of Prince Pierre Bonaparte
it Tours will disappoint public expectation and
the sense of public justice in France. Prince Pierre
Bonaparte has been acquitted. This result, however
it may have been expected, is to be regretted. Through
the cloud of evidence having no bearing upin the issue
before the Court, or a bearing RO remote that the minds
of the jury were bewildered rather than enlightened,
and in spite of a contradiction of testimony pointing
to a weak regard for truth in comparison with the help
that might be ren.lered to a friend or a patron, the out-
lines of the tragedy at Auteuil became more distinct
and more dark day by day. The character of the
Prince was brought into full relief. No softening shades
appeared tc mitigate the effects of its ill impression. If
we do not adopt the description of it attributed to M.
Emmanuel Arago, we must not hesitate to confess that
its principal feature seems to oe th• brutality of an un-
governed will. It is true his antagonists have done
their best to destroy our sympathy for his victim, but
the fact cannot be obscured that Prince Pierre has
shown himself a dangerous member of society—one
whose liberty ought to be restrained if those who have
the misfortune to come in contact with him are to
enjoy any security for their personal safety.
_ . . . . .

' -
The advocate for the Prince, in his speech for the
defence, struggled to explain away the antecedent inci-
dents in his career, the outrages—to use the mildest
term—in Rome and the lonian Islands, The Prince
had been unfortunate, but not criminal. It is very un-
fortunate that a man should be pursued with misfor-
tunes all of the same character; but we may put aside
the evidence of facts that would not have been
admitted had the Prince been on his trial in England,
and judge the present accusation 'according to our
stricter method of procedure, supplemented only by
the statements made by the Prince himself under exa-
mination. It is admitted that when the fatal interview
began in the salon at Auteuil the Prince entered with
a loaded revolver in his pocket. It was silently
acknowledged that he kept his right hand on
the weapon thus lodged in his pocket from the be-
ginning. His first words to Noir and De Fonvielle
were words of insult. It was to ask them whether
they were the hodonen fetching and carrying for
M. Rochefort. This language was accompanied with
violent gestures of the left arm, intended, according to
the Prince, to emphasis., his words. What followed
immediately on this is matter of dispute, but after the
briefest interval, the revolver is drawn from the right
hand pocket and Noir is shot dead. It appeared then,
if not before, that M. de Foovielle was also armed,
for he pointed a revolver at the Prince, hut Met-
fectually tried to cock it. The Prince, in this situa-
tion tired a second barrel at his enemy, but missed
him. He tired, as he explained, because M. de Fon-
Yielle was endeavouring to tire, and, indeed, at this
point the metier had become a matter of life and death
between them. M. de Fonvielle's object, after he had
failed to discharge his pistol, WM to escape, and by a
wonderful chance he contrived to get out of the room
and into the street, exclaiming that the Prince had
murdered his friend. The Prince himself, thus lef t on
the scene of battle, reloaded his revolver, because, as
he explains, he believed he was in danger from persons
outside.
It will be seen that the character of the deed de-
pends upon what happened immediately before the
fatal shot was tired. The interview was opened, the
insulting words were uttered, the gesture not un-
naturally interpreted as a menace had been made. The
Prince declares that Noir res; unded to his words with
a blow, and it was upon this that he tired. M. de
Fonvielle declares that the Prince's gesture ended in a
blow on his part, followed instantaneously by the shot.
The Prince and he are the only survivors of the scene,
and we must have recourse to circumstances to discern
which of them tells the truth. The Prince, on his
side, brought a crowd of witnesses to testify that after
the occurrence his cheek bore the marks of the blow

he had received. There can be no doubt there wets
marks visible on has face, nor is it in any degree
material that the terms ussd by the witnesses in de-
scribing them varied exceedingly. The most important
point of the evidence on this point was the declaration
by Dr. Pinel, one of the witnessee, that he did
not believe the contusion could have been caused
by a blow of the hand, though it might have been
caused by a ring. But, against all this, there is the
clear fact, attested by many witnesses, and denied
by none, that Noire hands were found gloved, and
the gloves were buttoned, tight-fitting, and uninvited.
There was evidence, moreover, that when Noir fell, he
held his hat in his right hand, Something more must
he stated. Noir's corpse was carried from the Prince's
house to the shop of a neighbouring chyrnist. A wit-
ness deposed that he heard some one Pay in the
street, "The Prince has killed my friend, but be got
a good slap in the face," and he subsequently re-
cognised the voice as that of M. do Fouvielle.
Another witness declared that M. de Fonvielle
had said in the shop that Noir had struck the
Prince. The first of these two witnesses did not,
however, mention the fact to which he deposed
when he was first examined, and two hall porters who
carried the corpse to the chyrnist's, an agent who
assisted them, the chyruist himself, and a reporter for
the Mon beat', who was in the shop collecting evidence
all supported M. de Fonvielie's declaration that he had
made no such statement by deposing that they never
heard it. The balance of evidence is irresistible that
M. de Fonvielle never wavered in his story that the
Prince gave the blow, and the conclusion is equally
plain that the contusion on the Prince's cheek was due
to no blow from the hand of Victor Noir. The ex-
tenuating circumstances of the case must be found in
the envenomed attacks of the Republican Press on the
Prince and the Imperial family which had goaded o
unruly temper to a bloodthirsty madness.
It is this man who has been acquitted, when it
might have been supposed that the only question I
would have been the amount of his punishment. His I
hearing during the course of the trial itself confirms
the worst impressions of his disposition. .His de-
meanour has been described by our correspondent at
Tours in words that may be repeated:—" He gene-
rally site in his plaoe with his head thrown backwards,
motionless and apparently as impassible as a statue ;
but all of a sudden he breaks out into paroxysms of
fury, chafing literally like a wild cat, and launching
out into bitter invectives of which, owing to his clear,
though grating, voice, not one word Whit° the ground."
This painful picture corresponds too well with the facts
of the Prince's history. He has allowed his passions
to rule him, and especially his passion of wrath and re-
venge, until he has become a creature who should
never be trusted with weapons of offence, lest be
should, at any moment, when an obstacle arises to his
will, let the brutality of his nature explode in a fit of
homicidal frenzy. The appropriate punishment of such
an offender would have included a perpetual
lance and denial of the privilege of bearing arms' and
it may be believed that Louis le Grand would have
thus treated any kinsman of his who had in the same
degree revolted the conscience of the nation and proved
himself unworthy of the privileges of honour. If such
a result had followed, the tragedy at Antenil would
have been an honour, as it is now a slur, upon the
Empire.

The following is a more detailed account of the ex-
traordinary scene which took place in court on
Thursday, and which is called the "De Fonvielle"
incident :
Captain Touchet: I knew the Prince at the siege of
Zittacha He showed great calm in the midst of danger. On
the field of battle, the soldiers were electrified by the voice
of Prince Pierre. He had Cho eagle eye so natural in his
family. (Laughter.)
The Accused I will say to M. Laurier that Captain
Touchet, at whom he laughs, was pierced in the breast In
fighting the enemies of France by my side : and if he Is not
eloquent, he has more courage than the faction to which El.
Laurier belongs. ;Honours )
M. Laurier The Court has asked us to show deference
to the accused, and I must claim to be treated with the
same respect.
_ . .

The Accused You laughed at my brave crmrade.
At this moment IL dii Fonvielie rushed forward and ex-
claimed In a loud voice, And you basely murdered Victor
Noir !" Other words uttered were rendered inaudible by an
indescribable tumult which ensued. The gendarmes sur-
rounded al. de Fotivielle, and removed him by force from
the Court, while at the same time the Prince was also taken
out. The partisans of the two sides apostrophised each
other, and the voice of the President was for several minutes
drowned in the confusion.

-
When at length silence was restored, the Procureur-
Gkeral mse and said 'The incident which has
just occurred is of incontestable gravity. A witness,
M. de Fonyielle, has been guilty of a manifestation
which cannot be allowed to remain unpunished. I
will not have him brought to the bar of the Court as
I might do, for he is still too much excited. I only
call attention to the fact, and will reserve my right
of at the close of the sitting demanding his punish-
ment."
r. Laurier I have sufficient calm at this moment to in-
trainee no irritating element Into this discussion. Just now,
without provocation or pretext, the accused made a violent
and personal attack on an advocate, So far ea lam con-
cerned, I despise such insults. I did not laugh at the deposi-
tion of a witness, and if the accused thought no he was mis-
taken. No one profanes greater respect for his situation.
In presence of the word "faction" applied to a great party,
which is perhaps not that of the accused, but to which we
are proud to belong, I beg the court to consider that M. de
Yonvielle was acting under a provocation, and to permit

The Procureurdleneral : I do not pay attention to the
words used by the accused, but to the tumult, and to the
person who was the cause of it. I demand that a procer-
verbal of the incident should be drawn up.
The Court retired to deliberate, and after an absence of
three-quarters of an hour, returned and ordered that a
proOs-ver hal should he registered of M. Grandperret's appli-
cation relative to the language of if de Tony Mlle, till that
puuishruent should be afterwards inflicted tithe caseahould
demand it.

The Republican account of this scene is that Bonaparte had
uat Lillen back into his chair after Insulting Maitre Laurier,
the bar, justice, and the Republic Through the crowded
Court, hot with passion, there was • strange silence. Sud-
denly, at the lower end, over the gendarmes grouped round
Millii)re, rose the voice and head of young, ardent, brllllant
Ulric de Fonveille. "You ...lusted in • cowardly way
my friend Victor Noir." And at each word He Fonvielle
appeared to rise higher. He jumped upm a bench,
and overtopped the laced shakos of the gendarmes.
'• Pierre Bonaparte, dare to look me in the face
and say that you are not an assassin, an assassin !"
All eyes were turned towards Ulric. The judges of the
High Court, red on a black ground, stared at him. Bona-
parte, with trembling lip and folded art., had risen up. The
tipstaves, atimefied, gesticulated in silence; the police cons-
miasloners, in tricornered hate, were standing on their bench
waving their arms; the gendarmes, with their captain at their
head, were trying to force their way through the crowd to
where De Fonvielle .tood. "An assassln! an assassin !" he
cried again. lie was not pale. He wag alive, and revenged
himself for his long silence. Ile appeared to be tilled with
those great aentiments which render cames just and men calm.
Near him were some men of peculiar physiognomy, who
attempted to lay hands upin Min while shouting "Turn
him out! Arrest him! Vine CErmiereur !" An assas-
sin !an assassin !" repeated be Kmvie I le. He was forced to
descend from the beech. Everyone in the court had risen.
People were clambering over each other; and Ulric, his hat
in his hand, • white comforter round his neck, surrounded,
pushed, shoved, maltreated by the gendarmes was dragged
Into the middle of the Court. The woolen from the top of
the tribunes leaned over. They grew pale, spoke, mur-
mured, wept, and followed every movement of Ulric. The
gendarmes col:opined him and saved him from the men of
peculiar physiognomy, who cried, " A mort ! a mort !" Fon-
vtelle, after two months' silence, had been able to speak.

In Tours, en Sunday, at the conclusion of the trial
there, Prince Pierre Bonaparte was very warmly con-
gratulated on his acquittal, and there wan great rejoic-
ing in the town. Tee English and American ladies
sent presents of fliwers to the Princess.
In the civil action brought against the Prince by the
Noir family his Highness has been sentenced to pay
£l,OOO damages and costs. There is a rumour in Paris
that the Emperor has requested the Prince to reside
abroad for an indefinite period.
In the French Chamber, on Monday, M. Ferry pre-
sented a bill, abolishing the High Court of Justice.