The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-01-11 00:00:00

TRIAL FOR MURDER IN FRANCE.

The Court of Assize of Agen, France, has just been
engaged in the trial of a man named Byze for murder.
The crime was remarkable for the insignificant motives
which had led to it. The accused was the tenant of a
small farm t belonging to a widow, named Jeanne
Lague, aged sixty-eight, who occupied a room in the
cottage held by the man. On the 20th August last she
had occasion to summon Beze before a jugeode-paix for
allowing his cattle to stray into a field of millet belong-
ing to her. He was condemned to pay a fine of two
francs, but was immediately afterwards beard to declare
that he would be revenged. From that day the woman
disappeared, and a week later her body, covered with
wounds, and with a portion of the face eaten away, was
found in a river close by. A surgical examination showed
that the body had only recently been placed in the
water. Beze was naturally suspected of the murder,
and his farm having been gone over, a spot was die-
covered in which the earth had been recently dis-
turbed. The 8,11 being removed. a handkerchief,
stained with blood, and which had served as a head-
dress, was found, as well as some grey hairs. This
had evidently been the burial place of the Woman, and
from the fact of the earth being saturated with blood
there was reason to suppose that she had been interred
while still alive. Bisze then confeissed that he had
killed the woman, but said that he bad stifled her
with a clod placed over her mouth. He hail first
placed the body in the hole in the field, but fearing
that it might be discovered he hail taken it up and
thrown it into the river. He pretended that the
wounds hail been caused by his spade in exhuming the
corpse. He was condemned to twenty years' bard
labour.

Anne Challis, 41, incised wounds of head, face, neck, and
arms.
Besides the cases in hospital, the Committee have
received returns of personal injury to as many as 111
persons, who have suffered more or less severely from
the shock. A careful perusal of these unhappy con-
sequences of the Fenian outrage will best illustrate
The Arm, york Jo.rnal gives the following account of a the difficulty which the Committee has all along felt
most dreadful tragedy which took place in New York on the as to the adequate compensation to be made to the
afternoon of Dec 11:
innocent sufferers. Moat if the female sufferers have
Mesars. Kelly and Leon and Sam Sharpley and been accustomed to eontribute their own proportion to
brother were the parties directly concerned, and the "brea bwining"—industrious and thrifty house.
during which affray Mr. Thomas Sharpley was shot wives of skilled mechanics. Everything is upturned
to death, and Edwin Kelly and Sam Sharpley were and dislocated; the sacred safety of home ha, been
wounded. From the evidence thus far elicited, it ruthlessly violated, and the victims lett to start afresh,
appears that a bad feeling has fir some tine existed with nothing to start from but the kindly help and
between Sam Sharpley on the one side and Kelly and bounty of the public. Wet of them will never be
Leon on the other, engendered by a rivally in bind- , the same again. . The Committee only wish that all
seas. The quarrel is said to have had its origin seve- England could look upon that ghastly sight of
rid months ago, when Sharpley was giving minstrel wounded men, women, and children, and then fix the
entertainments at the Fifth Avenue Opera House, measure of what ought to be done for tho,4e affhctrd A couple of clog dancers, we are told, were people. i'.so each would be £2,000, and this seem. to
under engagement to Sharpley; hut the latter be but a cold mockery of their pain and lao. If the
claims that they were induced by certain raja. public bounty would double this, or increase it to even

• • IN

a larger amount, the Committee' can only say, an
witnesses of this deep sorrow, that all that would thus
be done for the victims would be well deserved and
well bestowed. They are the nation's flesh and blood
—the nation's suffering children, en whom the stroke
has fallen.

Not the least painful element in this catalogue of
suffering is that which has come under the care of the
lady visitor, whose detailed report shows the follow-
ing results. Speaking only of the district affected by
the shock of the explosion, Mrs- Bailey writes :

v
The number of maternity cases placed violet my care
from December 16 to Dectmlier Is have been 20. Of these
three have been delivered of still-born children, Or, have
had very serious miscarriages, three have given birth to
living children, one has been very ill, and still is, with a
wound in the breast evused ny the explosion ; the remain-
ing 16 cases, at different stages, the issue et which is very
doubtful.

The Report appends some particulars of these
eases, viz :

I. Mrs. Y-- the young mother who had been but two
days confined wlien the explosion had took place—mother
and child flung violently out of bed. This case has been
most diligently watched and tended, doctor and nurse sup-
plied, and food and nourishment provided daily. Now quite
restored and doing well.
„

2. Mrs. W—,..a'.;;;;, serious case, required the greatest
care; is is a fair way towards recovery, but Is still very
weak.

3. -Mrs. S—, a young woman, living very near the Douse
of Detention : had everything prepared for her confinement,
but lost all by fire through the nattering of live coals from
her fireplace at the moment of the explosion. Everything
necessary replaced by committee. A very painful labour
continued for forty-two hours, through displacement; gave
birth to a very feeble child. Nut yet convalescent; requires
great attention and nourishment everything provided.
4 Mrs. ha--, struck down by the explosion ; premature
labour ; child still-born ; still very ill.
5. Mrs. 0--, premature labour; child still-born ; was
found in great destitution; still very weak anil prostrate.
6. Mrs. B—, premature labour, child still-born; slow
progress towards recovery.
7. Mrs. W.—, sister of two of the wounded in hospital,
premature labour—very precarious case; no likelihood of
full recovery for some time to come ; visited and supplied
daily.
8. Mrs. T—, sister to last-named case, received a wound
In the breast from the explosion, lied been confined about
a fortnight. . .

Of those not yet confined some require and receive diligent
attention : many are mothers with large families, who have
Imen much put about by the untoward consequences of the
explosion, and some are sufferiuggreat pain For example :

a Mrs. condition very precarious and doubtful.
10. Mrs. 11-- was cleaning her windows, and was
violently flung down by the explosion, and much injured.
The doctor attending her s iyis that the infant is dead—not
seen any one so ill as this woman.
All the twenty-six eases have had their immediate wants
supplied ; bedding, clothing, and nourishment nurses hired.
Many of these have endured as much suffering as those in
the hospitaL

The results the committee have arrived at as to the
estimate of liability and loss, as gathered from the
above details, rom the reports of the sub-committees,
and from the claims sent in by the inhabitants, stand
thus:—

£ d.
For fnrniture, tools, and working materials .. 3,085 12 10
For loss of time iiiadenniate return .. 148 5 8
For claims Sr immediate relmf—attended to .. 1,042 7 9
For estimated expenditure since returns made 280 0 0
111 personal injury eases not in hospital
441 personal injury cases in hospital, maimed,
blinded, or otherwise disigured, or incapa-
citated, including annuities to those per-
manently iniured

This estimate does not include the claims made for
the buildings, or the interest in the buildingsthat have
been injured or destroyed. For the present the com-
mittee are contented if they are enabled by the exercise
of public sympathy to compensate, as ter as money can
compensate, for sorrow, suffering, bereavement, MAira-
ing, di.npretnent and loases that cannot be told up
for their intensity and severity.

By order of the Committee,
ROBERT MAGU IRE, M.A., Incumbent of
Clerkenwell Chairman.

ROBERT PAGET, Vestry Clerk, Hon. See.
Office of the Committee, Vestry Hall, Cletkenwell,

Jan. 7,1868.