The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-09-11 00:00:00

"!GUILTY, WITH EXTENUATING
' * CIRCUMSTANCES."

The Parts Correspondent of The Times, under date Sep-
ember 2, gives the following account of two trials which have
just taken place in France
Two cases have just been decided which show I
think, the extraordinary and arbitary way in which
,
French juries bring in verdicts of Guilty with
extenuating circumstances." The first was tried by
the Assize Court of Charente Inferieure. On the
10th of January last a husbandman named Pierre
Colle, 60 years of age, who lived in an isolated house
at the village of Grand Dean, Ile d'Oleron, was
found lying dead in a pool of blood in his room.
Medical testimony showed that the deceased must
have been murdered on the previous evening soon
after his supper by repeated blows on the head
from a hammer. Suspicion was directed against
his brother-in-law Charles Normandin, and on the
20th of January he was arrested. The accused is fifty-
five years old and also a husbandman, very indus-
trious, and desirable of getting as much land as pos-
sible. He .had just bought a little property for which
he was unable to pay the whole price at once and
therefore asked his brother-in-law to lend him 1:000f.
Colle refused, whereupon a lively altercation passed
between the two, which so affected Colle that he told
his niece he would never again put foot in his sister's
house. Normandin was extremely incensed against
his brother-in-law, the more so as a rumour had been
spread about to the effect that Colle was about
to marry, and in this ease would probably take
back the property which he had divided among his
two sisters. On the 9th of January Normandin
spent the day superintending the erection of a shed
which he was putting up near Colle's house. At
half-past 5 the workraan left Normandin there, it
being then quite dark. Between 6 and half-past a
woman saw Normandin's horse tethered in a field,
and .shortly after a man named Chailloteau met
Normandin himself carrying a basket, out of which
the handle of a tool projected, and going towards his
brother-in-law's house. A basket answering to this
description and filled 'with' shavings was afterwards
found at Cone's, and was recognized Bahia property, but
as having been lent to Normandin: 'Another point of
the evidence against 'Normandin was the fact that
one of the three • blouses which he 'possessed' had
disappearecl,Landy this „tile one ..he must have worn
on t)he aay of the ipurcicr. A:pair of trousers which
Norman*. wass,.knkn to hall, worn on the same day
were alio not to oe fOunc On Sunday morning spot
of blood was 'noticed on- orthanilin's ishirecellar, but
it had more the appearance of having been rubbed
against some bloody object than of being the result of
direct communication with a wound. Normandin,'
when told of his brother-in-law's daath,-observed that
he had probably, glied of apoplzy. But when those
who carried ,flas bodyfiaid it looked as if the deceased
haebeiiii:Murdered by, repeated blows on the head,
Nordiandiii 'exel.
aimed several tirnes;,"‘lt could not be
otherwise' It" li probable thsttithe iniuderer went to
Cone's' licinte after' the • work Min bad left, and, after
disputing..with.his •brother-in-law, butchered him in
cold blood. -The fact -that the handle of a tool was
seen by. Chailloteau projecting from the basket seems
Itoncluinve that the crime was premeditated. After
'hearing the witiiissei the jury found Normandin
'" Guilty, with extenuating circumstances," and he
was cOndenaned to litars' hard labour.
The second case ich I have referred came before
the &Piss; Court or ure et Loire. On the 14th of
1.1 aAD young wOman named Blin, who worked durin' g
- M. and Madame Brule on entering their
hthoeusdea
beheldyforha''' 'not frightful spectacle. Brule and his
wife were ''-narently. lifeless, on the floor, while
lying, al" *en into nieces a milk jag, also
an enormous stick, bro- • • '•
Ped with iron, all covered
broken and a bucket, h 0.."
„-,4.iNeen. the weapons of the
with blood, showed what h
murderer. Bruie's face was 4hcrr:bly Mutilated and
his skull fractured in Several was
morning, sifter fearful suffering. wL. who
places. ,_llO the next
enciente, had her face, head, and shoulders covereu,
with wounds and bruises; but she was able to ::(17
the name of the assassin, and since then has pat Ji
tially recovered. It appears that at ten o'clock on the '
evenifig of the 13th a an named' Audenet knocked at
the door of.Brule's cottage and "asked for something to
drink; Brule offered Audenet, Who had been a Wag-
goner on the farm where he had been shepherd, a glass
of cider. Audenet asked for some water, and as Brule
stopped to dip it from a bucket the other felled him
with a thick stick and then turned upon Madame
Brule, who had jumped out of bed, and beat her till
she was insensible. 'rho Fame night) about bali-past
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