The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-07-16 00:00:00

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EXTRAORDINARY ATTEMPT To lIII'ILDER

BY A FOREIGN NOBLEMAN:

London has been startled during the 'mot few days
by a report that a French nobleman of distinetion,
named Baron do Viola, load attempted to murder los
only son on the 2dth June, in • lovely place near
Rielirnoutl, the alleged motive being • desire, on his
part, to avoid placing 166 intended victim in posses-
Mott of the property to which the latter was entitled
under his inother's will:on Arriving at the age of il. It
appears that the Baron de Vidil is • French gentleman
by birth, who, having married an Enghell lady of
fortune, has long been in the habit of visiting London,
where his poaition and friends glove him the entre'r
to the most distinguished society in the metropolis. Ile
was an lionoriory member of several of the principal
dohs, and, in fact, • gentleman whose position in what
is termed " rociety" max iiilmitted co cry where. It is
stated, that lately the Baron de Vislil lias become
enoliarrassed,suil pi ess, d urgently for moiler. His son is
a young gttitleinali, 93 years of age, who has been
reared allimat entirely in Eliglanil, loud who has
graduated at Csinlirolgei By the sleuth of this young
men the Baron ile Vida would become enCtleel at once
to £30,000. Who. ther the conduct of the Moon has ever
been such as to riiissi suspicion in his son'. 'hind that
be over meditated or evr n desired the dectli of his
young heir it is impossible to say. This can only be
n to the son himself, and, of coil zse, OM never be
elicited till criminal proceedings roe instituted. The facts
connected with the actual attempt may be very coon
told. The Baron ppreeeil to his son that they should
ride out and pay their respect,' to the Due d'Atonale
and the menibers of the ex Royal fennly-at Claremont.
Both gentlenten, accordingly, started by the train from
Waterloo for Twieleeneani, where they hired horses
and rode on to Claremont. Young Mr. Alfred De
Vidil had a light riditg wip, but the Baron had
none. At Claremont only th•• Due d'Orleens wool at
home, but with hint the father end am remained
upwards of an hour in conversation. Ott leaving, tl•e
father ‘vm anXious to halt and take some refreshment
at an inn, but by this time the non had become
deeply impreesed with the sullen strangeness and
peculiar mauler oil his tweet, and therefore declined,
being •nxious, from something that he thought was
ominous in the Baron's manner, to retunt home as
soon as Fussible. The journey, therefore, woe nap
I naiad et an ordinary ',nee towards Twickenham.
On the outskirts of the village the B iron turned him
horse up a shady lane, saying lie felt unwell,
but almost immediately afterwarila added that
Its should like to call upon the Due d'Aumale at
I Memo'. hrintie. To this young A 'free' do \richt
essential, and the Patron began to lead the way down
lanes end byways to the back of Orleans.house stables,
when the tether turned aside down yet another lane.
Front whet afterearils occurred it would teem that this
pretended wandering front the right path was made with
the deliberate purpose of seeking a lonely spot, where
no eye might witnees the crime that was meditated to
follow. Both the father and son at last arrived at a very
secluded lane between Tvrickeuliain an I Orleans'
house. A high wall shuts in the late on one dde, and
• thick and rather tall hedge on the other. It must
have seemed a fitting piece, though in reality it Wall
plainly overlooked, for • labourer saw what followed.
It is stated that the Baron looked round him and then
at unix; struck his son a di eitaul blow on the forehead.
It was at first thought. Rent the nature of the wound
that it intuit have Leo indicted with a life uresierver ,• but
the labourer • liO, from the adjoining field, now all tl e
blows struck, said the wi aeon appeneed to lie like
something glittering on the I.nil of a atook. From this
it would se 11l that the attempt was inade with one of
those massive metal-handled hunting whipli,with
of course, a. Wien, a blow es with a hammer could be
given. Its full violence, however, was pertly broken,
for, though it laid oven young Mr. Vidire forehead,
it dirt net bring him from his bora.. The Baron then
struck two oilier blows, one on the side of the head, a
very severe one, icflieting a serious wound ;the other we
are infuriated was fortunately lighter. Almost stunned,
bleeding, and uite overpowered by the Nuddenness of
SUVA an attack from elicit a quarter, young Mr. Vidil set
spurs to his horse and galloped away no rapililly as bis
horse could go with his father in full pursuit of him.
Both e emed to have pressed their loorssie to the utmost
speed; lint the son soon found that his father was rapidly
gaining on Lim. lie, therefore, as Ida last ellauce. reined
up his horse at a field whew he saw Sullio people at
work, and, thri•Wing hilliself off, broki, through the
hedge, and rim towards them crying for loch i°• The
fattier followed him up elo-e. and et first said, " Here,
you li.tve dropped yolir hat," and then added to the
country people that " The young gentleniall stood inp
in his saddle to look over a wall, mid his hoe.° shied,
end threw him." Other rauple cowing up, yonng Mr.
Vidil was conveyed to • publiclionae, end Dr. Clark, of
Twickenham, was sext ('or. To this gentleman the
young min aepealeil that bis aysist nt might go up
with him, and his manner was so RI ,rho 4 and pecu-
liar in making this reonest that Dr. Choke at one°
consented, see:ieg that there was evidently something
wrong. During all this time the father was present,
and seciileih ensiles to be again abate with his son.
But yontig Mr. Vidil, new thoroughly couvinceil that
Ilia father bad meant noth'ng less than to murder bull,
would not ellew the assietaut foi, quit him for a single
moment. The three acconlingly returned to town,
mid the Baton went to his win's Cha MIK ra in Jenny n-
street, and retnaineil till 12 at Light, lout still Mr.
Vidil kept the assiatant aith him always. E
the following .....rliiiog the young iii no • lot ty left the
dangerous neighbourhood. and went to tlie tindection
of hie uncle's house. Here lie told Isis tale, old before
lung werrants were out for the angst of th•
Baron de Vi.hil. who at once tied to Paris. Instantly
the detective' of that city were communicated with,
nni as of couree • gentletnall so Well known, especially
front his supposed connexion with seine of the Orleans
family, cannot stay in Paris his exact address
we, at once ascertained. When Ate Baton ile Vidd
was" wanted," therefore, he was inetantly arrested. If
the Baron was an English subject lie could at once be
brought over without further troonlobe, tinder the term*
of the Extradition Treaty. by which eael, country gives
up the this'll, Is f the other. But the Baron de Vidil
is • Frenchman, and, therefore. does not come under the
the provisions of the bond. Hu was 'not arrested,
therefore. but all was kept quiet lucre until, we believe,
an appeal was forwarded, through our tepresentative at
Paris, to the Coverneicilt authoritiee, ',raying for the
delivery of the Baron to English jurisdiction.

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ANCIENT COINS. • Sonic workmen employed in
felling timber near Whitby, have discovered a carets in
the grmiol whieli contained 126 silver coins. The
shillings were of the date of Elizabeth and James,
and the half-crowns oldie Charles's. They are, of course,
anxiously sought after by eollechirs of
All the palms at Kew gardens, some of which are
sisty feet high, are now planted in the open grounds,
so that the visitor may now walk among a grove of
these beautiful and useful exotics on a level with their
lofty trunks, and obtain such an idea i.f their magni-
fimuce and beanty as has no parallel in Europe.
From parliamentry returns issued on Thursday
morning it appears that the coat of gas in lighting
the Houses of Parliament in the year ending Marsh
31st last wan 1:3,152 bd. 2.1.; the curt of oil, £2,178
'ld. ; and of vq.v., $2:4714 lon.. 2d. The cost of the
clock and bells subsequently to April. 1859, has been
£11157 18d. GI The whole sum exp,ndeil in the
farni•hing, lightning, and ventilating the
new psisce at Westminster since Iteeen her 31, 1859,
1:3.1,707.1 It.. li. ; oil this amount dm $ Ent include
the eii,t of ib.riiratimi 4 the building with fresco
paintingm, and stxtunry. tie expenditure for mainte-
nance and repairs of the buildings and furniture, nor
the current expenses of lighting and ventilating.