The Express.
London, England, 1867-12-20 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

EXTRAORDINARY TRIAL FOR ADULTERY.
(1,8031 ova OWN CORRESPONININT.)

PARIS, THURSDAY EVENING.
An adultery case extraordinary has just been
tried in Paris. The injured husband, who had in
1866 obtained a sentence of six months' imprison-
ment against his wife, which imprisonment she
suffered at Dunkirk, found out that she gave birth
to a child while in prison, and a comparison of
dates proved to his mind that he was not the
father. Thereupon he determined to prosecute
his wife a second time, but ho also wished to in-
clude
in his vengeance the partner of her guilt,
and though he had pregnant suspicions it was not
easy
to prove that M. Jules G-- was the man in
I question. In order to get evidence the husband
dictated to a public letter writer an epistle
purporting to come from an intimate friend of the
suspected Jules, and addressed to the wife. In this
letter she was instructed that in order to divert
suspicion from Jules, the best thing she could do
was to write a letter, ante-dated, at an address,
designated to a suppositious person named Joseph
Delrieux, in- which she should speak of being
enceinte by him. The wife fell into the trap. Here
are two of her letters, which, as specimens of the
result of education before M. Duruy's lectures for
young ladies were invented, are worthy the atten-
tion of the Bishop of Orleans :
Dunkirk, April 28,1867.
My dear Joseph Amidst all my troubles a new and
terrible one has come upon me. The month of December
has ever been fatal to me. I must no longer hesitate to tell
you that my weakness has brought forth its fruits, and I
am now in a sad position, I shall soon be a mother. What
will become of me? There will be no means of escaping
from the fury of my husband when he knows of the birth
of the child. Oh! my dear Joseph, I cannot tell you
what I suffer. lam in despair when I think of my family
and my poor mother.—All yours, she who ever loves you,
O. mime L.
The next letter, addressed in equally passionate
and glowing terms, to the same imaginary person-
age, and dated several months before the time of
its composition, was thus worded :
Dunkirk, April 30.
My very dear Joseph,—Sins our meeting in December,
I cannot express all the anguish I have felt. I would not
believe the truth for a long while. But there is no doubt
now. lam eneiente. Oh ! my dear Joseph, I cannot get
this dreadful thought out of my head. My husband's
fury will know no bounds. I have lately heard that he is
taking steps to find you out. Be easy ; I will take care
that you shall be kept in the background. Rely on my
discretion. Adieu, my good Joseph. Write to me soon.
I embrace you as I love you. O. ?moo L.
On the strength of these documents the husband
instituted a new prosecution against his wife, in
which he included M. Jules G—. The court,
however, held the fraudulently acquired letters
evidence against the wife, but not against the ao-
compile°, whom the husband thought to entrap.
He has therefore lost his pains. He has to pay the
costs of suit against M. Jules, and though he has
a new judgment of six months' imprisonment
against his wife, that will not satisfy his vengeance.
Some time ago a tradesman named Buechy,
passing at night along the new Boulevard Males-
herbes, fell into an excavation ma le for the forma-
tion of a drain, and was so much injured that he
died shortly afterwards. His widow brought an
action for damages against M. Valette, the con-
tractor for the works, and the Prefect of the Seine.
The Tribunal of First Instance held that the death
of Buechy had been caused by the neglect to put up
a railing along the edge of the excavation, and that
the question whether he was imprudent or
not need not be gone into, as he had
a right to consider himself in safety
while walking along a public highway. The
tribunal decreed that Valette, the contractor,
and the Prefect of the Seine should jointly
pay the widow 2,000 fr. down and an annuity