The Express.
London, England, 1866-11-02 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 2, 1866.

For the defence was called, first, an officer
of the army of the name of Cassitur,
who officially had frequently been called on to
examine the suicides of soldiers. This gentleman
tried an experiment which converted him from the
belief in murder, which he had first entertained,
and to the theory of suicide. He purchased a
sheep, shaved the wool from its neck, laid it on
its back on a table, placed a pillow under its
head, then adjusted a gun with the butt resting
on a chair, and the muzzle about a foot from the
head. Fired in this position the death of the
animal was immediate, the gun violently recoiled,
and would have overturned the chair had it not
been held ; the pillow was blackened, but not
burnt, and the head was turned over to the further
side. The witness further explained that when
a shot is fired close to an object the report is but
slight ; and instanced a case in which a corporal
had shot himself without the report being noticed
by his comrades in the same room. To illustrate
this exposition more precisely, the actual bed on
which READLY died was sent for to the court, and
M. CHARRIN, after a alight protest that he should
not be held to be compromising his dignity
as an officer, lay down upon it, and showed how
with his arms under his clothes he could press the
trigger with the ramrod, and how, if loaded, the
recoil of the gun would upset the chair on which
the butt was placed, and carry the piece itself to
a distance from the bed. Then the question was
put to each of the experts whether they now be-
lieved that death was the result of suicide or
murder. Two declared themselves certain it was
suicide, two that it was possibly suicide, one that
it was suicide if movement after death was pos-
sible, and one that it was murder. Thus, there
was a clear majority in favour of the suicide hy-
pothesis. But it need not be remarked that a jury
would be bound to give effect to the doubt which
even a minority might support in favour of such
an explanation, and consequently it was matter of
course that the accused should be acquitted.

The evidence was greatly complicated and con-
fused by intermixture with testimony bearing on
a perfectly separate charge of forgery, which was
included in the indictment, and on which also the
prisoner was acquitted. On this we shall not
trouble our readers with any comments. But be-
sides the scientific evidence which led to acquittal
from the charge of murder, it is only right to
notice several points which must have
weighed with the jury in wholly excul-
pating the prisoner from any imputation of
guilt. Many witnesses were called who bore
evidence to his good character, to his kind beha-
viour to his wife, and to his real affection for
REALLY—an affection which the latter recipro-
cated. It was also in evidence that he had
striven to further rather than to retard the young
man's marriage. It will be remembered, too,
that durin,4 the night preceding the fatal act
REALLY had been seriously ill, and Itt,K
ALLAH had employed a commissionaire to sit up
and give him his medicine. After such care,
and still more after thus drawing special atten-
tion to the apartment, it is almost incredible that
any man should dare the risk of committing a
murder by firearms in an hotel, and after the in-
mates were up. All reasonable probabilty, then,
is against the suggestion of murder, while in the
depression of illness and of disappointment in
love, the carrying out of a threat of suicide is far
from unnatural. The difficulty was at first to see
how this was reconcilable with the position of the
ls,dy, but M. CHARMS'; experiments solved the
problem, and to that gentleman's ingenuity and
energy is due the merit of obviating the possibility
of a judicial murder.

OUR CONTEMPORARIES.

(THIS DAY.)

titan s charter which woull gratify them with, at hut, a
part of their desires, would silence their burning animosity
and dimontent of years, and make them for the glee
. '
peaceable if not loyal subjects.

LAW INTELIAGENCE.

(THIS DAY.)

FIRST DAY OF MICHAELMAS TEEM.
This being the first day of term after the long vacation
the courts of equity and common law were opened for
business with the customary formalities. Her Majesty's
judges, the Queen's counsel, and aerjeante, breakfasted
with the Lord Chancellor at his private residence in Eaton-
square, and afterwards went in their carriages to West-
minster. As usual there was a large crowd in the
hall to see the learned judges, headed by Lord
Chelmsford, walking in procession, and in their full
dress robes to their respective courts. The termin►tion of
the legal holiday brings with it three important events
which serve for topics of interesting discussion in forensic
circles—the elevation of Sir Fitzroy Kelly to the bench as
Chief Baron, in the place of Sir Frederick Pollock, who
had held that distinguished position for nearly a quarter
of a century ; the elevation of Sir Hugh Cairns to the
vacant seat in the Court of the Lords Justices of Appeal
in Chancery ; and the appointment of Mr. Reit, Q.C., to
the Attorney Generalship in his place.
There was a remarkable demonstration on the appear-
ance, both of Sir Fitzroy Kelly and Sir Hugh Cairns, the
cheering being very general and hearty in each
*sae, but the applause culminated on the latter,
the people not being content with clapping their hands,
but adding thereto cries of " Bravo," and other manifes-
tations of approbation, which are seldom beard on such
occasions. Several of the other judges were also
cheered, especially Chief Justice Erie, Vice-Chancellor
Page Wood, and Mr. Justice Lush.