The Express.
London, England, 1850-09-25 00:00:00

ABDUCTION AT TOURS.

Great sensation has been caused at Tours and its
vicinity, espedally among the resident English, by the trial
last week, before the Court of AlliZeS of the department, of
the Count Foreetier de Conbert, on the charge of enticing
from her home a young girl named Isabella Hamilton,
daughter clan English clergyman resident at Tours. Some
months ago M. de Peewit,' went to live in that city, for the
benefit of his wife's health, end in his walks he felt in with
Mist Isabella Hamilton, who, with Ler bonne, acaompenied
her young sisters and brothers in their pruntenades. He
commenced an acquaintance by giving the children cakes,
and afterwards made a point of befog every flay on the pro.
marrieds when Mistreats-11a arrived. Alter a while it appeared,
according to the indictment, he began maki!g love to the
young lady, and she received has advances with good grace.
She used also to indicate to him, by placing a fl mer pot in a
particular petition in her window, in what promenade he
might meet her. He at last, said the indictment, persuaded
her to leave her father's roof, and, in company with the
bowie, a girl named Addle Hendren, aged 17, go to Puff,
where he said he would secure her an apartment, and world
provide for both. Isabella, it seemed, wu very glad to get
away from home, as her parents were about to send her to
school in England—a measure to which she had the atroogeet
porible repugnance; she even, it appeared, had gone the
length of telling Foreetier that she would sooner commit sui-
cide by poison than be sent away. Foresurr, it was alleged,
arrangedwith Isabella that she and her bervact,Ad•le, should
leave the house of the Rev. Mr. Hamilton in the evening of
the 22nd May last, and that they should go to Paris. lie had
previously written a letter to a friend. of hie the Baron
Eugene de Visit', telling him to meet the girl and provide
lodgings for them. This letter he began by saying: " I send
to you, my friend, a young English girl, aged fifteen,
with a pretty little face, light hair, clear blue eyes, delicate
ago mama mouth, and slightly prominent chin. She is
the tibiae. of an Irish minister, who has a host of children.
She be wmonipanted by a little bonne of sevantef n, with
auburn heir, &e., named Male." He then went on to ray
that at a future time he would tell the friend all the history
of the agile, but that he might then mention that the young
lady had threatened suicide. " Don't make me any objec-
tion," he added; " I have only acted after long dehbc-
rations. I beg of you to meet them at the railway station
on their arrival—babel!' Oho is the name of my charming
pretty salsa) will have on a plaid gown, a straw bonnet, and
a black woollen cloak; the serrate', an old block bonnet of
her mistier. They have been told you •will be there, and
will experst to meet yen. That they mny recognise you,
have a white Rower at your button-hole, or rather keep
a pocket-handkerchief is sostantly to your mouth. I laugh
at the thought of your misting these poor creatures! Take
an apartment for them—let it he simple, Out becoming."
He nest recommends the friend to be cautions, and then
says: " The father will no doubt take tome measures,
which it is important to render vain. I shall therefore con-
tinue to show myself in the politic promenades, that I may
not be suspected; and then I will relieve you in your guard.
My wife is better. Bretonneau is tending her as if the were
his own child. She is surrounded with devoted attendants,
has a good house, and her physician in ordinary is ono of
the princes of the: seienee. What can Ido more ? I may
venture to give myself this little gratification. Don't scold
me. I tell you that the father is an Englishman and a cler-
gyman—two simile I detest, and who are, as it mere, grafted
cue on the other, expressly to take from me ell sort of re-
. mores." The Baron Eugene de Visits. replied in the

lame skein, saying, &maw other amiable thaies. " I bad
some thoughts of morelising with yea, but what's the use I
The wine is drawn, and yea must drink it." On the 22,1
May, se arranged, the two young girls met the Count de Fo-
rgetter at the appointed rendezvous. He accompanied them
to the railway, and paid their fare to Park. At Paris they
were remind by the Baron de Vivito', and he took them to
a lodging-house in the Rue de P Heirs elk& There, the young
lady refaced to give her name, sad directed that no one
should be admitted to her except her uncle (V' an 1 her
husband, who she said she expected. Wirier visited her
several times during the day. Meanwhile FOSIWi r remained
gaietly at Tours, in order that he might not be suspected
of having been concerned in the flight. But it so happened
that the family at once suspected him, and the Rev. Mr. Ha-
mates immediately laid & complaint against him before the
Preeareur de la Republique. That functionary in order to
weld egandal, went to Furrier's house, and called on
him be explanations. Forestier declined to say any-
*lag, and thereupon the Procureur de la Itnpublique re.
imbed to have him guested. But it being then after nightfall,
the arrest could not be legally effected. The Preeareur ac-
cordingly caused the count's home to be surrounded by pce
lies agents during the night to
_p_revent his escape. On this,
Faristier wrote off to Paris to Vivier, to send back the girls
immediately, and he constituted himself a prisoner. Tha
santday, Miss Isabella and her attendant arrived in Tours,
and the former was restored to her parents. The public
presecater, however, deemed it his duty to detsin Forestier,
sad to prosecute him. The Reverend Mr. Hamilton, on the
cootrary, was anxious that the matter should be dropped,
and he wrote an affecting letter to the public prosecutor,
formally withdrawing his complaint, and entreating him to
drop the prosecution. Bat the procureur represented that
the law must take its course. In the preliminary exarallm-
tion, the Rev. Mr. Hamilton, Mrs. Hamilton, and Mils
Isabella were called on to give eel. fence. The drat-named
declared that his daughter was born in 1836, at Clifton, near
Bristol; the second described the young lady's flight, and
ematauniested the reostance of a letter she had leis behind
bee. Isabella herself varied in her statements. In her test
examination she declared that she bad resolved on the flight
herself, end that Poulain had scolded her an her folly, and
had dissuaded her from it; he only, she said, consented to
eM her, when he saw that she was gaits determined to go.
She was not aware, she declared, that she was to meet him
at Paris, and she had resolved, she said, to change her
num. Bke eobranly took God to witness to the truth of all
this. BM when lexestier's kitten were read to her she ex-
pressed put fadignation, she nevertheless did not
rennet her sires rent. To her wand examtnatioe, on
me rairsl7, she declared that it wes Forestier who
bad Ant proposed to her to Sy, and that ke had
offered to ,barium his wire, notwithstanding bliiiiraien
to go with her. Sir at int, she mid,
this was a lake, semi bad laughed at it, bat he had pressed
her and had got the servant Adele to do so likewise. It was
only by _their istreadee that she had gone. Oa arriving at
Park, Vivier toll Image Fermin wee in love with her, and
would die if ebllgol to Mu &lama her. When told of the
way mid* bp bog ea en of her in his letter, she burst
late tagesk_sed ees,"ma t it is painful to me his coatempt
fee met I ward sap beer to him, and he learned that I
loved him. Yr, I knew be wee married. Alas! I know
not how I Men Yoe meted es l" Isabella wee time see-
heated with Iftweider, and eke persisted is theleging *OW
was be who bed Mimed her to go. POSWIthe said that the
lON Or festn and he complained to her thrash, wee
set M»4 the verb. " Yon cannot wish to ruin ens, Made.
smeheile," said bee " by stating what is untrue!" and he
resld rupgikatsd her to retract. But she refired, and
an
nil at last,-" Well ! baring in vain made angal to
the henget sentiments of Mademoiselle, I must l nye
rielf to my fate." In the third examination In again
voided her story. Ohs said she bad laid too mash to the
sours charge ; that is consequence of dimensions with bee

sister, she had resolved on lariat her parents ; that she
had declared to Fotestier that if he womb' not take her away,
she would poison herself; sod a on. She added that da
had spoken against him on the hat occasion, because she had
been told that he had declared that he would sooner go to
the galleys for life than marry her. In her last examination
she again formally sail positively dec!ored that it was she
alone who had resolved on leaving home, that Forestier had
awes pomaded bar to go, never promised to leave his wife
for her—and , she added, sttempted to introduce him-
all into her apartment. At the trial (which took pleas be-
fore a court crowded to excess, babel's, h• r father, mother,
and elder sister, did not appear to give criOence, though e't
had been rummoned. The pri:a.ipal evidence for the pro-
Bandon consisted it the ieselmg of the indictment, and in
the ti aim( ny of Mr. Halley, Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell,
and a younger brother and sister of Is.beila re to the pre-
cis* age of that young lady. They all ca.ed. that she was
about fourteen. This paint was important, as by the Freak
law, the crime of what is ailed ditoorrnenext d'uoc jowls
Alto naneure, can only be cemmittat whoa the girl is under
16; after that age she is aonsi,lered a free gent, and is account-
able for her own actions. Baron de Varier w. s examined,
but his evidence threw little light on the affair. When
asked by the presilea Low he could have acted as he had
done, he said he hod been influenced by I.:a friaulakip for
Count de Parader. It was elated that since this unfortunate
affair Ferestiet'a wife had did, and that Ise, ar xious to oaks
all the reparation in his power for the fejtay he had done
her, had offered to marry her, but that her father had posi-
tively rause& Porestier cowed evidence to bo airen by
several person, to prove that he had LT Ty main to believe
from Is etalla's personal appearance and other dram tenets
that she was more than sixteen years of age, and he laboured
both in his interrogatory
_end throughout the trial to show
tat he had not persuaded but to leave her home. Af to r the
pleadings were over, Parader, Ma volts of much emotion,
read a paper to the jury, drawn up as follows I have
to make, bettors my tellow-roitass, the trowel of a fault
which the law does not puthb ; and you nil 'gait this
avowal as a further expiation to be added to my !mg suffer-
ings. Darin,/ two ye:rs I straggled to eve from death the
life of an angel to whom I had associated my destiny, ehen
fatal and unforeseen meeting surprised me in eats of
those moments of moral dissoaragentea, in which • man hes
cot sufficient sue• gilt to maintain himself in ohs line of
duty. You will not brand my life, gentlemen, for a mo-
mentb self-forgettuleess; you mat act caromed a fault
with a crime; you isillnot forget that the honour of Miss
Hamilton is intact, end that I have offered her all the repara-
tion in my power." The President then summed up, and the
jury, after an hour's de/iberation, returned a veniat ot " Not
guilty." The servanc.tiel, Ads. laJudron, was included
in the indictment, for having as. Wad in the Sight of Isabelle,
but the public preseetror abandoned Ito Buse modest her.
The verdict vat received with sent applause, wl•lel. was
immedia.ely repressed by the President. Celia de Foamier
remained in gaol till the eating, but wlem be went away
a numerous crowd was wafting at the door to see him.