The Express.
London, England, 1861-07-13 00:00:00

DE VIDIL.

THE ATTEMPTED MURDER BY BARON

Our Paris correspondent, writing last evening,
says.:—" The member of the Jockey Club, who, as I men.
tioned yesterday, has been arrested on a charge of at-
tempting to murder his son-in-law, is Baron Vidil, for-
merly attaché to the French embassy at Stockholm. lie
was the last baron created by Louis Philippe, and his
patent bears date February El, 1848. The circumstances
of the crime appear to be very much those which I briefly
stated yesterday. Baron Vidil, as guardian to his step-sun,
would be liable to amount for and pay over the fortune of
the latter on his coming of age, and it was to escape this
I liability that he drew the young man to a lone piece in the
country, fell upon him, wounded him grievously, and left him
for dead on the spot. So far all the accounts I have heard
to-day agree. The monstrous deed was perpetrated in
England several days ago. The story is that M. Vidil was
seen galloping about near Twickenham, inquiring with
much apparent distress of mind for his son, who had been
making au excursion with him, and whom he had loot ;
that the peasants found in the fields a young man, wounded
in several places, speechless. The step-father, it
is said, sent for medical assistance, and sat by hie
victim's bedside for two or three days, when he
left, saying that urgent humiliate required his pre.
sence in Paris ; and it was after his departure that
the youth sufficiently recovered to state the astounding
fact that his legal and natural guardian and protector was
his would-be murderer. The baron was arrested here pur-
suant to a telegraphic despatch sent from London
by Count de Flahaut. He was arrested the evening
before last at the Jockey Club, which was hemmed in by a
cordon of police agents to prevent his escape. I hear that
Lord Cowley has demanded that the prisoner may be sent
to England for trial, the crime having been committed on
British soil. I have not before me a copy of the extradition
treaty, but I rather think that in the case of a crime com-
mitted in England by a French subject it is optional with
the French government, when the criminal happens
to be within French juriadiction, either to try him
here, or to hand him over to the English tribunals. In the
absence of special reasons for a contrary course, the incline-
tion of the French government would, I should think, be
not to withdraw a French subject from his ' natural judges'
—an expression much used in Fiance—and more especially
in a case where the victim of the crime is a French subject
also. Practically the question of jurisdiction may make a
great difference to the prisoner. BealllB, summing the
facts as stated, he would be hanged to a certainty by a Bri-
tish jury, whereas there is no knowing whether a French
one, palpitating under the excitement caused by an eloquent
speech, might not consider the great need in which the
culprit stood of his son-in-law'■ property, as constituting
' extenuating circumstances.' "
Young Mr. de Vidil, we hear, though very seriously and
almost dangerously cut about the head, is making rapid pro-
grass, ands likely soon to be convalescent.

The whole story (remarks the Times) seems something
more like lunacy than a cool attempt at murder. Had the
baron accomplished his purpose his detection within twenty-
four hours wu aa certain as night follows day. This result
must have been so obvious, even to the most reckless and
desperate of assuains, that there must have been other mo.
tives to the crime than the mere enjoyment of the fortune
that was to come to the baron on his son's death.