The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-05 00:00:00

FRANCE.

The Journal des Dibats gives the following par-
ticulars of a dreadful affair which has caused a most
painful degree of excitement in Paris :
"Friday evening, towards nine o'clock, the quarter of
the Madeline was thrown into consternation by the re-
velation of a crime which had just been committed,
and which had occasioned the most painful impression.
Mr. Bower, aged 38 years, native of England, and cor-
respondent of the Morning Advertiser, lived with his
wife and his children Rue de Seze, N 0.2. Some months
ago one of his countrymen, Mr. Morton, aged about 35
years, correspondent of the Daily News, and who lived
in the neighbourhood of the Boulevard des Capucines,
No. 22, became intimate with him, and paid him
frequent visits. His assiduities having some time after-
wards excited some suspicions of jealousy in the mind of
Mr. Bower, the latter prohibited him from visiting the
house. But a reconciliation took place, and the inti-
macy was renewed. Unfortunately, a particular circum-
stance happened to revive his suspicion. Mr. Bower's
wife, already the mother of four children, was con-
fined about a month ago, and soon after became de-
lirious. Oa Friday evening, in an excess of delirium,
she said to her husband she would not see
him any more ; that he was the devil; that she did
not love him, and had never loved him; and she
added that the infant was not his, but Mr. Morton's.
This strange revelation produced a terrible effect
on the mind of Bower. However, he repressed his emo-
tion, and towards eight o'clock sat down to table. Ho
had hardly began dinner when Morton entered. At
sight of him he burst into fary, ordering Morton to
quit. The latter not leaving quick enough, he rose from
table with his knife in his hand, and pursued him one
flight down stairs, when, after an exchange of a few
words, he dealt him a downward stab on the left
side of the head, under the ear, which killed him
instantaneously. The knife has been found. It is a
dinner-knife, round at the end, the blade of which is
bent in the middle by the force of the blow. The
commissaire of police, with his agents, repaired at
once to the spot, and searched the house from the root
to the cellars, while the sapeurs pompiers examined the,
roofs of the neighbouring houses without effect. The
agents having heard that Mr. Bower had his four chil-
dren in a lodging at St. Cloud, repaired there; but as he
did not appear, the telegraph was immediately set in
motion in all directions. His cook having avowed that
she had favoured his escape, has been put provisionally
under arrest. All efforts to find him have as yet proved
vain. Mrs. Bower has been removed to the niaison de
.sante of Dr. Blanche, at Paesy."
It may be proper to add, says the correspondent of
the Morning Herald, that the ravings of poor Mrs.
Bower, whose madness was so violent as, in the
opinion of her doctor, to warrant a straight waistcoat,
are not considered to be conclusive proof—if indeed
proof at ali—of criminality on her part. There is a
story current that in one of her fits she laid violent
hands on Morton, who happened to be present watch-
ing her with the greatest anxiety. Toe truth is that
deep commiseration is felt for all parties. Mrs. B.
has quite recovered her confinement, and was up and
well when, either from having caught cold or some
other cause, she was seized with fever.
The children had been removed to St. Cloud,
owing to the mother's sensibility to noise. There is
reason to believe that, up to the moment of the un-
fortunate language of the wife, under the circum-
stances described, no suspicion whatever had been en-
tertained by the husband, and the old quarrel alluded
to by the Dibats was not, according to other ru-
mours, founded on jealousy.
M. Jourdan, of the Siècle, announces that he has
appealed to a higher tribunal from the harsh sen-1
tence pronounced against him and the director of
the paper. M. Jourdan, although not allowed to
state, much less discuss, the charge tried by the
court, yet affirms the perfect honour and mode-
ration of his conduct. He only complains that an
exception should have been made in his case, no
" warning" having been given according to the new
mode of dealing, but a prosecution at once instituted.
This was the more extraordinary considering that
while even the Coratitutionnel has been twice
" warned," and is liable to suppression, and the Pays
over-warned, the Siicle .never incurred any sign of
blame. The Court, too, refused to adjourn the case
for a week to allow his counsel time to return to town,
so that only the evening before was his case com-
mitted for the first time to a strange counsel.