The Sun.
London, England, 1837-08-18 00:00:00

ATTEMPTS AT ASSASSINATION

AND SUICIDE.

Yesterday afternoon a Jury, composed of the most re-
spectable inhabitants of the village of Enfield, Middlesex,
was sworn before J. SAWYER, Esq., one of the Coroners
for the Duchy of Lancaster, in which jurisdiction the vil-
lage of Enfield is situated, at the Wheatsheaf Inn, to in-
quire into the circumstances attendant on the death of
Siberal Buisson, a Frenchman, aged thirty, who had in the
first instance made a most desperate attempt to assassinate
a most respectable widow lady named Pegler, and then
blew his own brains out. After the Jury had been sworn
it was discovered that the most essential witness was not
in attendance, and the Coroner and Jury, feeling that they
could come to no satisfactory conclusion in his absence,
adjourned the inquiry until this day. From the circum-
stances that had transpired of this tragical affair, which has
created a most lively sensation throughout the village, it ap-
pears that the deceased had lived for upwards of twelve
months as a French teacher at the respectable seminary of
Mr. Mears, but had, for some cause or other, left that situa-
tion about three weeks ago. While there, however, it ap-
peared he paid particular attention to Mrs Pegler, the
widow of an officer who occupied apartments in the esta-
blishment of Mr. Mears, and who was considered as a
parlour boarder, and used frequently to walk out with her,
and from his conduct it appeared he conceived a most vio-
lent attachment towards her. On Wednesday evening, at
about six o'clock, he was driven up in the front of Mr.
Mears's house in a town cab, and on the door being opened
to him he entered the apartment of Mrs. Pegler, and had
some conversation with her, and she, in order to avoid his
importunities, went into her bedchamber, into which the
deceased had forced himself. 'While there he requested to
know if she (Mrs. P.) would have him ; and on her re-
plying in the negative, he forced her down on the ground,
and presented two loaded pistols at her head ; but one after
the other fortunately missed fire, and as he had drawn the
third out his pocket, the cries of his intended victim
brought to her assistance the son of Mr. Mears ; but on
his rushing into the chamber the deceased presented the
pistol at his head, and having fired it the ball carried away
part of his right whisker. By this time the inmates of
the house became generally alarmed, and the deceased
fearing, no doubt, that he would be overpowered, rushed
down stairs and got into the lawn at the rear of the
house, and perceiving that one of the female domestics had
led Mrs. Pegler up stairs, he fired another pistol through
one of the back windows, where lie supposed she was
passing, and then deliberately drew out another pistol, pre-
sented it at the left side of his face, fired it off, and the ball,
having passed through his left eye, he instantly dropped
lifeless on the ground. Mr. INliller, a surgeon in the neigh-
bourhood, was sent for, but on his arrival life was quite ex-
tinct, as the ball was found to have passed through the
head and come out at the back, so that death must have
been instantaneous. Watkins, one of the mounted police,
who resides in the village, was here sent for, and on his ar-
rival he had the holy of the deceased removed to the
Wheat Sheaf Inn, and on searching it found in the pockets
three 5/. Bank of England notes, four sovereigns, a powder
flask, with some powder in it, a mould for casting balls,
with seven balls, and a box of percussion caps, together
with five pistols, one of which was a double-barrel, and
three of which remained loaded and undischarged. On ex-
amining the cabman he said he took up the deceased at
about four o'clock in the precincts of St. Paul's, when he
bargained to pay him sixteen shillings for his journey to
Enfield and back, but promised ten shillings in addition if
he took him quickly. In the first instance he directed to
be driven to Furnival's Inn, and on passing up Snow-hill
he stopped at a 'rruumaker's shop, where he purchased some
pistols and loaded them, and this was all he (the cabman)
knew of him.