The Sun.
London, England, 1837-12-14 00:00:00

A DOUBLE PARRICIDE.

On the 6th instant Charles Refray appeared before the
Court of Assizes of the department of Sarthe, in France,
accused of have attempted to poison his father and mother,
and of having, during the Night of the 31st of July last,
find a musket at his parents, killing his father, and wound-
ing his mother severely. The countenance of the prisoner
is represented to have been calm, but there appeared to be
some wildness in his looks. The first witnesses heard were
four medical men, to whom the prisoner was known. They
agreed in describing him to be subject to frequent epileptic
fits, which, they believed, had had the effect of weakening
his intelligence, without, however, destroying in him a
sense of right and wrong. One of the physicians said that
in epileptic patients there was a continual tendency to mo-
ral degradation ; all generous passions gradually became
extinct in them, while they grew irritable and violent to an
excessive degree. It appeared that lie was scarcely a single
night without having one or more attacks.
The next te;tness called was a small landowner, of the
name of I3audry. During the night of the 31st of July
he heard a noise ; he opened his window, and one of his
neighbours said there had been cries of " Murder 1" (a
l'assassin). His garden joined that of Refray. They took
a ladder to look into the courtyard. Immediately after-
wards they heard the report of a musket, followed by stifled •
cries. Madame Refray then called to them from the win-
dow, "If Igo down stairs they'll murder me." The gen-
darmes thereupon arrived, and broke open the door of the
kitchen with a ladder. On going up stairs they found the
elder Refray stretched on the ground and bathed in his
blood, and his wife, who had been wounded, was walking
in the room. They sought the assassin. On going down
stairs the servant rushed, half' distracted, out of a closet,
in which she said the assassin had taken refuge. He was
soon taken and disarmed by the gendarmes.
Prisoner—They did not take my gun from me ; I gave
it up of my own accord. What I have done I would do
again.—( Movement of horror.)
The President then commenced the examination of the
prisoner. To the first question, the latter replied, I was
born at Lude, and shall be 29 years old on the 28th of
August next.
Till what age did you reside with your parents ?—Till I
was put out apprentice.
Why did you not love your parents ?—I loved my father
and mother, as it is the duty of a child to do.
Yet you have killed your father, and attempted to kill
your mother.—l tried only to hurt my father, because he
never would give me any thing.
What was the amount of your fortune ?—When I
married I had only 400 f. a year, out of which I had to pay
110 f. for rent.
But you received several sums of money froin your
father.—My father gave me this year 300 f. over my allow-
ance ; but it was not a gift, only a loan, for he made me
give him a receipt for it. Why did he give my brother
and my sister 3,000 f. when they married, and to me fair du
temps 4 - -

'Cell us what happened on the 31st of July. I went one
day to Lude. On my arrival my mother invited me to
breakfast. I told her of my distresses, but she refused to
give me any money. I then went to M. Hery, to ask him
to advance me 1,000 francs, in part of 10,000 francs that
Madame Malherbe owed me. He promised to so, if my
father would become security for me. My father refused
to do so. I applied to M. Fremont, the notary, and he
also refused. Having thus no resource left, I was led to
commit the unfortunate act. I asked several people to
lend me a horse to go back to La Fleche, but nobody
would let me have one. At La Fleche 1 went to a gun-
smith, and asked him to let me have a good gun, saying I
had been cotnrni‘sioned to buy one. I bought one for 140
francs. He hesitated to let me have it, but I gave him
my watch as security. I went home, and took some
powder and percus,ion caps, without letting my wife know,
and then I walked back to Lude, where I arrived at ten
in the evening.
When did you first resolve to kill your father ?—I don't
exactly know. It 'was very wrong of my father. It was
his own fault if I killed him. It was no more trouble for
him to give me a thousand or twelve hundred francs than
to lift up his hand. When I got to Lude I took a ladder
and got into the court-yard. The dog, who knew me, said
nothing. I was ill twice in the court-yard. I went into
the cellar and drank two godets of wine, and eat a mouth-
ful or two of bread.
The trial occupied two days. The Jury declared Refray
guilty of having killed his father, but admitted the exist-
ence of extenuating- circumstances. He was in consequence
condemned to hard labour for life.

CORONER'S INQUEST AT BRIGHTON.—On Mon-
day afternoon a Coroner's Inquest was taken at Brighton, to
inquire into the circumstances attending the death of Richard
Frankland, a shorthand writer in the House of Commons and
Courts of Law, whose body was found in the sea, near the
Chain Pier, in a state of decomposition, on Saturday morning.
last. His establishment consisted of a housekeeper, two ser-
vants, and a clerk. He was thirty-seven years of age, and his
general state of health was very good, On the sith of No-
vember a friend of the deceased came up from Shrewsbury to
witness the procession of the Queen's visit to Guildhall. De-
ceased was very abstemious ; but his friend lived freely, and
they drank together for some days. At length deceased, in a
fit of derangement, got up one morning and left his home.
and he was traced to Brighton, and from shence to Shore-
ham, On the 13th of November witness (Edward Heise) •
asked deceasA to dine with him, but be declined, observing
that he was, unfortunately, engaged. Seeing that he looked
unwell, witness asked him what was the matter, and he replied
that be had " got the blue devils," and was very low, and
could not sleep at night. He left his home on the 15th.
Witness was quite satisfied that the body was that of his friend.
He further stated that the deceased was in no pecuniary diffi-
culties, and that his profession returned him not less than
1,000/. a-year. The Jury returned a verdict of " Found
drowned, but by what means he came into the water there
was no evidence to show."
Monday morning, between 1 and 2 o'clock, as the
watchman on duty at Westminster-bridge was proceeding over
it, in passing the recess in the centre of the bridge on the left
side leading from Parliament-street, he observed a brow n
paper parcel lying on the seat. Seeing no person there he
immediately took possession of the parcel, and conveyed it.
without loss of time to the police station-house in Tower-street.
Lambeth. The watchman here delivered up the parcel to.
Inspector King, who on opening it found it to contain the dead
body of a newly born male infant. There were marks of
violence perceptible on various pays of, the body, but more
particularly one which appeared on'tlse left temple, which was
cut open, and from which the blood bad flowed. The wound
appeared as if it had been infr,eted with some sharp instru-
ment, and was considered by ';rose who examined it as of such
a nature as to be the prine:„pal cause of the child's death. The
body when found was w-,-apped up in two large pieces of coarse
sheeting, and the arms and legs tied together with pieces of
tape. The outsi '4O covering of the sheeting in which the body
was enveloped. was a large sheet of brown paper, carefully tied
round with, a piece of cord. The police inspector subsequently
apprirsd the parish officers of the circumstance, with a view
1 that an immediate inquiry might be instituted to discover the
parties concerned in the suspected murder of the infant.
SINGULAR DISCOVERY.--A singular discovers'
was made in Bhten-y-rant lead-mines, near Mold, Flintshire,
a.few days ago. The workmen at the end of one of the levels
were surprised, and obliged to run for their lives, in conse-
quence of an immense rush of water suddenly bursting in upon
them. After three days the water totally disappeared; and,
on cautiously proceeding to the place, they found an opening
through which the water had issued, of about four inches ill
diameter. Hearing a sound as of a heavy run of water inside,
they enlarged th. aperture so as to a3rnit of their passug
tht ()ugh, and found that it was the bed of a subterranean river,
which in all probability affords the principal supplies to the
far-famed St. Winifred's Well, at llolywell, from which it is
distant about twelve miles. The stream being then shallow,
they explored it about jixty yards down, and were astonished.
to find several large ea. erns to the right and left, from the
roofs and sides of which were suspended numerous and beautis.
ful specimens of white spar or stalactites. The company were
in hig spirits, these appearances being considered favour lei
for a lharge lodgement of ore.—Shrewsbury Chronicle,