The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-05 00:00:00

CRIME IN FRANCE.

The Military Tribunal of Lyons last wtek tried
four corporals, all belonging to the troops in the
camp of Sathonay, and named Weber, Guitter, An-
duze, and Delon de Corbieres, charged with having,
on 14th January last, caused the death of a char-
coal dealer named Potdevin, residing near the camp.
From the evidence given it appeared that Weber.
and Quitter, whose time of service was nearly ex-
pired, had passed the greater part of the afternoon
and evening preceding the crime in drinking.
About eleven o'clock, before retiring to their quar-
ters, they walked about in front of the camp, and
there met the other two prisoners, who had also

been drinking more than enough. After a short
conversation the four agreed to have a parting glass,
and as all the canteens in the camp are shut at
ten precisely, they determined to look for a wine-

shop outsi-6. Seeing a light in a house at no
great distance, they went to it, and all entered,
and called for wine. The house, however, was
not a wine-shop, but a private dwelling occupied
by a charcoal dealer named Faure, his wife and.
daughter, and the husband of the latter, named
Pot devin, who were taking supper in company with
some friends. In answer to the demand for wine,
Potdevin's wife said they had none to sell, but
offered them some water. This answer so incensed
Guitter that he struck the woman in the face,
knocked her down, and then all four rushed out of
the house followed by Potdevin, who a moment
after was heard to cry " Murder !" Faure and two
of his neighbours hastnied to his assistance, and
found him lying on the ground and Weber kicking
him. They seized Weber and held him till the
guard came. The other corporals had made their
escape, after throwing several stones, one of which
was lying close to Potdevin covered with blood,
having apparently struck the unfortunate man on
the forehead. A surgeon-major of the regiment
was soon in attendance, but Potdevin died next
day of cerebral confation. The other three cor-
porals were arrested next morning, and the woman
Potdevin identified Guitter as the man who struck
her. The evidence did not clearly establish which
of the four inflicted the fatal blow, but the stone

appeared to have been thrown by one of the three
who ran away. After hearing a number of wit-
nesses and counsel for the prisoners, the Tribunal
acquitted Anduse and Delon de Corbieres, but found
Weber guilty of inflicting wounds which had caused
death, and sentenced him to two years' imprison-
ment.

An attempt at murder was made three days back
on a Madame Morel, a dealer in hardware goods at
Vimoutiers (Orne), by a man in her employment.
The latter, while in a state of intoxication, fired a
pistol at his mistress and then threw himself from a
window into the street. The ball passed through
the dress of the woman without hurting her, but
the young man was seriously injured, and conveyed
to the hospital.
The Court of Assizes of the Seine was yesterday
engaged in the trial of a liberated convict named
Guillotte, a journeyman currier, on a charge of
theft and forgery. It appeared from, the evidence
that on the mot ning of the 7th June last the pri-
soner was in the neighbourhood of the Northern
Railway station, when he was accosted by the pro-
secuter, named Vai'hint, who had come from
Saint-Vast-les-Mello (Oise), who asked to be directed
to the rue de la Michodiere. Guillotte offered his
eerviccs to conduct him there, which were accepted,
and on his way Valliant informed him that he was
i going to the office of M. de Crepon, an agent-de-
change, in that street, to receive ten Eastern R al-
way bonds which had been purchased on his account
by the broker. The bonds were duly handed over
to the prosecutor, but having entrusted them for a
i moment to the prisoner to roll up, the latter ma-
I naged to abstract, three, and then took the earliest
1 opportunity to he off. Two of those bonds were
afterwards sold by him to a money-changer, named
Steffen, from whom he received 594 tr., and signed
the sale note with the false name of Bourgeois.
The third, according to the
prisoner's account, IT
sold to an unknown individual for 260 fr .
The
pri-
soner at first denied the facts imputed to him, but
' afterwards made a complete avowal. Guillotte has
• before been condemned to five years' hard labour
The jury having returned a verdict of
for forgery.
guilty, the prisoner was now condemned to 12 years
of the same punishment.

A ROMAN CATHOLICBISHOP ON CRINOLINE.-.--Dr.
Cullen has issued a pastoral letter, in which, after a
denunciation of model schools and the seductions of Pro-
testant orphanages, he descants as follows on crinoline :
" There is another matter which deserves notice—l mean
that excessive vanity which now prevails in female attire.
Though the country is poor, and distress meets us on every
side, yet the expenditure on dress has been daily increas-
ing, and it is now carried to unjustifiable excesses not only
by the rich, but by many who are not affluent—by the
families of tradesmen, and by servants, and by teachers in
the national schools, who often give very bad examples to
their pupils. Even children are now trained in a love for
s
vanity. To support idle pomp and mere vanity, as mu
is expended as would relieve vast multitudes of the poor suf-
fering members of Jesus Christ."
held in TewlEtvibury
largest meeting that
NEGRO EMANCIPATION.—On Monday evening the
-hall to hear
for many many years assemblehdarsi
dresses on the American been
anthdenelgiurosieenlancipatit ; the
courteously acceding to the re-
questEsqt.) though not fully sytupttthi.silig with
Mayor (S. Hitch,
the objects of thehmarer ngt
A resolution affirming " tl tat this
to take
to establish an empire fov Lnded on
meeting abhotrhsethce attempt now made for the first time in
the history of Christendom
avery its chief corner stone," was moved by the Rev.
8:VB ca:sseconded (in the absence through illness t)f Rev.H.
Welsford), by Mr. E. Spurrier, and carried unanim.c.usly ; a
amendment moved by Mr. J. Garrison not finding a se-
conder,Mr. G.Thompson then delivered an eloquent addres
of nearly two hours' length, in the course of which he wag
frequently applauded, and was followed by Rev, T. ,Wilkin•
son in a rsh9rt but forcible Epoch.