The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-31 00:00:00

CRIME IN FRANCE.

The Court of Assizes of the Var, sitting at Dra-
guignan, has just been engaged two days in trying
a man named Peyrier, aged 27, for the murder of
M. Michel, a farmer, residing at Garde-Freint. The
wife of the murdered man was also charged as an
accomplice before the fact. It appeared from the
evidence that Peyrier, who is himself a married man
with two children, had for some time past kept up
an illicit connection with the female prisoner, and
that Michel had on one occasion found them toge-
ther and fired at Peyrier, although without hitting
him. From that time the latter meditated projects
of vengeance, in which he was encouraged by the
woman. On the morning of the 16th June last, the
body:of Michel was found lying dead just inside a
wood by the roadside, and not more than fifty paces
from a cart drawn by two oxen, which he had been
conducting. The body had been pierced by two
balls which must have caused instant death, and the
head had also been violently struck apparently with
the butt-end of a gun. As the prisoner had been
seen with a gun near the place where the murde r
was committed, he was arrested on suspicion, and
soon, after his gun was found at a gunsmith's in the
town, where he had left it for repairs. It was evi-
dent that both barrels had been recently discharged,
and on the stock, which was broken, were stains of
blood with human hair adhering to them. The pri-
soner at first protested his innocence, but finding
the evidence too clear against him, he at last con-
fessed his guilt, and stated all the circumstances
of the murder, adding that the female prisoner had
instigated him to commit it. The truth of this last
statement was supported by several of her letters,
which were found in his possession, and she was
aocordingly arrested. In court the male prisoner
persisted in his confession, but the woman denied
the adulterous intercourse between them, and pro-
tested that she had not encouraged him to commit
the murder. The jury, however, considered the evi-
dence conclusive against both prisoners, but gave
them the benefit of extenuating circumstances, and
they were accordingly sentenced to hard labour
for life.

The Courrier du Gard gives the following
account of a murder committed two days since
at Pont-Saint-Esprit, in that department, on the
person of a woollendraper, named Blanc. The
neighbours, being much surprised to find his
shop open at a very early hour, entered to ascer-
tain the cause, and on going into the room behind,
found M. Blanc lying dead in a pool of blood. On
his head were 12 wounds, apparently inflicted with
a hatchet, any one of which would have been mortal.
The crime appears to have been an act of vengeance,
as the bureau in the room, containing a sum of
1,367 f., had not been opened, nor was there any
appearance of the place having been ransacked.
The police are making active researches to discover
the murderer.

The Court of Assizes of the Somme has this week
tried a man named Dathy, aged 70, on a charge of
murdering in the month of June last a travelling
tinker named Chapelle, at Marquaix. It appeared
from the evidence that a farmer named Capart, re-
siding at Marquaix, on going to one of his barns at
some distance from the homestead, saw a man lying
on the hay apparently asleep; but on approaching
nearer, he found that the man was dead, and had
been murdered by stabs with a knife. He at once
gave information to the police, and an inquiry was
instituted which led to the arrest of the prisoner,
of
M.
Courtier,i same
hours
who had been seen to leave the barn not long before.
On examining the prisoner's clothes several blood-
stains, partially washed out, were found, and wit-
nesses came forward who deposed that they had seen
him in possession of several pieces of gold since the
murder. When asked to account for the employ..
ment of his time during the last three days, the pri-
soner made several statements which were proved
to be false, but at last confessed that, having no
lodgings, he had gone to the barn to pass the night,
and had just fallen asleep, when he was awakened
by an attack from the deceased, whom he killed in
self-defence. All the circumstances of the case showed
the falsehood of this story, and the medical wit-
nesses proved that from the direction and depth of
the wounds, which went right through the heart
and lungs, the murdered man must have been lying
down, and the murderer standing over him. The
prisoner could offer no explanation as to how he
obtained the money seen in his possession, and as
two previous convictions for stabbing were put in
against him, the jury brought in a verdict of guilty,
with extenuating circumstances. The Court sen-
tenced him to 20 years' hard labour.
The Court of Assizes of the Seine was engaged
yesterday with the trial of a young woman, aged
18, named Marie Pillant, charged with robbing her
master, M. Courtier, a butcher, residing in the Fau-
bourg St. Martin. On the 16th July last Mme.
Courtier went to Neuilly to spend some days, and
on the 20th, after business hours, her husband went
d not
to see her, telling the servant that he
return until late at night. The girl, takingwith a
tage of being left alone, provided herself
hand-saw, a knife, and other instruments,
thme marble
going into her master's room, liftedh
le in
the wood
from a chest of drawers, and cut a
which
from
the drawer, s
two
and push back the lock of
ear-ring
she took 2,500 fr., a pair of handsome
She
she Afterwards opened
beneath, so as to enable her to
w--e took 12 large
gold chains, and a purse. . she
different cupboards, from Wool-.
forko, several dresses,
silver spoons and
as in-nien• Having packed
should ualdvan.
shawls, and a quantity 0
r• a ticles 'll a
up the various and went
of her mistress's bonnets,
coing to Neuilly to carry
she was -
porter, saying
mistress, who had sent for them
the things to.
place and
hernto a coach and drove to a furnished
She then gost:
where she gave the name of Irma
n bundle, rsoohddeuo cwpc
put
nht eotr
onbat
onehe
tenteruboio:disootio
lodging
gave
vtheererdetwurnhat
bad
taken