The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-18 00:00:00

CRIME IN FRANCE.

The Court of Assizes of the Gironde has this week
tried a woman named Ithier, aged 40, charged with
the murder of her husband, a farmer, residing at
Niassu gas. On the 24th February last, the body of
the deceased was found dreadfully mangled with
some heavy cutting instrument, in a wood by the
road side, a short distance from his dwelling house.
The deceased had left home on the preceding day
with the intention of consulting a professional man
in a neighbouring village about swellings in his
legs, but he never went, nor was he seen by any per-
son after his departure from home. Suspicion im-
mediately fell on the prisoner and a neighbouring
farmer named Rousseau, with whom she was known
to entertain an illicit intercourse, and both were
arrested, but Rousseau, having been able to prove
an alibi, was dischaz ged and admitted as a witness
for the prosecution. The ill-treatment which the
deceased, who was an easy good-natured man, but
weak in mind and infirm in body, had experienced
for years from his wife and her mother, who lived
with them, was proved by numerous witnesses,
as was also the wife's shameless conduct with
Rousseau. The evidence left little doubt that
the prisoner followed her husband when he
left the house, and came up with him in the wood,
where she felled him to the ground with a bill-hook,
repeated her blows until he was quite dead, and then
dragged the body into a thicket. She was seen to
return home from that direction in great haste about
an hour after her husband's departure, and was occu-
pied all the rest of the day in washing her clothes,
on which, nevertheless, the chemists found traces
of human blood. When Rousseau gave his evidence
in court and stated that she had confessed her crime
to him before the body was found, she exclaimed,
" You lie ! It was you that killed him, and confessed
it to me !" The falsehood of this assertion was,
however, demonstrated by the evidence of the wit-
nesses, who proved Rousseau's alibi. The prisoner,
nevertheless, adhered to it throughout the trial, and
her counsel maintained that the crime could never
have been committed by her alone. The jury, how-
ever, deemed the evidence conclusive, for they
brought in a verdict of guilty, but admitted ex-
tenuating circumstances, and the Court conse-
quently sentenced the prisoner to hard labour for
life.

Another similar case has been tried at the Court
of Assizes of the Sarthe, sitting at Le Mans, where
a woman named Beranger, aged 45, was eharged
with the murder of her husband, Francois Bellan-
ger, a day labourer at Lucile, by mixing arsenic
in his foodt It appeared from the evidence that
on the morning of the 12th of June last
the prisoner carried some soup and an omelet
to her husband, who was at work in the
fields, and that three hours after he was seized
with violent vonartingb, u-hitorc, onntinued with little
intermission until the morning of the 14th, when be
expired. During these 48 hours the prisoner ex-
hibited the 'utmost indifference to her husband's
sufferings, and even prevented him from taking
several antidotes that were recommended. She was
therefore arrested and committed for trial_ From
the very first, none of the villagers had any doubt
that Ballenger had been poisoned by his wife, who
had for some time been leading a most immoral life,
and kept up an adulterous intercourse with her
brother-in-law, a man named Cador. A great num-
ber of witnesses Were examined, several of whom
stated that Bellanger had complained to them of his
wife having previously attempted to poison him,
and one deposed that on the day preceding the
crime she had overheard the prisoner say to her
husband, " You jealous old fool, you shall die like
a dog !" The analysis of the contents of the de-
ceased man's stomach clearly proved that he had
died from the effects of arsenic, which he could only
have taken in the food carried to him by his wife.
In her defence the prisoner protested her
innocence,
to
but could not produce a single fact calculated
brought
invalidate the evidence against her. Theougajtur in
therefore, after a short deliberation,
allowed the prisoner the
r
benefit of extenuating circumstances, and the court
sentenced her to hard labour for life.
y,
a verdict of guilty, but

The British residents at Marseilles have bene-
volently contributed their service to the fund in aid of the
distressed workmen in Lancashire. A collection has been
made by Mr. Mark, the Consul ; and the Rev. M. I
Mayers, H. B. M.'s Chaplain, preached a sermon on San..
day last. The result has been that the British community
in that city will contribute at least £5O.