The Sun.
London, England, 1825-09-09 00:00:00

TRIM, FOR MURDER, IN FRANCE.

In our Paper of NVednesilay we gave the first
part of the trial of Louis Fremont, at the Court
of Assizes at Tours, for the murder of. M. Cou-
rier. It was concluded in the audiences of the

d and 3a Septornber.
After some important witnesses had been examined, Pierre
Dubois was called. This man was a coachman of M. Courier's,
and it was on him that the first suspicions fell: He entered into
an account of the manner in whichhe had spent his time on the
loth April, and asserted that he had not parted company from
his brother Symphorien. Suspicion had at first fallen on these
two brothers, on account of the.animosity which existed between
M. Courier and Pierre Dubois, who hail been dismissed from
the house of the former, as he suspected him of too great inti-
macy with Mad. Courier, which was, indeed, the report in the
neighbourhood. Both brothers, however, had been set at liberty,
on account of the alibi Proved by theirfamily. A girl named
Jeanne next proved that she heard, on the same day Pierre Du-
bois was dismissed, high words ensue-between him and his mas-
ter, who she distinctly heard say, " What ! wretch, .dost thou
threaten me in my own house ! depart, you deserve that I should
give you into the custody of the gendarmes." Pierre Dubois
did.net, however, leave that part of the country, and hisbwther,
Symphorien, remained in M. Courier's service. One night at
eleven o'clock, Pierre went from the public.:house in the vil-
lage to M. Courier's house, in company with the accused Louis
Fremont. The latter having communicated to his master that
Pierre was near the house, M. Courier took his gun and went
down into the court ; he did not find. Pierre, but met his wife
half naked near the stable.
At this part of the deposition MadaMe Courier begged leave
to explain this night scene. She was, she said, in the habit of
waiting-for the return of her servants, and when she heard them
entering at the. gates she used to go and meet them half dress-
ed.' One this night she saw Pierre, and spoke with him for
about ten minuts at the door of the stable. M. Courier then.
came down, and passed near her in the corridor; M. Courier
might have recognised her in the moonlight,, but he did not
speak to her. • ,
A number of witnesses were then heard to support the alibi
of the two brothers, Dubois. One of them, however, said that
Pierre Dubois once said, on seeing M. Courier approach, " If
some one should break his head we should be ~the better for
it." This alleged exclamation was denied by Pierre.
Martin Brisson was then. called. He said that -he•met a
man in the forest six days previous to the murder,.and bad
with him a conversation respecting M. Courier. The roan he
met said,"that 'M. Courier was a rascal, and deserved to have
his woods burnt and his brains knocked out. ;The man who
said this was of a brown complexion, and seemed about forty
years of age.
The surgeon who examined the body' was then called. He
gave the first intelligence of the murder to Madame Courier,
and spoke to her of the suspicions raised against Fremont.
Madame Courier was then recalled, and stated that her sus-
picions rested entirely on Fremont.
'rile prisoner was then questioned en the causes' of dislike
which might influence Masene Courier to charge him with
the crime. He replied that his master had set him to watch
the conduct of Madame Courier, as she had frequent meetings
with-Pierro Dubois, and that :when the latter wav aisuni.....l
from the house, he feared Madame. Courier would elope after
him, which hail made his master charge him to be constantly
on ie look out, and had, perhaps, drawn down .upon him :the
hatred of Madame.
- The President then questioned Madame Courier as to whe-
ther-she could supply any clue to discover who it was that spoke
with Martin Brisson in the forest.
Madame Courier replied, that suspicions had been raised
against persona of such eminent character, that she could not
think they would have chosen Brissen for the execution.
.:The Procureur du Roi explained to the .Jury, that in her
interrogations Madame Courier declared, that she had the same
opinion that.was entertained on the Exchange at Paris, and
thought that the assassination had been committed at the insti-
gation of the Jesuits.
Two other witnesses were called, Marie and Rose Serot, who
proved that they saw . a man dressed in blue,,armed with a
gun, enter the wood a little before. the crime was committed.
Both of the girls kneW Fremont, and asserted it was not him.
It was a larger man than Fremont. -This was the whole of the
evidence.
,11. de Chancel, Procureur du Roi, then addressed the Jury
at some length,. and assured them let their decision .be what it
might, the eyes of justice would be open, and the assassination
of M. Courier be punished.
111. Faucheux, Counsel for the prisoner, .then rose. He en-
tered into an examination of ..the charge, and of the proofs
brought to support it against his client. lie pointed out the
vague presumptive nature of the evidence and the motives which.
might influence the widow of the deceased in maintaining that
it was the prisoner,Who committed the crime. He concluded
with a long and eloquent eulogium on the literary talents of M.
' Courier.
The Procureur du Roi again rose soon after, less to reply than I
to reproach the Counsel for the prisoner for the conclusion of
his discourse. It was not, he said, proper that M. Courier's
works should be praised before a Royal Court, as those works
were political pamphlets which had been almost all of them con-
demned by the tribunals.
M. Faucheux had quitted the Court, and was not present to
reply.
The President then summedetp, and the Jury, after half an
hour's deliberationereturned a unanimous verdict of acquittal.
Fremont heard it with the same insensibility he had manifest:
ed throughout the trial. He was immediately set at.liberty.

Another of thoserfatal accidents arising from
incautiously leaving guns loaded, occurred at Mattock's Farm,
near Colchester, on Tuesday. The son of Mr. Houldsworth,
who manages the farm, incautiously left his gun loaded in du,
kitchen, after returning from shooting-.; and his young brother,
a boy of eight years of •age, took it up and pointing it to the
maid servant, said he would shoot her. The gun went off upon
the half cock, and lodged the contents in the side of a youth
of the name of Wilkinson, a husbandman who was sitting at
dinner. It'did not kill him on the spot, la not the slightest
hopes are entertained of his recovery.

WomEN are often accused of moss/pp/7:g, but
we are not aware that it has ever been the sub-
ject of legal penalties, except at St. Helena, where,
among the ordinances.promulgated in 1709, we
find the following :—" Whereas, several idle,
gossippiog women, make it their business to go
from house to house, about this island, invent-
ing and spreading false and scandalous reports
of the good people thereof, and thereby sow dis-
cord and debate among neighbours, and often be-
tween men and their wives, to the great grief and
trouble of all good and quiet people, and to the
utter extinguishing of all friendship, amity, and
good neighbourhood ; for the punishment and
suppression whereof, and to the intent that all
strife may be ended, charity revived, and friend-
ship continued, we .do order, that if any women.
from henceforth shall be couvicted.of tale bear-
ing, mischief making, scolding, or any other no-
torious vices, they shall be punished by ducking
or whiiipiog, or such other punishment as their
crimes or transgressions shall deserve, Or the Go.
vernor and Council shall think fit."—(Stirling
Journal.)