The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-13 00:00:00

TRIAL OF MADAME LAFFARGE
FOR THE ROBBERY OF THE DIAMONDS.

THIRD DAY.--AuGusT 7.
As early as six o'clock, every avenue to the Court
was blocked up by a crowd eagerly pressing forward to
gain admission, and in a very short time after the doors
were opened every corner of the hall was filled. The
seat reserved for the members of the tribunal was even

partly taken possession of by many persons, among
whom was M. Lacombe, recently named Curator on be-
half of Madame Laffarge. A greater number of females
were among the audience than on any previous occasion.
Precisely at half-past 8, M. and Madame de Leotaud and
the Nicolai family entered, and took their seats by the
side of M. Corali and M. Odillon Earrot, on the seat re-
.

served for the partie civile.
The President—Have the counsel for the partie civile
any observations to make relative to the demand made
at a previous sitting by the prisoner's counsel for a

delay?
M. Odillon Barrot—The counsel for the prisoner has
declared her in default ; I do not think that anything
further can be stated, Marie Capelle and her counsel

having declined making any defence.
The Court ordered the trial to proceed.
M. Corali—lf the Court is desirous to hear the evi-
dence of M. and Mme. de Leotaud, this is the time.
The President—We consider it unnecessary. It is for

M. Corali to address the Court.
M. Corali addressed the tribunal at very great length,
going through the entire history of the case as it has ap-
peared in evidence, and the circumstances connected with
the application made by M. Bac to Mme. de Leotaud,
on the behalf of Madame Laffarge, for the suppression
of the prosecution, all of which have been fully before
the public. M. Corali also read the letter written by
Madame Laffarge to Madame de Leotaud, in which, as
our readers remember, she first mentioned the story
of the pretended deposit of the diamonds in her hands,
and urged her to stay the prosecution in order to avoid
exposure. After the reading of this letter M. Corali
commented upon it as he had done when the subject was
alluded to on 'he former trial of the accused, as a work
of hypocrisy and calumny, and added, that, but for this
threat, this outrage upon Madame de Leotaud, she might
have been saved. The letter had destroyed, he said,
all the hopes which she could have entertained in the
mercy of Madame de Leotaud. It had been intended, in-
deed, to produce a different effect, but she had herself
destroyed her last chance of safety. He then proceeded
to show that Mme. de Leotaud could have had no motive

for disposing of her diamonds in the way alleged by
the prisoner, havinz, when single, the free disposal of
the income arising from a capital of 40,000 fr. in the
public funds, and, when married, the right of receiving
3,000 fr. a-year upon her own receipts. If, therefore, it
had been true, as it was false, that she was desirous of
purchasing the silence of M. Clavet, where was the ne-
cessity for her to dispose of her diamonds to secure for
him a pretended annual allowance of 500 or 600 francs?
Was it probable that, with the means which she
possessed of doing this from her own fortune, she would
have allowed the suspicion of this theft to hang over
fifteen servants, and lead perhaps to the condemnation
of an innocent person ? How absurd was the assertion
of Marie Capelle, who, in the difficulty of explaining
why she had employed the pearls of the pretended de-
posit for her own personal use, said that she had lent a
sum of 180 francs to Madame de Leotaud, who, being

unable to repay her in money, had given her these
pearls, which had been valued at 1,500 francs, in payment.
Alluding to the story of the box of colours sent to Al-
giers. and the letter announcing the circumstances, M.
Corali said, " What is this letter ? What does it say ?
Who discovered it ? Who produced it ? The letter is a
falsehood. The discoverer of it, the producer of it, was
M. Pouthier, the uncle of Marie Capelle by marriage.
I do not mean, however, to say, that even the criminal
is to be insulted. I have been reproached with having
done this,, but on one occasion only, when urged to ex-
tremity lay insulting attacks, did I reply to insult by in-
sult. I said that this woman was a poisoner, and asto-
nishment was expressed, but I am astonished that I did
not say so sooner. I said I would prove that to the title
of poisoner were to be added those of thief and calum-
niator, and lam here to keep my word. You have said,
you (here the eyes of all present were directed to M.
Lachaud), that Mme. de Leotaud, after having betrayed
her husband, had robbed him, and I am here to tell you
that you have not proved your words.—(Sensation.)
Of what importance are the boasted brilliancy of
mind, and the high degree of intelligence of Marie
Capelle, if her heart is corrupted ? This woman is
enveloped in an atmosphere of vice and crime. From her
infancy theft multiplied around her. When arrived at
womanhood, she prepared the intrigue with Clavet, and
now she attacks even his reputation. At a later period
we hear of Guyot, he who committed suicide at Mont-
morency. This also was an intrigue begun in a church.
Here was also a young girl named Caroline, whose other
name from generosity I will suppress, compromised by
Marie Capelle, and serving as a pretext. The end of
this intrigue was the suicide of a man, who said. in dy-
ing, "It is Marie Capelle who has killed me." At a
later period, we find the extraordinary marriage, so
promptly effected, that it seemed to have for object only
to escape from the suspicions of theft, which had crept I
into the family of this woman. Disorder and trouble
follow her into her new family. It is not here a man
who commits suicide, but a man who is poisoned ; a
man, who dies exclaiming, " It is Marie Capelle who
has killed me." It is time that entire justice should be
done. Your judgment cannot physically affect this wn-
moman. but society demands a vengeance which will
punish her more than the sentence which has been pru-
nounced against her. Society demands for her the ob-
scurity and oblivion in which she is about to sink. Let
her be buried in it alive, and come out of it after death
only like La Brinvilliers !"
M. Odillon Barrot stated that he should not have come
forward to give his professional assistance in this cause,
had he not been strongly requested to do so by Mme. de
Leotaud. That lady had written to him, and the Court
would excuse him from reading the- following passage
from her letter :—" I am in a state of great suffering,
and if I had not on my side the moral tranquillity which
your aid gives me, I should be alarmed at these severe
and fatiguing emotions ; certainly I have not any dis-
quietude, and I have never had any, as to the issue of
the affair; but I am happy when I think that you will be
by my side, when we must hear unfolded that theme of
lies and calumnies invented by the defence of Mme. Laf-
farge." His purpose was not to say anything in defence
of Mime. de Leotaud ; such an idea would be an in-
sult to her • but he rose to fulfil a moral duty which
lay upon him, and he did so with full confidence.
The Learned Counsel then observed that the theft of
the diamonds might now be said to be not only proved,
but even admitted by the Counsel for the prisoner.
You are called before the tribunal in order to-purge your-
self of the charge of robbery, and you exclaim that you
are persecuted. And you say that this tribunal, which
has given you such a proof of its impartiality, is an ex-
ceptional tribunal. You cry out, "I am dead—ask no
more of me." You are dead, but you still calumniate--
you are dead, but your defamations continue—you are
dead, but you prepare your calumnious memoirs, in
which will be embodied your greedy and low specula-
tions—you are then only living for evil. This tribunal
and the Court of Cessation have replied to you with
reason and law, for legal fiction vanishes before reality ;
there is no question here of an accumulation of penalties;
there is a decision to give, and it must be given, for von
are living still and continuing your calumnies. e
good sense of the public has sanctioned this decision.
M. Odillon Barrot then adverted to the fresh demand
for delay ; he confessed he had thought that the counsel
for the prisoner would have had more good faith than to
make such a demand ; but in this obstinate refusal to
submit to a discussion of the case in a court of justice,
he only saw an implicit admission of guilt. Ho added,
after justice shall have pronounced its decision, after
the curtain shall have fallen on this scene so full of pain
and scandal, when entrenched in the inviolability of that
eternal punishment 'which the law has inflicted on you,
you promise yourself, we are aware, to pursue your vic-
tim and to torment her life. Still alive for hatred and
vengeance, you attach yourself to this world by those
cruel satisfactions which rather seem to belong to the
regions of darkness. But indulge no such hopes. This out-
rage against the laws and justice has already endured
long enough ; it is time for it to cease. Hope nothing
from the inviolability attached to the punishment inflict-
ed on you, for I here solmnly engage that, if after refu-
sing to enter into any defence before justice and the laws,
you have the cowardice to continue your calumnies
defamatory publications,l will present myself before
ration, not from ou but from those w'-ism";
omna kmeyy
Justice of the country, and will claim the
sideonr tihnestirusyumeents. In do;smg a s'kriking repa-
upidity shall
this I should have
of those charged towe of rP.-37 country, the concurrence
the cordial assistar. '''atch over public morals, and
The decrees of stsrlee of every rightly-disposed mind.
has permitt'A tw o ",\idenee must be accomplished. It
in this s-sens, whicitrg females to be brought together
to he placed thus fixes Ihe attention of the world, and
society. The one you vidence for the instruction of
by the declaration of her knowlvbhY her intimate disclosures,
mother ; by her timid and gentle
briought her ttpt of /"..er
asked front God to pass a calmntnenrnduct.
il ksile
sought for internal peace 1 eclat andlran l:lte • she
nots"
destroyed her. The other, on the ss alarmed and
trigue, and smelt notoriety, contrary, loved in-
the weakeMtes of her se-
and of Price ; she despised
tion, a her situation. Ambi-
which, pfe°
...Lag to her own expression, • ed
her woman's .Aeart, lightened up her quick reign in
imagined- and, fatally led on by that and ardent
beyor' '`ln' • organization
at .a the ordinary paths of life, she found herself
the brink of an abyss, into which she closed her
eyes and fell. Well the former of these females, mis-
trustful of herself; strong in her weakness, has passed
with honour and firmness through one of those
situations which may compromise a whole life ; she
has come through it esteemed and loved by all those
who know her and surround her. She has seen
closed around her those ties which are so dear to her ;
she has, in fine, cone through that great and cruel trial
unsullied met honoured. The fate of the other you
know, The reason of this is, that the Maier h",, strictl11
feltowed through life that old ,a 41.41 W.., maxim of our
mothers, that the woman tltelslnA honoured and most truly
happy is she who iS Teiteo`Ast talked of ; whilst the lat-
ter. greedy for 'alitt and notoriety, has pursued them
even dimes crime. The moral of all this is, that the
laws of nature cannot be violated with impunity. She
has assigned to each sex its respective course of action;
the woman who has the misfortune to quit the path as-
signed her becomes one of those monsters of mere' order
who may sometimes become the admiratioiof the world,
but who more frequently, as you, Madame Laffarg af-
ford it sad and cruel examples. This, then, is the moral
be deduced from this trial. It is for you, gentlemen,
sanction, to give to this moral its last
justice !
The President inquired if the Counsel fcir e fli
panic
civile had any conclusions to make,
and, if so, to state
them.

M. Moussur demanded that the diamonds should be
given up to Mme. de Leotaud; that the judgment should

be published in 1,000 copies, and that it should be in-
serted in all the Journals of Paris and the Correze.
The Procureur du Roi then addressed the tribunal.
He began by expressing his gratification that the ques-
tion *as drawing to a close, and by observing that the
accused, who did not fail to put forward as a barrier to
prosecution the civil death already pronounced against
her, when she had an interest in stifling a discussion
which was to inflict upon her an additional brand of
shame, had no hesitation in availing herself of her posi-
tion of civil death to send forth new defamations. He
had no hope, therefore, that Marie Capelle would resign
herself to silence, and expected that she would protest
against the sentence which the tribunal was about to
pronounce. He did hope, however, that this protest
would not be made by the organs of her defence in a way
which would be insulting to the tribunal. For his own
part, he would announce beforehand that the law officers
of the Crown would no longer tolerate such conduct.
The Procureur du Roi then observed that, although in
the exercise of his duty, arising out of the evidence
which had been brought before the tribunal on the pre-
sent occasion, he had to call for a verdict of guilty, he
had no proposition of punishment to make, for the laly
prohibited the addition of punishment in the lower 'de-
gree upon the criminal who in an anterior trial had
received a more severe condemnation. Thus, Marie
Capelle having been condemned to hard labour for life
for the crime of poisoning, would be declared guilty of
theft committed before the perpetration of that crime,
bnt for this theft no punishment could be inflicted.
The Procureur du Roi then went through the facts of
the case, commenting strongly upon them, as M. Corali
and M. Odillon Barrot had done, and remarking upon the
patience and moderation shown by the family of Madame
de Leotaud under the defamation and odious calumnies
of the accused. After the explanation which had been
given as to the sending of the box by Mme. de Laroche-
foucauld to her son, and the mysteries of the park of
Mousseaux, there could no longer be said to be any
refuge for Madame Laffarge in public opinion. In con-
clusion he said, ‘• It is impossible not to have a feeling
of deep grief and secret humiliation for the human mind,
when we behold this young female, possessing so many
gifts of nature, so high a degree of intelligence, and such
eminent qualities of mind, fallen so low in vice. The
name of the brave Colonel Capelle, so venerated by all
his companions in arms, would, one would have thought,
have sufficed to keep her within the path of rectitude.
In a few months, in a few days, this unhappy woman,
tarnished all her hopes in the world, and sank to the
deepest degradation. It would, be a great moral lesson
to study how this woman had proceeded from falsehood
to intrigue, from intrigue to theft, from theft to poisoning,
and from poisoning to calumny, which is moral assassi-
nation."

The Tribunal retired to deliberate, and at the end of
three quarters of an hour returned, when the President
delivered the following judgment :
" Considering that the proceedings have been legally
revived against the Curator appointed for Marie Capelle
in so far as regards the conclusions directed against the
said Curator, the Tribunal declares the prosecution re-
vived—considering in so far as regards the complaint
laid against Marie Capelle respecting the robbery of the
diamonds ; it has been in the result sufficiently proved
by the previous examinations, that between the 10th and
15th July, 1839, a set of diamonds was stolen from the
chateau de Busagdy, belonging to M. and Mme. de Leo-
taud ; that pursuits and investigations have been made,
the effect of which has been the discovery in the hands
of Marie Capelle, or in her residence, of the abstracted
diamonds—considering that Marie Capelle, called upon to
account for this possession, pretended that she acquired
them by donation from one of her uncles, that afterwards
she advanced other motives for justifying this possession ;
the examinations before the examining magistrates,and be-
fore the Tribunal, have proved that these means of defence
were founded on false allegations, some of which were.
defamatory towards the Leotaud family. Considering
that the divers exceptions and other means of defence
derived from an intercourse asserted by Marie Capelle
to have existed between Mine. de Leotaud and Felix
Clavet, justifying her possessions of the diamoaas as being
their depositary, with a trust that she was to execute,
have been totally destroyed, and that on the Contrary it
is established that this was a new defamation., On these

motive the tribunal declares Marie Capelle attainted and
convicted of having fraudulently abstracted the set of
diamonds in question ; but considering that by her con-
demnation to hard labour for life by the Court of As-
sizes, the penalty she has incurred is merged in the pre-
ceding sentence, there is no reason for pronouncing a
new penalty. The Tribunal, making application of Ar-
ticles 401, 194, 365, and 379 of the Code, condemns
Marie Capelle by default, to all the expenses of the pro-
secution;4and orders the restitution of the diamonds; and,
considering that M. and Mme. de Leotaud have made them-
selves parties civiles, condemns them to pay the ex-
penses of the State, saving their remedy against the
Curator of Marie Capelle.
Moussur,Avoue, observed to the Court, that no di-
rections were given as to posting up the judgraint,:and
publishing it in the journals.
The President replied—The Tribunal has deliberated,
and judgment is passed.
The Court broke up at three o'clock, and the audience
retired amidst great agitation.

The Gazette des Trilittnattx gives the following in its
supplement of last night :—We have this moment re-
ceived most positive information that the judgment will
be served on Mme. Laffarge on Tuesday (this day). She
must lodge her appeal at latest on Saturday nest, the
12th. In this case the affair will be heard again on
Thursday, the 19th.
" Mme. Latlarge, on receiving in her prison an account
of the result of the trial, immediately addressed the fol-
lowing reflections to one of her friends, who has commu-
nicated them to us :

" What a lamentable and ridiculouS thing is a judg-
ment by default gained against an enemy deprived of
arms to defend herself, of a voice to protest, and who is
not allowed to fight until she has been enchained. It
must be confessed, that the getting up of the scene of
my defeat left nothing to be desired. Witnesses carefully
prompted by the partie civile had perfect memories, and
sometimes were eloquent. One affirms that he can re-
proach M. Clavet with only one fault, and this single
fault is his incontestible beauty. Another sends us
to the desert to seek for women who are not light
in conduct. Another affirms, with an air of triumph,
that a small box cannot have been sent to M. Claret,
because a small box had been sent to M. de Laroche-
foucatild, who no doubt had reserved to himself the
monopoly of all the small boxes sent into Algeria.
M. de Leotaud has accepted his part with an heroic
and eontinually smiling countenance. Mme. de Leotaud
has sustained with admirable resolution the absent
regards of her whom she accuses. In fine, on
the bench of the defence, to support an accusation hich
cannot be doubtful to any one, two men are seated and
are about to teach the world how a feeble and oppressed
creature may be crushed. Your presence, M. Corali,
did not astonish me; the stage was in view, the part was
easy—you could display that courageous eloquence with
which you know how to tell a woman that she is a
thief and a poisoner. That, however, which has in-
deed astonished me, and does astonish me still, is that
aid was required for your eloquence and for the inno-
cence of Madame de Leotaud—it is that M. Odillonßar-
rot should be brought to your side,
.and to throw his
name into the scale of justice, in order to make it turn in
your favour. Full of respect for this new adversary, who
came to contend against me although I was painfully
alarmed by his appearance, I expected from this apostle
of liberty and justice support to my just and legal pro-
testations. I expected-4 was deceived. The great man
became the advocate, and when my eyes sought his, in-
tending to express lam innocent—believe and save me'
--my grief was met with a disdainful smile. This was
not all—M. Odillon Barrot did not protest when the tri-
bunal ceprived my young defender of the right of speak-
ing. He did not demand that the eloquence of the heart
should be heard in answer to the loud voice which wished
to overwhelm me. Nor is this all yet. M. Odillon Barrot
demanded a day's delay, in order to furbish up the arms
destined to destroy a poor creature without defence My
God 1 is this justice 2 Will you suffer me to be
trampled upon ? Are there not on this earth noble
and powerful men able and willing to protect and save
a just cause? My God! come to my aid. -/Lave no
more tears to weep---II have no more ;,rayers to offer up
to you. I have nothing lg?or my soul but doubt and
contempt. And :you, M. Claret, you are a base man!
I try tunr.-.1 to you from the depth of my prison, I de-
Viand of the world and of the press, that to your remorse
they will bear my voice into the deserts in which you
have concealed yourself. Why do you delay to come
and avenge your own honour, as well as that of her
whom you have betrayed? You have traversed the seas
to make your fortune— why will you not cross them again
to re-establish your reputation? One word—one word
only was required from you, and you have not come.
Not being able to cast a denegation at mr-, you have cast
a calumny against me—you have said that I was anfa-
moas, but you have not: oeen able to say that you were
an honourabl
ft man. 01 come, sir! I wait for you,
anti, if Ty
must sell even, my mother's ,weddiug-ring, I
will furnish you with the means.
I " From my prison at Tulle, this 6th August,
" MARIE CAPELLE."

INUNDATION AT LANGLEY, NEAR SLOUGH.
—Upon the estate of H. Harvey, Esq. who resides at
Blackpark, Langley, about two miles from Slough, there
was a large piece of water, in many places upwards of 15
feet in depth, and covering an extent of 20 acres. Some
saw-mills have lately been erected near this spot; and it
having been discovered that a considerable leakage had
taken place, it was resolved that the culvert, several feet
below the surface of the earth, should be bored down to,
to ascertain if the floodgates were faulty. While this
work was in progress, and nearly completed
fortunately while the workmen
force and weight of 1-1,-

water blew me culvert,
~ricks and earth in various directions,
tile course of a very short time, the whole
Of this immense sheet of water was dispersed, inun-
dating the neighbourhood of George-green and Langley
absent), tv.^
to the depth of several feet, for a coicidreerable distance.
The lake is now nearly dry, and can be walked across
at any part The fish, of which it contained an im-
mense quantity, are dispersed amongst the various
ditches, and a considerable portion have been left dead
(high and dry) in those places over which the current
passed.

scattering tho
and,

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