The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-16 00:00:00

THE SUN,
_LONDON, WEDNESDAY EV:ENING, DECEMBER 16, 1846.

SHOCKING CASE OF PARRICIDE
A youth of 19, named Chevillon, and a boy of 15,
named Guy, were tried on Thursday, at Versailles, by
the Court of Assize of the Seine-et-Oise, the first for
parricide, and the second for complicity in the murder.
The circumstances of this case are horrible. The father
of Chevillon, a labouring man, little more than 40 years
of age, was about twelve months ago attacked with a
paralysis of his limbs, for which he was treated, without
effect, in several hospitals. The poor fellow, however,
did not despair of recovery, and having a little money,
ho resolved on returning to his lodging—a room on the
ground floor of a house at Versailles—and there obtain-
ing medical assistance. His son, also a labourer, but a
youth of dissolute life and very profligate habits, occu-
pied the mom with his father who was so completely
helpless that he could not rise,from his bed, and it was
necessary, when he wanted air, to lift him from it,
and place him at the door. On the 23d of August
last he was still sanguine of recovery, and had a foot
bath, and took some refreshment. Only a day or two
previously he had received from some member of his
family, on whom he had claims, a sum of 200 f., which
was placed in a bag near his b, d. On the following
morning, at half-past seven, some neighbours were
called in by young Chevillon, who told them that his
father was dying. This was indeed the case; they found
the father insensible, and removed him to a hospital,
where he died a few hours afterwards. On a post mor
teen examination the medical men declared that the man
had not died of the malady under which he had so long
suffered, but of suffocation ; and as it was known that
the son was in company with Guy, the younger prisoner,
and had passed the night of the 23d of August in de-
bauchery, spending a good deal of money, and as the
2001. which the father had received were not to be found,
it was supposed that he had stolen it, and caused the
death of his parent. Young Chevillon and Guy were
arrested, and the following confession was made by the
latter :—He said that he was in the room of the de-
ceased with the son, who purchased some charcoal, at
the desire of the father, to make a small fire on the
hearth, to warm some broth; but instead of doing this
the son made a large fire on the floor, and unseen by the
father, took away the bag containing:the 200 f. The room
became very hot, the sick man complained, but the son
told him the heat would do him good, and then left with
Guy, closing the door after him. They went to a dance,
and when that was over, to a public-house, where Che-
villon drank in company with several persons of bad
character. At about five in the morning be sent Guy to
his father's lodging to see whether he was dead. Guy
returned and said that he had not courage to enter the
room, but he looked through the window and saw the
father in the agonies of death. Chevillon remained
drinking for about two hours, and then went to the
place himself. Finding the father speechless, and there-
fore unable to give any information as to the cause of
the hopeless state in which he was lying, Chevillon,
after sweeping the remains of the charcoal into the fire-
place, went out and called the neighbours. Chevillon
at first denied that he had made any fire, and pretended
that his father's death had taken place in the due
course of nature, but some of the witnesses having
declared that the stone floor of the room was hot
when they entered, and that there were still embers
on the hearth, he shifted his course, and made the
following statement: —His father, he said, had become
weary of life, and resolved to abridge his sufferings by
suicide. He had given the two hundred francs to his son,
as being no longer of use to himself, and desired him to
make a large charcoal fire on the floor, in order that the
fumes might produce death, and when the fire had been
kindled he ordered the son to leave. This statement
did not impose upon the examining magistrikte, and it
was contradicted not merely by the confession of Guy,
but by much circumstantial evidence. The prisoner
Chevillon persisted in his falsehood, and pretended that
he thought he was doing his duty in obeying the in-
junctions of his father. On the trial the counsel for
Chevillon endeavoured to shake the evidence as to the
cause of the death of the deceased ; and, secondly, sup-
posing that he might have died of suffocation, sought to
obtain credit for the statement of his clier.t, urging at
the same time that in law the man who assists another
to commit suicide is not guilty of murder. The jury,
however, found Chevillon guilty of parricide, but with
extenuating circumstances ; and he was sentenced to
twenty years' imprisonment with hard labour. Guy was
acquitted.—Paris paper.

THE LATE FIRE at FLIXT ON HALL
(From the Ipswich Express of yesterday.)
The bare walls are standing, the whole being coin.
pletely gutted. The hall has been under extensive re-
pair the last half-year, and a great number of hands have
been employed; many of their tools were consumed.
The loss cannot at present be estimated, but it is thought
that 40,0001. will not cover the damage. The ancient
paintings, sculpture, &c., which were exceeding rare and
valuable, never can be restored.

The following description of the ruined mansion is
taken from " Raw's Pocket Book of 1817." Latterly an
immense sum has been expended in decorating the
building, and in accumulating articles of rarity and
value:—

" This venerable mansion was built about the year
1615, and continued to be the residence of the ancient
family of Tasborough, from the time of its erection to
the middle of the present century, when it was purchased
by the late Mr. Adair. The style of the architecture is
what has been called Inigo Jones's Gothic, blending the
stateliness of more remote times with the mode of build-
ing in Italy, then the prevailing taste. The principal
front is to the north. The hall and staircase are grand,
the apartments large and spacious.
"In the hall are busts of the Right Hon. C. J. Fox,
Lord Keppel, and General Wolfe. In the staircase
above the door entering the saloon is a fine bust of
Inigo Jones, who built the house. The saloon contains
thirty-four paintings by various masters, among which
are the following:—A Madonna and Child; Saint P,ter
and the Angel; Fruits and Flowers, by Van Os; Saint
Mark's, at Venice, by Canaletti ; Landscapes, by Tille
mans; Sea Pieces, by Vandervelde, &c. The library con-
tains a choice collection of books; a portrait of William
Adair, Esq., with his groom and two horses; a portrait
of the Duke of Bolton's famous horse Sweepstakes : both
this and the saloon are excellent rooms. In an adjoining
bed-room is a portrait of General Huss, of Elling Helve;
a Turkish Lady; a Battle Piece; Joseph and Potiphar's
Wife, &c., all very finely painted. In the other bed-
rooms are the following paintings: —St. John the Bap-
tist's Head, St. Agnes, Mark Antony and Cleopatra, a
Sleeping Venus, Lucretia, &c. In the dining-room is a
portrait of the present proprietor of this mansion, whose
pleasant countenance confirms the public report of his
politeness and urbanity. In the drawing-room are judi-
ciously collected together the portraits of the late Duke
of Richmond, his father, his mother, and sister, by Sir
J. Reynolds; the late Duke of Cumberland; Sir Charles
Saunders, by Sir J. Reynolds ; Lord Anson, Lord Keppel,
Lord Albemarle, General Hughson, Lord George Lennox,
General Napier, &c.
" To the south was an open portico and colonnade, now
closed up, and converted into separate rooms.
" The grounds in front are ornamented with extensive
plantations, which, united with the fine woods-of the
park, present to the eye an appearance of grandeur and
magnificence, and, with the view of the river, has a most
beautiful effect."

THE LATE EARL OF YARROROUGIL—The suscrip-

tions received for the purpose of erecting a monument,
or sea-mark, to the memory of this deceased nobleman,
now amounts to upwards of 6001. The committee have
determined upon erecting the monument in the Isle of
Wight, and operations will commence early in the spring.
The Marquis of Donegal is to succeed the late Earl of
Yarborough as Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron.
EXPERIMENTS AT WOOLWICH MARSHES.—Mr.
Lancaster, jun., carried on experiments yesterday
(December 15th), with the rifle ball, submitted by him,
in the form of a sugar loaf. The experiments were made
in the presence of Lieutenant Colonel Dundas, C. 8.,
who appeared highly satisfied with the result. About
40 rounds were fired, some at 1,200 yards, some at 900
yards and 600 yards. The whole of the firing was very
good, and, at 1,200 yards, the balls entered the target
to the depth of an inch. The first three rounds, at 900
yards each, entered the bull's eye, the aim being so
correctly taken, and the form of the ball ensuring a
correct course, at that considerable distance, for small
arms.

TIIE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.—Arrangements are
now in progress for the extension of the electric tele-
graph on the Great Western Railway. The communi-
cation at present is only available as far as Slough, a
distance of 181 miles, but when the necessary measures
are completed, it is intended to extend it in the first
place to Bristol. When the communication between the
metropolis, Bath, and Bristol is completed, it is intended,
if the sanction of Government can be obtained, to extend
the telegraph to Exeter, on the Bristol and Exeter Rail-
way, onwards to Plymouth, on the South Devon Atmo-
spheric line, and thence across the Hamoaze to Falmouth,
when the Cornwall Railway comes into ope; c'o-i.
At the Insolvency Court, Lincoln Castle, the other
day, a labourer named Sleight Hill, petitioned to be dis-
charged.; he had no means of paying beyond his daily
wages as a servant in husbandry to his father, and had
incurred no debts, except that for which he was sued.
His brother was in a small way of trade in London, and
had induced him (the insolvent) to sign his name on a
blank stamp, which he said would be filled up for 2001. ;
the brother went into partnership, failed, and died soon
after. The insolvent was sued on the note, which had
been paid away, and was taken in judgment. The
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BED ILL IN IRELAND.
_Excessive indolence and excessive fondness of money
for the minimum amount
service. The truth of this fact every
timidity, and you have na-
turally accounted for the never_ ending combinations to
enforce
o
p lator and every director of any enterprise in Ireland
speculator
or later finds out to his cost, lie finds, notwith-
standing the tempting appearance of low wages and
living, that as soon as there is a demand for
cheap rheanvderoyf
he has to pay the very highest price
labour or food,
%Tout
for the very smallest return—and this not of his own
option. lie is forced to pay it by combinations ; and
his concern is consequently often ruined. The labourer
i
who never in
his life earned a shilling a day, or indeed
knew how, or was able to do it, will, on the first oppor-
tunity, show his natural gregariousness and his greedi-
ness and his native indolence at the same time ; he will
,
combine to compel the payment of ss. a day and never
dream of doing more than a shilling's worth of work.
We know that this is not flattering ; neither does it dip
deeply into the loved mystification of " past centuries
of oppression," but it is nevertheless an existing fact
which operates most injuriously to the country, ruins
manyfair enterprises, and deters the investment of capital.
—The Topic.