The Sun.
London, England, 1851-11-11 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF CRIM. CON.

1N FRANCE.
A few days ago the Tribunal of Correctional Police
tried M. de Castillon, a young man of large property
of Aix, and Madame Cremieux, wife of M. Leon
Cremieux, of that city, for adultery. The case was
a most extraordinary one. Having induced Madame
Cremieux to elope, M. de Castillon conveyed her
to Brussels, where they took up their residence
in a fashionable hotel. The husband went after
them in company of a police officer, and the guilty
pair were brought back to Paris in custody. But
M. Cremieux then withdrew the complaint he had
made, and he did so, he alleged, at the request of his
wife's family. He demanded I,ooof. from M. de
Castillon for the expenses of the journey, and, after
some bargaining, consented to accept 500 f. Nego-
tiations were subsequently entered into between
Cremieux and De Castillon, the result of which waa
that the former undertook to leave his wife to the
latter, and never to prosecute him, on condition that
he would pay 30.000 f. The money was duly paid,
and it was Cremieux himself who went to De
Castillon's notary to receive the promissory notes, and
definitively settle the affAir. He had at first asked for
40,000 F., and it was only after some discussion with
De Castillon that he consented to accept the 30,000 f.
In virtue of this strange convention, Madame de
Cremieux returned to De Castillon but Cremieux
subsequently laid a complaint against them for adul-
tery. Just before his wife returned to the young man,
Cremieux said to him—" Though you have got my
wife fur 30,000 f., I offer to bet you 500 f. that in less
than six months she w►ll have another lover." To this
De Castillon replied—" I will take your bet, but it
must be written down." Cremieux, in giving evidence,
spoke of this scandalous transaction with the greatest
unconcern, and his conduct and language excited in-
tense indignation i❑ the auditory. Madame Cremieux,
on being called on for her defence, did not deny the
adultery, but said that her husband had ill-treated her
and driven her from his home. She admitted that
she was aware of the pecuniary arrangements between
him and her lohr. M. de Castillon said that after he
had entered into the convention to pay the 30,000 f., he
thought that Madame de Cremieux was perfect :y
free, and that Cremieux would have taken measures to
procure a legal separation from her. The Tribunal
only condemned Madame Cremieux to fifteen days'
imprisonment, and M. de Castillon to I,ooof. fine.

HORRID MURDER OF A WOMAN
BY HER HUSBAND.
MARYLEBONE POLICE-COURT.
Yesterday afternoon, Inspector Jackson, of the
D division, brought up from the Marylebone-lane
station a man named Thomas Bear, who stood
charged with the heinous offence of having murdered
his wife under circumstances of peculiar atrocity.
The court was crowded to excess, and the proceed-
ings excited the most intense and painful interest.
Mr. Broughton was the sitting magistrate.
The first witness called was George Nott, who,
on being sworn, said—l am a furnishing undertaker,
and reside at 23, Cornwall-road, Lambeth. My
sister (the deceased) had been married to the
prisoner about fifteen years. Her name was
Louisa Nott before she was married. They
did not live happily together. I last saw
her alive about a month ago in Warner-
street, Clerken well. Yesterday morning I saw her
dead at 33, North-street. She was lying on the floor.
Inspector Jackson sent for him. She was lying in
her clothes, and I saw punctures in the face which
appeared to be stabs. She was about 40 years of
age. At that time the prisoner was in custody.
They had two children, but I do not know where
they are. The deceased used to complain to me ter-
ribly about the prisoner's conduct, but she never com-
plained to me in his presence. She told me he was
addicted to drinking, and neglected his home.
In reply to Mr. BROUGHTON, Inspector Jackson
said one of the children (a boy) was at a beer-shop in
Cromer-street, and the other (a girl) was on the town.
George Nott continued—Deceased had told me
that the prisoner was seldom home before one or two
in the morning.
Edward Braxton—l live at No. 5, Brook's-gardens,
Bagnigge Wells-road. lam 17 years of age. I can-
not read or write, nor can I say my prayers. I can
not tell where God is. I cannot tell where people go
to when they die. Ido not know what people go to
church for, but I suppose they go there to hear the
singing. Never heard of the devil.
Mr. BROUGHTON remarked that a person in such a
deplorable state of ignorance could not give evidence.
Sarah Abrams said—l am a widow. The boy
Braxton is my son by my first husband. I
know the prisoner at the bar by coming to my
house to see his wife, who lodged with me.
About a fortnight ago the deceased called upon
me to see Mr. Hands, a lodger of hers, and
stopped about four nights. When the deceased left
my son carried her boxes. On Monday last the pri-
soner came to my house and asked me if I had a
little woman living up stairs in my house ; he said he
could not tell her nam', and asked if any boxes had
been brought there. I said yes, there certainly were
two boxes there, and he then said, " That's my wife
and they are my property, for my wife has taken them
away." The prisoner then requested to be allowed
to go upstairs, but I would not allow him, and told
him Mrs. Hands had gone away with his wife's boxes
and all. He then left the place, and he came back
the same day and brought a woman with him.
The woman said Mrs. Bear behaved very ill
to the prisoner, for her firm opinion was
there was something between her and a gasfitter,
and that I must know where they were. I said Ido
not. The prisoner said I must know, for I knew
who took the boxes, and knew all about it. He then
said he would go to a magistrate. The prisoner came
every day afterwards up to last Saturday, still press-
ing to know where his wife was. On Saturday he
told her that rather than see his wife in the state his
daughter was in he would sooner die in Newgate, for
she was his wife, and he loved her after all. He had
repeated the same thing to me on several occasions.
It was about twenty minutes past six when he came
to my house on Saturday. I told him I was going to
send my son to where he took the boxes, to get my key
from Mrs. Hands, and if he liked he could go with him.
He said he would, and was much obliged to me, and
would pay my son for his trouble. He then went
away, and I saw nothing more of him till now.
When he was at my house he appeared perfectly cool
and collected, and I had not the least idea he intended
anything wrong to his wife.
George Lanning—l live at 13, North-street, Man-
chester-square, and am the landlord of the house.
The deceased woman, whose name he now knew to
be Bear, came and lodged in my house on Friday
fortnight. On Saturday night last a lad came to my
house, and asked for the two females for whom he
brought the boxes a fortnight before. I told him
they were not at home, but would be in by 9 o'clock.
The boy then left, and at eight o'clock the prisoner
came and asked me if Mrs. Bear was there. Not
knowing the deceased at the time by that name, I
told the prisoner that no such person lodged there,
and I then told him the name of the lodgers and men-
tioned the name of Nott, being the name in which she
(deceased) took the lodgings, and I entered that
name in my rent book. Directly the prisoner
heard the name he said, " That's my wife,
her name was Nott before I married her ;" he then
became very violent and threatened to break the door
open unless the boxes were given up to him. I rea-
soned
, n,
cedtl
:gee cokiaon: a ad
allet a
saidwdi
yhn ti
you
tohoumt
the
hmyr
eeeppl
Mrs.aorroi lskooiunn andrgeri Bearo,r,
~e,r,
aslhmaatteht
eidinnso.
gave
.anivNrevst
h. hi l i
el
mNn n
sheoti
Boned with the prisoner, and he became more quiet
ctchaandleand he walked up stairs after her. The boy who had
been there before was with the prison
nhttee,
er and myself for
more than an hour before the woman came in. When
back,
the ,
kp
,r
ii
as;
an:beero
there
ee upstairs,arnetcisuhaorut quarter
should
obfe
an
nen
yhl eorfutor\tvhie
fboolysn,
bdi ne
nat hlpeoclai :Ince;
lour. I then Went into the street to see for a conpsta-
-1
and the woman lying
wan in the first-floor back room,