The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-23 00:00:00

A FEMALE VETERAN

At the head of the last nominations as Chevalier of
the Legion of Honour is a widow named Brulon,
born in 1771, who for the last 52 years has enjoyed
the esteem of all the inmates of the Invalides. She
has been daughter, sister, and wife of military men,
killed on the field of battle. At the age of 21 she
entered the 42d Regiment of the line, where her
husband had been killed, and in which her fa-
ther still served, and was soon so remarked for
her admirable conduct both as a woman and a
soldier, that she was allowed to continue he: ser-
vice, notwithstanding her sex. She took part in
seven campaigns, under the name of Libert6,and suc-
cessively became corporal, corporal-fourrier, and
sergeant-major. On several occasions, and particu-
larly at the attack of the fort of Sesco, in Corsica, and
at the siege of Calvi, she displayed such bravery that
the men who served under her in the first of these
affairs voluntarily presented her with a certificate of
their admiration of her conduct : whilst at the siege
of Calvi she received a bad wound in the left leg from
a bomb, and was obliged in consequence to withdraw
from the service and enter the Hotel des Invades.
That took place in 1799 ; and in 1822, on the propo-
sition of General de Latour-Maubourg, she was
raised to the grade of sub-lieutenant, and since then
has always been received as such on parade. Marshal
Jerome Bonaparte and General Randon, the Minister
of War, considering that so irreproachable a career
merited a farther recompense, lately recommended
her for the Cross of the Legion of Honour, and the
President has been pleased to accede to their wishes,
by not only granting the decoration, but by placing
her name at the head of the list.— Galignani.

SEDUCTION AN D MURDER;
(From Galignani.)
A writing master named Durand, 37 years of age,
was tried last week by the Court of Assizes of the
Haute-Vienne for the murder of a young man named
Ferrand. The circumstances of this murder were
singular and affecting. Durand, who was much
esteemed by his neighbours for his exemplary con-
duct in every respect,. had married a respectable fe-
male who was teacher in a school, and they had lived
together for some time in perfect happiness, the wife
frequently boasting to her relations and friends of
the goodness of her husband and his indefatigable
industry in endeavouring to provide for her comforts
and indulgences beyond her station in life; and the
husband, in his letters to his family and his conver-
sations with his friends, constantly speaking of the
blessing that he enjoyed in a virtuous,
and affectionate wife. This state of things, however,
was not destined to last. Among the persons who
came to the house,of Durand to take lessons in writing
was a young men of twenty-three, named Ferranti.
In the course of a short time circumstances occurred
to give to the husband a slight suspicion that Ferrand
and his wife had a secret intelligence ; but having
mentioned his suspicions to lin-, she succeeded in re-
moving them, and harmony continued to subsist
until some neighbours imprudently revealed to Du.
rand new facts which seemed to leave no doubt of
the infidelity of the wife. Durand now became
more eheervant, sod, when he had ascertained that
letters were pawing between his wife and Ferrand,
he charged her with this correspondence and obtained
a confession, but with a solemn assurance that she
had merely been imprudent, not criminal. Durand
beard her calmly, but gave her to understand that
be
.was fully aware of the extent of her relations
with Ferrand, and that the question of pardon must
await the result of the measures that he should adopt
to vindicate his honour. He desired that his wife
should be present in the evening when Ferrand
should come to take his lesson, and, going to a cup-
board, took cut a sabre and examined it. The wife
attempted during the day to communicate with her
lover, in order to prevent his coming in the evening,
but without effect, as she was closely watched
by her husband. In the evening a youth of fourteen,
named Dutrieux, came to take a lesson before Ferrand
arrived. He found Durand and his wife together
and did not remark anything particular on their
appearance. When Ferraud arrived, he took
his seat as usual and was spoken to at first by Du-
rand in his usual way, but suddenly changing his
tone and taking his sabre from the place where he
had put it in readiness, he reproached Ferrand with
the seduction of his wife and the ruin of his happi-
ness, and then brandishing his sword, said—" You
are in possession of letters from my wife, and have
a poignard, which ycu carry to defend yourself on
the event of your criminality being discovered;
give them up immediately or receive the reward of
your guilt." Ferrand taken by surprise could only
say that Durand must be mad to attack him in this
way. Durand repeated his demand and receiving
no satisfaction thrust his sword into the body of the
seducer, and renewed the attack until Ferraud had
received thirteen wounds and fell dead. The boy,
Dutrieux, who had during this dreadful scene con-
cealed himself under a table, the wife in the mean-
time remaining motionless from terror, came forth,
and asked if he might be allowed to go. Durand
'with a calm voice said—" Yes, my young friend,
and justice being satisfied I also will go." Durand
then went to the Procureur of the Republic, related
the circumstances of the murder, and gave himself
into custody. On the trial the boy Dutrieux gave
evidence of the scene that he had witnessed, and for
the defence several persons were called, who gave
the prisoner an excellent character. Some letters,
which had passed between Ferrand and his wife,
and which fully proved that they had carried on
criminal relations, were read to the court. M.
Theodore Bac made an affecting address to the jury,
in which he described the happiness of Durand be-
fore the seducer had robbed him of hia honour, and
called upop the jury to make allowance for the state
of his mind under the grievous wrong that he had
received. During this address the prisoner and many
of the auditors were in tears. The jury after a short
deliberation returned a verdict of not guilty as to the
charge of murder, but guilty, with extenuating cir-
cumstances, of cutting and wounding. The Court
sentenced the prisoner to two years' imprisonment.