The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-12 00:00:00

A STRANGE 'IRIAL FOR MURDER.

A trial for a remarkable double murder has just con-
cluded at Tours, in France. A husband was charged with
murdering his wife, and his son was accused of attempting
to murder her paramour. Owing to the good position of
the prisoners and the peculiar circumstances of the case
the trial has excited great interest throughout thecountrv.
The &der accused. 1- 1 ,- rn
-
married twenty years ago to a young lady possessed of
a fortune of 160,000 f. (t 6,400). Five children were born
of the marriage—Arthur and Theodore, now aged 19
and 17 y ears, and three daughters, of which the
eldest is under 13. About ten years ago M. Patry
observed too much intimacy between his wife and M.
Baillou, a friend of his partner in the bank. After some
violent altercations between husband and wife on this sub-
ject, both of them went to Auvergne to visit her father,
and returned to Tours after a year's absence. Soon the
intimacy between M. Baill',u and Madame Patry was
renewed, and her light conduct became the town scandal.
During the temporary absence of the husband, Baillou
was frequently- seen by the neighbours and the children
visiting the wife. Patry was aware of the state ofaaffairs,
and sought to deaden his sorrow by stupefying drinks.
On the 23rd of February last, at nine o'clock, the
father and two sons retired to their rooms on the first
floor. The mother went to hers on the ground floor,
where her daughters also slept, the youngest being then
absent. At the end of her chamber was a door opening
on a staircase of five steps, leading into the garden.
The accused tells his own story. Not being able to
sleep, he happened to look out of the window
about eleven o'clock, and saw a light in his
wife's apartment. Going down softly he listened
at the door, and- distinguished the sounds of two voices.
He then went upstairs, took a gun and loaded it,
awakened his son Arthur, and bringing him to the
window looking out on the garden, desired him to
watch there and fire at the man who would endeavour
to escape. Then he took another gun and went and
knocked at his wife's door and demanded admittance ;
she refused to open ; with a violent effort he burst in
the door, and, as be did so, heard two shots fired by
his son upon the man in the garden. Madame Patry
was nut in the room. Mad with grief and rage, the unfor-
tunate man rushed to the stairs, and fired at his wife, who
had fled to the garden. Then he returned to his son and
daughter, and wept and prayed with them. Madame
Patry died instantly, one ball having penetrated her
brain and the other her heart.

Much sympathy was felt for the unhappy murderer,
whose domestic troubles were well known, and whose repu-
tation was unimpeachable. The case concluded as such
trials in France always do—both prisoners were acquitted.
the verdict being received with loud applause.

LAW AND POLICE.

AN ADMINISTRATION CASE. —The House of Lords, on

Friday, gave judgment on an appeal from a decision of
the Court of Exchequer Chamber, a special case having
been stated for the opinion of this court. Mrs. Shard,
widow, died intestate, in ISI9, leaving personal property
which no person claimed, and the Solicitor to the Treasury
took out administration to the estate, which realised £20,000.
In 1858 it's value, with accumulated interest, was £31,000.
The next of kin was Isabel Cook, the wife of Ellis Cook,
who was domiciled in America. She put in a claim in
1823, which was not recognised by the Crown,
and she died two years later. Her husband died in
1830, without having substantiated the claim.
After his death their children applied to the appellant,
Partington, to recover from the Solicitor to the Treasury
the proceeds of Mrs. Shard's estate, and under a power
of attorney he took out letters of administration to the
estates of Ellis and Isabel Cook, and instituted proceed-
ings against the Treasury Solicitor, and in the
course of the suit the court declared the solicitor
to be chargeable with the accretions by way of interest.
The• Commissioners of Inland Revenue claimed an amount
of stamp duty on the letters of administration, which
should include all such accretions. Partington
having objected to make such payments, the present
proceedings were instituted for the purpose of recovering
the duty. The Court of Exchequer, where the case was
first tried, decided that probate duty was payable on the
full value of the estate, and the accretions on the letters
of administration to Isabel Cook's estate, but not to those
for her husband's. The Court of Exchequer Chamber
affirmed the judgment of the court below on the first
point, and reversed it on the second. Their lordships
were of the same opinion, and dismissed the appeal.
Miss SHEDDER'S CASE.—Ou Friday Miss Shedden had
recovered sufficiently from her indisposition to resume
her address to the Lords, but her arguments were not
concluded when their lordships adjourned.
NORFOLK POISONING CASE.—William Davy and his
wife, charged with attempting to poison John Davy,
at Swaffingham, have been committed for trial.
SAD CASE.—A distressing case was brought before the
magistrates at Manchester a day or two since. The
daughter of respectable parents, about 17 years of age,
was charged with stealing a quantity of jewellery and
other articles from her parents. It was said that she was
incurable, and nothing could check her propensity for
stealing and obtainini money by false pretences. She
pleaded guilty, and was committed to gaol for four
months.

THE DIAMOND ROBBERY.-At the Central Criminal
Court, on Friday, Clifford, who had been convicted of
stealing a valuable diamond bracelet from Aunt and
Roskell's, was sentenced to twelve years' penal servitude.

The Earl of Raduor's rersonalty (the Iltustrated
News states) Las been sworn under £l6O 000.

A local journal states that Mr. Whalley is rapidly
recovering from the effects of his late accident. He is, how.
eves, rather lame, and suffering from an injured knee.
CHARGE OF POISONING A HUSBAND. —On
Friday, Fanny Frances Maria Oliver, widow of Joseph
Oliver, boiler-maker, of Hertshill, Dudley, was again
arraigned before the magistrates in that town, charged
with the wilful murder of her husband by administering
poison. Oliver died on Whit-Sunday, and was buried on the
following Wednesday, after a certificate had been given by
Mr. Simmons, surgeon, who had attended him, that the
cause of death was "hepatic congestion." Information
which reached the police, however, principally through
the medium of the neighbours, and relating chiefly to the
conduct of Mrs. Oliver before her'husband's death, aroused
their suspicions that Oliver had been wilfully poisoned ;
and the inquiries they made resulted in the ascertaining
of facts which they conceived justified them in arresting
her on the terrible charge of wilful murder. The facts,
as they were brought out at the previous two sittings of
the magistrates, after the body had been exhumed,
were briefly the following :—The parties were in a
comfortable position in life, and the accused is the
daughter of a respectable citizen living at Handsworth,
Birmingham. The deceased was a shareholder in a
building and investment society in Wolverhampton, and
his wife drew out in the pa3t twelvemonths about £lOO in
eight different sums, after having had letters giving
notice for the withdrawal of the money written in
her husband's name, but by a youth whom she strictly
charged never to tell her husband. Deceased became ill,

'DIE ;MURDER IN MONIUOUTII3IIII:E. —The ad- and the prisoner nursed him, always preparing his food.
journed inquest on the Lu•ly of 1\ imam liehol.4, who, as About the time of the illness the prisoner obtained
well as a man named Davies, was shot by John Lane, the arsenic from a druggist's professedly for bonnet cleaning.
son of a farmer, near Chepstow, on Saturday last, terrain- i Deceased was often very sick and vomited greatly. Once,
ated in the jury finding a verdict of Wilful Murder when he was taking milk, be complained that it was hot
against Lane. Davies, who was shot in the arm by the with pepper, vomited very much, and so, too, did his
prisoner while looking at the body of the deceased man mother and another person who tasted it. The body, on
Nichols, has bad the injured member amputated. The lan order from the Home Secretary, was exhumed the
gun with w bkh the murder was committed was found in a second time, chiefly for the examination of the brain.
hedge, reloaded and capped, &WA ave n 419 from theffot Evidence was given to show the presence of arsenic iu_the
wki9pe Fenlaasshot, ''''''• - • InO_Lpitta the accii...-sed sijm c2X—lnitted for trial,