The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-24 00:00:00

STRANGE STORY.

An account, it may be remembered, was given
in September of a very curious affair having oc-
curred at Calais. A young man of gentlemanly
appearance arrived in that town to embark for
England, but being prevented doing so by want of
a passport, spent several days in the place under
the surveillance of the police. He then obtained
permission to go into an excursion steamer to
Ramsgate on promise of returning in the evening,
and, as there was a good deal of mysteryabout him,
a police-officer was, unknown to him, eharged to
watch over him. During, his absence at Ramsgate
orders arrived from Paris by telegraph to arrest
him on the charge of having attempted to commit
a murder and robbery in the department of the
Seine-et-Marne, and the moment he landed he vas
arrested. Having been conveyed to the office of the
commissary of police, he jumped through a --windOw,
took to flight, and attempted to commit suicide: by
leaping into one of the docks, but was rescued when
half-drowned. This man, whose name is Pesty, Was
afterwards given up to the authorities of the Siete-
et-Marne, and the day before yesterday lie was
brought to trial before the Court of -Assizes of
the department on the charge of attempted
murder and robbery. The case excited great
interest. The prisoner, who seemed much affected,
said, in- answer to questions put to him, 'that
he was 24 years of age, and a farmer of
Beaune-la-Rollande, in the Loiret. The following
singular facts were then stated :—A shepherd,
named Masson, was in the evening of the, Ist Sept.
last driving a flock of 250 sheep from BranSles to a
place beyond Nemours. At some distiinee from the
latter town he was overtaken by a man in a light
cart, who, putting his horse into a Walk, expressed
admiration of his flock and got into conversation
with him. Having ascertained the direction whith
he was going, the stranger drove on to Nemours,
andafterthe shepherdhad reached that town again
overtook him in his cart, and descending from the
vehicle began chatting with him. After a while,
on passing through a wood, he 'suddenly 'drew
a double-barrelled pistol from his pocket and
discharged it at the shepherd, woundinKihim in the
head with the ball of one barrel, and in the neck
with that of the other, after which he beat him about
the head with the butt-end of the pistol. The
shepherd fell bathed in blood, and his assailant
thinking he .was dead dragged him into the wood.
Thip man then 'examinedthe shepherd, as if to make
sure that he was dead, fired his pistol again at
him, wounded him again, and left him. ' The sblp-
herd remained senseless some time, and when he
recovered he found his flock had disappee'red, but
that his dog was by his side licking his wounds. lie
managed. to get to the nearest farmhouse, stated.
what had 'occurred, and had his wounds dressed.
The gendarmes immediately made aisearch after the
assailant, and had little difficulty in finding Who
he was. They learned that a man whose appair-
once corresponded exactly -with the description
which the shepherd gave of him, had, a. few hours
after the attempten murder, arrived •at a place
called Chateau-Landon with a fleck of 250 sheep,
and had there placed them under the care of one
Lejeune, shepherd to Pesty, jun., of Beaune-la-Rel-
lande, who was driving a flock of 100 sheep,fro'
Bransles for his master. This Lejeune was fount
at Beaune-la-Rolland° with the /50 sheep, una he
stated that it was his master himself, young Pesty,
who had confided them to hiin: He added
that Pesty, on arriving at, the village, had
joined him, and remarked—" I 'shall get into
trouble about those 250 sheep ;. they are stolen,
and the shepherd who was driving them has
been murdered !" Lejeune further stated that Pesty
made a similar statement to his (Pesty's) father, on
which the latter, with great emotion, cried out, " If
it be you who have committed the crime, the best
thing you can do is to kill yourself!" On that
young testy at once took to flight, and was no more
heard of by his own people until after his arrest at
Calais. The shepherd recovered from his wounds, and
his recovery was mainly owing to the dog having
licked them. After that incident Pesty was confronted
with Masson, and the latter distinctly recognised
him. Pesty himself, after some vain denials, admltted
his guilt, and also that he had deliberately preinedi-
tated the murder of the shepherd. This man was,
of course, the principal witness against hin,.and ho
created some sensation after giving his evidence by
remarking, "It is a sad thing to say that a fellow-
creature attempted to take away my life, and that
a poor dog was the principal means 'of saving me !"
Pesty's crime, it was stated to the court, is perfectly
inexplicable, inasmuch as he is the son of a most
respectable man of good property, was in comfort-
able circumstances himself at the time the crime
was perpetrated, married to a charming young wo-
man of 19 years of age, is the father of a child still
in the cradle, and had received a good education.
It appears, however, that last year he was tried for
stealing 19 sheep, but was acquitted. The jury
declared the man guilty with extenuating circum-
stances, and the Court condemned him to hard
labour for life, also to pay 6,000 f. damages to the
shepherd.— Ga /ignani.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

BETTING AT MANCHESTER.7-7TOsbAT.

CHESTER CU?.

50 to 1 agst Ravenstondale (taken)
50 to 1 agst Whistler (taken)
1000 to 15 agst Arsenal (taken)
1000 to 15 agst Prioress (taken) ,
1000 to 10 agst Rocket (taken)
1000 to 10 agst Fearful (taken)

DERBY.

10 to 1 agst Promised Land (taken)
15 to 1 agst Marionette (taken)

In the foreign exchanges yesterday, there was,
in most instances, a slight improvement; Vie4ua
Tricste, however, were rather low,