The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-12 00:00:00

INFANTICIDE BY .A LADY AND BEI?

DAUGHTER.

A very remarkable trial began at Orleans on
Friday. Mdme. Lemoine, a lady of forturno, re-
siding at Chinon, near Tours, was indicted, with
her daughter, on the charge of burning the illegiti-
mate offspring of the latter, under circumstances
which denote a frightful amount of depravity.
Mdme. Lemoine moved in the best circles, kept her
carriage, and occupied a prominent position in
society. The father of the child seems to have
been a servant in Mdme. Lemoine's employment.
Mdme. Lemoine is 43 years of age, and is described
as still very handsome. Her daughter, Mdllo. Ange-
lina, is described as surpassingly beautiful.
The evidence led to the following disclosures:—
Angelina was delivered of a male child on the
night of the 29th of July. On the previous even-
ing she had been seised with vomitings. It had
been arranged that the family were to go into the
country, but Madame Lemoine countermanded the
orders, and also the visits of the music master.
About eleven o'clock at night the violent pains
came on. Madame Lemoine put her daughter into
a small closet, where a bed was usually kept; and
where she was delivered of a fine male child, which
was born alive. After a space of time, which can-
not be exactly defined, but which could not have
exceeded five minutes, this fine child had ceased to
exist, and at the end of a few hours it had disap-
peared. Madame Lemoine had burnt it.
It did not appear that she could be charged with
throwing it into the firs alive, since Angelina de-
clared that she saw the child deprived of move-
ment long before her mother threw it into the fire.
An agreement had been long before come to between
the mother and daughter, and which has been re-
lated by the latter, as follows : "It was frequently
talked over between us that if I had a miscarriage
the embryo should be burnt, or if a child that it
should be served in the dame manner. I only made
one condition, that it should not be burnt alive."
Angelina declared that she knew nothing as to how
her mother deprived the child of life, but thinks it
probable that she put her hand on the child's
throat and stifled both its breathing and
its cries. Mine. Lemoine protested her innocence,
and maintained that her daughter only became
.
pregnant from a violation, and that as such vio la-
laden might tarnish the reputation of Angelina,
she thought it her duty to conceal it. She also
declared that she did not think her pregnancy so
far advanced ; and that as the premature confine-
ment had produced a dead child she had suddenly
resolved to burn it, since she could thus save tho
honour of her daughter without committing any
crime.

The following telegram has been received at Mr,
Reuter's office :

"TOURS, Sunday Evening.

" The trial of the Lemoines for infanticide termi-
nated to-day. The jury acquitted Angelina Le-
moine, but found her mother guilty, with extenu-
ating circumstances. The sentence was twenty
years' hard labour."

THE REFORM SOIREE AT BIRMINGTIAM.—It is
expected that the groat noire at Birmingham in furtherance
of the reform movement will take place on either the 6th or
12th of January. Mr. Bright and Mr. Scholcuold, the two
borough members, will be present.

.1,
LAW. INTELLIGENCB.-(THIS DAY.)

COURT OF CHANCERY.
(Before the Lord Chancellor.)
SWIFT V. SWIFT.-.TUDCAIENT.
This was an appeal from a decree of the Master of the
Rolls, declaring that, under the will of the late Thomas
Swift, of 17th August, 1523, two legacies of £2OO were
chargeable only upon his real estate.
The Lord Chancellor, after a careful and minute exami-
nation of the words of the bequest, and considering the
authorities and cases cited, and the Wills Act referred to,
was of opinion that the two legacies of £2OO were charge-
able both un the real and personal estate of the testator ;
that it was the intention of the testator to izharge both his
freehold and leasehold property with tho'so .legacies, and
declared accordingly.
The Lord Chancellor reverced the decree of the Master
of the Rolls, with costs.

(Before the Lolds justices.)
APPEA.I.S;--LODGE V. PRTITIARD--lIINDLE V. PRICII.kRD

-PRIO;IIIID V. HINDLE.
Mr. Lodge appeo7..ed personally and was hoard in sup.
port of his aprY.4l from a decree of Vice-Chancellor Sir
John Stuart in favour of Mr. Prichard.
Mr. Bacon, Q.C., is now being heard for Mrs. Hindle.
This is an administration suit, and the contest between
the parties relates to the administration of the trustees and
taking of the executors accounts and costs, as sot out in the
Master's report.

CRI3IINAL COURT,—(This Day.)

OLD COURT.

The December sessions of the Central Criminal Court
commenced this morning. There has only been a short
adjournment, consequently the number of prisoners was
smaller than usual, there being at present only forty for
trial. There are very few cases of interest to be disposed
of this session, as the more important charges that wore
postponed from the last session (among which was the case
of Mr. Hughes, the solicitor, who stands charged with em-
bezzling and secreting money the property of his clients, to
the amount of £200,000) was adjourned to the January ses-
sion. The charge of murder against the brushmake r,
Moore, will, in all probability, also be 'postponed. The
presiding judges are Lord Chief Justice Edo, Mr. Justice
Crompton, and Mr. Baron Watson.
The Recorder having briefly addressed the Grand Jury,
they retired to their room.

Tho court was then occupied up till two o'clock in taking
the pleadings of the prisoners ti, indict;dents against them.

-•--e!,

NEW COURT.
(Before the Common Sergeant.)
Bartholomew Nockton, a private in the 18th Regiment
of Foot, was indictP,a for stealing three half-sovereigns,
the property of a fellow •comrado named John Rafferty.
The evidence was clear on the point, and the jury re-
turned a verdict of guilty.
The Common Sergeant, having dwelt on the meanness of
robbing a fellow-comrade, sentenced the prisoner to six
months' imprisonment with hard labour.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE--(THIS DAL)

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
A TILL ROBBER.—Henry Blandford, a suspicious-look-
ing fellow, who gave the address 19, Salutation-place,
Stamford-street, was charged with stealing, at 21, South
Molton-strsd, a bowl containing one pound, in half-crowns
and shillings, the property of Mr. J. H. Daniel, tobacconist,
from the till, which was locked at the time, but the key not
withdrawn.

From the evidence of Mr. Daniel it appeared that about
five o'clock on Saturday he had just returned to his parlour,
having served a customer, when he heard a noiso in the
shop, and on returning to it ho saw the bowl, in which there
had been about a pound in silver, and which ho had locked
inthe till after serving the customer, on tho counter empty,
and the prisoner leaving the shop. He immediately fol-
lowed the prisoner and stopped him just as he was joined
by two men. On telling him he had been into his shop and
taken the money, the prisoner said " Oh, it's a mistake ;"
and then the two men persuaded him to let him go, but he
refused to do se, and detained him till an officer arrived. A
little boy had seen the prisoner hand something to one of
the men.

The constable who took the prisoner into custody said he
only found 2d. on him.

The prisoner, who declined saying anything, was re-
manded for a week, Mr. Beadon ordering inquiries to be
made respecting him.

Two lads, named Crawley and Wathen, were fined 10s.
each, or 14 days' imprisonment, for being found in posses-
sion of the tire of a wheel, of very small value—Mr. Edw.
Lewis, of Great Marlborough-street, stating in their behalf
that they had picked up the article in the road, and were
endeavouring to make a few pence by it, and there was no
evidence to prove that they had stolen it.