The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-04 00:00:00

CI?IME IN FRANCE.

A dreadful murder was committed two nights
back in the Quartier Sr. Etienne at Caen. Some
thieves broke into the shop of M. Peschard, watch-
maker and jeweller, of the Rue Guillaume-le-Uon-
queranf, an I, after having murdered him, seized
on a great quantity of valuable property and got
clear olf. The Monitcur dts Calvados gives the
following details of the crime :—" The thieves,
supposed to be three in number, obtained ad-
mission by means of false keys, one of which they
left behind them. Everything indicates that they
were well acquainted with the premises, and they
took the precaution of placing a short ladder across
the top of the stairs by which Peschard would have
to descend, if by chance he should happen to
awake. A spring which communicated from the
shop to the bedroom was cut off by the thieves,
and a small dog, usually an excellent watch, was
strangled. From their knowledge of Peschard'e
habits they went at once and took the keys from a
small box where they were kept, and used them to
open the show glasses. The thieves were about to
retire when Peschard, who was awoke by the noise,
rose in great haste and ran out of his room on the
first floor, but, coming against the ladder, fell
down the stairs. On hearing the noise of his fall
one of the thieves ran to the door which opened on
the staircase, and threw a large paving stone at
Peschard's head, which, however, missed him and
broke against the wall. They all then rushed on
him and a desperate struggle took place, but he
was soon overpowered. He received a deep wound
from a poignard in the shoulder, and his assailants
were then about to fly into the street when Peschard
pursued them. He laid hold of oue, who, in order
to release himself, discharged a double-barrelled.
pistol point blank at him, one ball hitting him
in the head, and another in the neck. The
unfortunate mart fell, and the robbers took to
flight. Two men were arrested the next day on
suspicion, having offered two watches for sale to
some soldiers at the barracks." The above-named.
journal does not state how it has come to a know-
ledge of the details just narrated. The Court of
Assizes of the Gard three days ago tried two young
men named Antoine and Jacques Peyrot for the
murder of their mother. The woman, who lived.
at Montifion, had been married three times, but in
March last again received the addresses of a man
named Chivasy. As a marriage with that person
would probably have had the effect of depriving
the two sons by the woman's first husband of soeno
property which, for a person in her station—that
of a peasant—was not inconsiderable, the two
young men conceived a mortal hatred of her, and
after a while they openly declared that if she per-
sisted in the project of marrying again they would
murder her. On the morning of the 30th of April
last it was noticed that the woman's shutters re-
mained closed, and her two sons, who did not )ivo
with her, were sent for. They entered her cham-
ber, accompanied by come neighboure, and she was
'ouud lying dead in the bed with a sheet over her
ace ; she was dreadfully beaten about the head,

and on her throat was the mark of violent pi to3sure
from a cord. From marks of blood and other cir-
cumstances it clearly appeared that the womanfte
must have been murdered at the bottom
aso shel
stairs, and then carried up to her bed ; but
was a remarkal4 strong woman, it
not have
mor-
ally certain that one man alone couldap peared
neither had any
forcible entrance into thet broobbern
been
made ;
killed her ; there were, morcoayseer, no signs of any
robbery, nor attempt
b All this threw strong
putting her her to death. lastly, no one, except)their two sons, had reason for
pici had manifested the slightest
deed that neither .
no
. •on on the two young men,. and, besides, it was
Antoine,ate after fter a time confessedg it'a wase 'title;
d and on being int, r -oo• t d the
younger, or regret at tinclinc, the poor woman dead
The
the deed. "We went," he said, "to the
who did
house together, and my mother on seeing us asked
4 What do you want?'
y werearre
I answered, 'Jacques means
to kill you, and he has forced me to come and help
him.' The woman raised a cry of horror, but at
the same moment Jacques struck her about the
head with some blunt instrument until she fell to
the ground. He then told me to strangle her with
a cord which we had brought, and I did so, while be
held her. When she was dead we carried the body
upstairs, and placed it in the bed." The jury de-
clared the two brothers guilty with oxtetnhteana to
atieg
circumstances, and the Court sentenecded Benaef.,, ,
hard labour for life.
their uncle, was tried with them A man
name
Antoine 'complicity 3in.'
that he,
the crime ; and it was stated by
from disgust at the ideagPf the woman marrying a
them to perpetrate it, but
fourth time, had excited .
as there was no other e
. jury acquitted evidence against him the

THE GLASGOW POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION.—This
favourite place of entertainment was totally destroycd by
fire on Wednesday morning. The damage to stock and
property will amount to up \vards of 20,0001., and among
the articles destroyed was the first steam engine con-
structed by James Watt.
The Bio-bio has arrived from Shanghai with 445,152
lbs. of tea and 1,302 bales of silk.
THE TURKISH FRONTIER.—Letters from Tif3is state

that tlie commissioners appointed by England, France,
Russia, and Turkey, to settle the frontier line ccmmon
to the two iast•named states in Asia, arrived at Eriv3r,
on the 25th of Ju►y,