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

CRIME IN FRANCE.

A dreadful murder was committed two nights
back in the Quarlier St. Etienne at Caen. Some
thieves broke into the shop of M. Peschard, watch-
maker and jeweller, of the Rue Guillaume-le-e 'on-
querantt, and, after having murdered him, seized
on a great quantity of valuable property and got
clear off. The Moniteur du 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's
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 groat haste and ran out of his room on the
first floor, but, coming against the ladder, -fell
down the stairs. On he tring the noiee of his fall
one of the thievesgran 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 overpowe: ed. He received a deep wound
from a poignard in the shotilder, and his assailants
were then about to fly into the street when Peschard
pursued them. He laid held of one, who, in order
to release himself, discharged a double-barrelled
pistol po'nt blank at him, one bill hitting him
in the head, and another in the neck. The
unfortunate man fell, and the robbers took to
flight. Two men were arrested the next day on
suspicion' having offered two watches for sale to
some s )Idiers at the barracks." The above-named
journal does cot state how it h,ll 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 pet son
would probably have had the effect of depriving
the two sons by the woman's first husband of some
property which, for a person in her station—that
of a paasant—was• not incenriderable the two
young men conceived a mortal hatred of her, and
atter 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 neticed that the woman's shutters re-
mained closed, and ha. two sons, who did not live
with her, were sent for. They entered her chain-
ber, accompanied by some neighbours, and she Was
found lying dead in the bed with a sheet over her
fwe ; she was dreadfully beaten about the head,
and on her throat was the mark of violent p • :sure
from a cord. From marks of blood and other cir-
cumstances it clearly appeared that the woman
must have been murdered at the bottom of the
stairs, and then carriel'up to her bed ; but as she
was a remarkab:y strong woman, it appeared mor-
ally certain that one man alone could not have
killed her ; there were, more her, no signs of any
forcible entrance iWo the house, neither had any
robbery, nor attempt f t robbery, been in tele ;
lastly, no one, except her two sons, had re Is° i for
putting her to death. All this threw strong sus
picion on the two young men, and, besides, it was
no iced that neither bad manifest al the slightest
sorprise or regret at finding Jhe poor woman deadg
They were arrested; and ou being int r. °gated, the
younger, Antoine, after a time confessed it was they
who did the deed. "We want," ha said, "t ) the
house together, and my mother on seeing us asked
What do you want?' I answer e f, 'Jacques means
to kill you, mid he bas forted me to come and help
him.' The woman raised a cry of honor, bat at
the same in anent Jacques strnck her about the
head with'soma blunt in.struineut until she fell t
the ground. He then told me to strange her with
a cord which we had brought, and I did so, while he
held her. When she was dead we carried the bo ly
upstairs, and placed it in the be 1." The jury de-
clared the two brothers guilty with extenuaieg
circumstance,, and the Court sentenced them to
hard labour for life. A man named Benuef y,
their uncle, wets tried with them for complicity in
tl:e c:ime ; and it was state 1 by Antoine that lie,
from disgust:, at the idea cf the woman Marrying a
fourth thus, had excited them !o perpetrate it, but
as there was no other evidence against Lim the
jury acquitted him.