The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-13 00:00:00

ATTEMPT TO MURDER.

The Court of Assizes of the Eure-et-Loire, held
at Evreux, was engaged, on Friday and Saturday
last, with the trial of two men, Langlois and Gode-
froi, for an attempt to murder the farther of the
former, under the following circumstances :—Lan-
glois, the prisoner, having expectation of a consider-
able inheritance at the death of his father, was eager
to enter into possession. He first attempted to poison
his sire, by sending him an omelette drugged with ar-
senic, when at work in the fields. This however failed,
producing only a violent sickness. Upon this he se-
duced a shepherd, the other prisoner, Godefroi, a
man aged only twenty-three, but married and having
a family, and being in the greatest distress, to become
the murderer of the elder Langlois, by shooting him.
To insure his success, Langlois made him practice, by
firing at rabbits, fowls, and other objects. When
thought to be a sufficient marksman, he was put on
the watch for an opportunity of shooting the parent
of his suborner. Finding, in October last, the old
man, who is 72 years of age, in his orchard gathering
apples, Godefroi fired at him, and struck him. He
then hastened back to the house of the son, and,
not finding him at home, left word for hifn
with the servant that he had hit the rabbit,
but it was not yet dead. Langlois, on receiving this
intelligence, went tohis father, feigning great grief; but
finding that his father had only his arm broken he deter-
mined to have again recourse to arsenic, and sent
Godefroi to a chemist's to purchase some, but fortu-
nately it was refused him. Langlois, the son, lived in
concubinage with his female servant, who was with
child by him. She was acquainted with his horrible
projects, and frequently remonstrated against them,
upon which he quarrelled with her and ill-treated
her. At length she communicated these facts to her
brother and his wife. They, 'on hearing of the at-
tempt against Langlois, sen., :went and related the
whole story to the Chief Magistrate of Guilleforitaine,
in the Seine Inferieure, where all the parties
lived, and the nefarious act was perpetrated. Lang-
lois, the son, and Godefroi, were arrested, and
in due time brought before the Court of Assizes for
that department. Notwithstanding the evidence of the
guilt of the prisoners was incontrovertible, and Gode-
froi fully confessed his share in it, and declaring that
he was to receive I,ooof. as his reward, the jury,
in delivering their verdict of guilty; found that there
were extenuating circumstances in favour of both the
delinquents. The Procureur-General, discovering
some flaw in the form of delivering this verdict, which
subjected both the convicts to the minor punishment
of hard labour at the hulks for life, instead of death,
appealed against it to the Court of Cassation, which
quashed the judgment, and ordered a new trial
before the Court of Assizes for the Eure. At
this new hearing, all the facts 'of the case were again
given in evidence, and Godefroi 'renewed his confes-
sion. The prisoner Langlois was further proved to haVe
been so avaricious as to have committed robbery and
forgery for the purpose of obtaining money. Holding
a farm under his father, at a rent of I,Boof. a year, he
had, on the day before the old man's life was at-
tempted, written his name to a receipt for 900 f., tw o
quarters rent then actually due, in order thereby to
save nine-tenths of the money he was to pay GOde-
froi for the bloody deed. The proceedings were not
conclu( ed till 12 at night on Saturday, when the
jury retired, and remained upwards of an hour in de-
liberation. On, their return, they found Langlois
guilty of parricide, and Godefroi of murder, with
extenuating circumstances as to the latter alone.
Langlois was condemned to death, and Godefroi, as
before, to hard labour at the hulks for life.

ADDRESSES TO THE QUEEN.—Meetings have been
held throughout the country for the purpose of adopting
Ad-
dresses to the Queen, on her Majesty's providential escape from
the hand of the assassin, ssh:ch has called forth one unanimous
espres,,ion of loyalty and attachment to the person of our be-
loved Sovereign.
TIIE HAY HARVEST.----HRV111111;ing is becoming
pretty general and the crops are goOd, although the drought of
the last fortnight has to some e..tent diminished them, and in
many parts of the country the scant of rain IS beginning to be
felt severely.