The Sun.
London, England, 1829-09-09 00:00:00

FRENCH TRIALS.

An action has just been commenced in the
French court of a nature to excite a great sensa•
tion among our sentimental neighbours, from the
romance of the details connected with it, and one
at least of the parties who are at issue. These
are M. Persat, a ci-devant officer of the imperial
army„plaintiff, and the. Baron de llamas, pre.
ceptor to the Duke of Bordeaux, defendant. M.
Persat, it appears, was among the'earliest of the
Philhellenists who drew the sword for Greece,
and distinguished himself by his courage in the
cause on more occasions than one. In the month
of October, 1821, he arrived at Tripolizza, of
which the Greeks had just succeeded in destroy-
ing nearly the entire population—a few women
and children alone had escaped the general
slaughter. At the sight of a French officer these
unfortunates revived to hope ; one of them, a
girl of 15, possessed of considerable personal
attractions, by name Adele, more especially
threw herself upon his protection, and implored
him to carry lig with him to his native country,
promising to Tie his servant for the remainder of
her life. MOVed by her forlorn situation, he
complied, paid her ransom, and took her with
hun on board a corvette, the Lydia, which ar-
rived at Marseilles in April, 1822. No sooner
was the story of the young stranger known, than
the sympathy of the public was strongly excited
in her behalf. M. Reguis, the King's Attor-
ney, sent for her, and informed her that slavery
was not permitted by the laws of France, that she
was free, and might, if she pleased, return to her
own country ; for which purpose some persons
professing the same religion as herself were ready
to give her their assistance and protection.—
Adele, however, refused to forsake her deli-
verer. It being inconsistent with propriety
that a female of her age should continue to re-
side under the immediate protection of an officer
of thirty-four, the Baroness de Damas, wife of
the then Governor of the eighth military divi-
sion, generously offered her an asylum in her
own house, and, having procured her the means
of religious instruction, Adele in a short time
became a Christian, her protectress and the Count
de Villeneuve, Prefect of the Department of the
Mouths of the Rhone, answering for her at the
font. This event became subsequently the sub,
ject of an effusion from the pen of M. de Ville-
neuve, entitled Adele, or the young Turk. There
was one circumstance, however, to which the
Noble author, doubtless from ignorance of the
fact, did not advert in his'production, but which
' is the chief cause that has given rise to the pre-
sent suit. We have mentioned that the bene-
factor of Adele was as yet a young man ; it is
but a single step from gratitude to love, and that
step was taken. Adele, confiding in the honour
of the man who had saved her life, and relying
on his solemn promise that he would make be?
hi; wife on their arrival in Vranee, gave herself
up without reserve to his passion. The natural
effects of this connexion were become visible when
she was received into the family of the Baroness,
who promised M.
,Persat to take equal care of
mother and child, till he could ohtain some situa-
tion which would enable him to complete the
marriage ; M. de Damas himself assuring him of
his interest, which kventually became the more
valuable from that Nobleman's appointment to his
present post. Difficulties, however opposed them-
selves to the re-entrance of M. Persat into theuniy, '
from which his namoliad been erased during the
troublesome times, and .li.orn some cause or other
all access has been denied to him for the last
two years, both to the' young Turk and the in-
fant ;, and at length all other -means
having failed,
M. Persat has commenced judicial proceeding's
to compel M. de Danias . to restore to him, if
not the mother, who is at liberty either to ac-
cept or refuse him for her husband, at least
child; whom he 114$ rQCO4IIIZed by the tlBia't.

forms of law. The trial of this singular case, in
the main incident of which will be readily recog-
nized a strong resemblance to a prominent one
in Don Juan, is expected to tome on shortly
before the Cour Royale of Paris. M. Victor
Angier is retained for the plaintiff.
Pierre Salvan, a cooper by trade, aged '27,
was tried on the 10th of August, at Cahors, for
having, on the 27th of June, 1828, inflicted
certain blows on a farmer named Filhol, of which
he languished till the 10th of July following,
and then died. Much interest was excited for
the prisoner, who has always borne an excellent
character, and has long supported by his earn-
ings a blind father and an aged and infirm
mother. It appears that Filhol had spread a
report that Salvan was infected with the itch ; a
quarrel ensued, which ended in a struggle ; Fil-
hol twisted his hand tightly in the neckerchief of
Salvan, and had half strangled him, when the
latter succeeded in grasping a stone, with which
he struck his antagonist so severe a blow on the
head that it proved mortal, Filhil dying within a
fortnight. In spite of all the exertions of the
advocate for the defence, Salvan received sen-
tence of hard labour for life, a judgment which
excited the most lively sentiments of !egret
among all who heard it. An appeal, however,
has since been lodged.
Three young men, named Mespoulie, Lafon,
and Garreau, were tried before the Court of
Cahors on the 18th ult., on a charge of having,
in conjunction with one Barrat, since deceased,
conspired to murder Antoine Frescaline, a pub-
lican of Cornac. It appeared in evidence that
a quarrel had taken place between Lafon ,and
Frescaline on the 29th of November last, when
some blows were exchanged between the parties.
ON the sth of December following, about half-
past eleven at night, the persons mentioned in
the indictment went and knocked up Frescaline,
who was already in bed, under pretence of hav-
ing something to drink, and as he was going_
down into the cellar to get it, one of them, said
to be Barrat, struck him under the ear with a
handkerchief, in the corner of which some gravel
had been tied up, so severe a blow that he fell,
and soon after expired. It was proved that Nies-
poulie, who had always been friendly towards the
deceased, rendered hint every assistance iv his
power ; and the Jury, taking the circumstance
into consideration, acquitted all the prisoners.
A trial on a charge of aggravated assault has
lately excited a great sensation in the vicinity of
Cations, where the case came on for hearing at
the assizes which have just concluded. Bernard
Curairon, a dyer of Figeac, had reason to sus-
spect a young man of the same surname with
himself, of improper views upon his daughter.
Rosalie, a girl of 18, possessed of considerable
personal attractions. He in consequence iZrr-
bade Emile Curairon his house ; but the lovers
found means to meet in spite of this precaution,
and on the evening of the 20th of June last the
father detected the young man in the very act
of inveigling Rosalie, partly by entreaty and
partly by force, into a coppice at some small
distance from her home, not ill-adapted for the
purposes of a seducer. The impulse of the
moment induced him to snatch up a large stone,
with which he inflicted so severe a blow on the
head of Emile as to stretch him on the ground
bathed in his own blood. The injury received
confined the young man more than 40 days to
the house, and a criminal prosecution was com-
menced in consequence. Bernard Curairon,
alarmed at the turn the affair had taken, ab-
sconded, and fled to Paris, where he was at
length arrested by: the police, and passed front
_station to station to Cahors (a distance of 1.40
leagues) as on foot, with his arms
pinioned' behind him. The whole journey ap-
pears to have been performed quite according to
the convenience of those who had him in cus-
tody, and to have occupied nearly two months.
In the mean time the real facts of the case be-
came well known at Figeac, and a strong sym-
pathy was manifested toward the accused, with a
pc or,
or rseespo
cut tot n g
neither tege e
lro
of which
indignation nia.eteioli
in against )
gs the
rei
les-
sened by the animated and eloquent appeal made
by M. Perrie Nicole, the advocate for the de-
fence, to the heart of every father who heard
him. It is almost unnecessary to add, that the
prisoner was unanimously acquitted.