The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-18 00:00:00

FROM THE FRENCH PAPERS.

At the Assizes for the Drome a few days ago, a
-person named Lambert was tried for murder, under
the following circumstances :—Joseph Silady, a Hun-
garian by birth, after having served a long time in
the French army, retired to- 'Morns, in the Drome,
and there married. After their union, however,
Silady's wife was known to keep up a constant cri-
minal intercourse with a married man named Lam-
bert. Silady's wife had in succession four children,
which, however, were generally believed to have been
the offspring of her connexion with Lambert. Although
when born they were all strong and healthy, the
children lived but a short time, and soon after the death
of the last, •Silady, the husband, died also. This rapid
succession of mortality excited suspicion ; the Magis-
trates interposed, and had the bodies exhumed and
inspected, but as no traces Of poisoning or any act i
of violence could be discovered, the widow Silady, who
had been taken into custody on suspicion, was dis-
charged. The intimacy between her and Lambert
became closer than ever, and in 1838 she was de-
livered
of a fifth child, which was as healthy as the
preceding four when born, but lived only four days.
,Again an autopsy was made, but notwithstanding the
intestines of the infant were found to be inflamed, no
traces of poison could be discovered, and after some
days confinement the mother was again set at liberty.
Lambert now slept regularly with her, but returned
to his own house in the mornings. He was in the
'constant habit of beating and otherwise ill 'treating
his lawful wile, who was 63 years of age. This poor
Woman, in the hopes of gaining some protection from
the brutality of her husband, prevailed upon her son,
Who was married, to come with his wife and live in
the same house with her. Having fallen sick, the wo-
man Lambert refused to take any medicine or nourish-
ment except from the hands of her daughter-in-law. To
her Lambert brought potions in phials, desiring her to
put them in the drink of his wife, but the young wo-
man was suspicious of their nature, and instead of
administering them put them aside, particularly as
Lambert told her they were prepared by the woman
Siladv, who had been heard to boast that she would
soon be the wife of Lambert. An examination was
entered upon. The contents of the phials given by
Lambert to his daughter-in-law were subjected to
chemical analysis, but no poisonous mineral could
be discovered in them, and the men of science em-
ployed declared that the matter of which they had
been compounded was so completely decomposed that
it was impossible to ascertain what its original nature
was. The widow Silady was again discharged, but
as Lambert's wife died during the investigation,
Lambert was indicted upon two. counts—one for
having administered to his wife matter which, if not
immediately poisonous, was of a nature to destroy her
health, and the other for beating his wife, depriving
her of sufficient food and fuel, thereby hastening her
death. He was acquitted upon the first charge, but
being found guilty upon the second, was sentenced to
imprisonment for 15 months.

A young and elegantly-dressed female, with the
euphonious names of Lucie Louis, made her appear-
ance on Saturday before the Court of Assizes, upon
gevieral charges of forgery. According to the indict-
inent, the fair Lucie was born and brought up at
Marsal, in the Meurthe, but- came about six years
ago to Paris, leaving behind her a child, the offspring
of love. In Paris, she was engaged in several houses,
sometimes as femme de chambre, sometimes as cook,
but had been discharged from several for theft and
other acts of misconduct. She was thus, as it were,
driven from servitude to gain her livelihood by liber-
tinism. In this pursuit she met with great success,
and soon became a celebrated Lorette, appearing in
silks and laces, and all 'the paraphernalia of a fine
and fashionable lady. Nevertheless, her earn-
ings were inadequate to her expenses, and some of her
creditors became importunate. Having, during the
time of her being__ in service, made an intimate ac-
quaintance with Mine. Picard, an economical cook,
who had money in the savings' bank, and of whom
she had borrowed 145 f., Lucie conceived the idea of
making this good woman a resource in her emergency.
To win her confidence, she first commenced opera-
tions by paying 40f. on account of the old debt, and
talkinggrandly of her expectations of being shortly able
to discharge the balance through the liberality of her
friend, the Count de Lasalle. Not long after, Lucie
returned to Mme. Picard with an interesting tale
that the. Count had come by inheritance into a large
fortune, but, until he could realise it, was in want (if
a temporary loan, producing letters as from the Count,
promising to reimburse whatever might be advanced
to him through Lucie, with liberal, interest. Subse-
quently other letters were delivered to Mme. Picard, as
from Count Roger, expresssing himself towards her
in strong terms of gratitude for her accommodation
to his friend, Count Lasalle, declaring that he was a
free man, without any children, and was willing to
marry her, and give her a dower of 100,000 fr. By
these delusions Mme. Pickard suffered herself to be
stripped of all her savings, to the amount of 3,000 fr.
Having thus emptied the purse of the feeble-minded
cook, Lucie turned her talents against a M. Varies,
student in pharmacy, from whom, by similar ma-
noeuvres, she procured 3,500 fr., upon bills or notes
bearing the signature of a M. Triquet, which were
all dishonoured when due. All these facts were fully
established by the evidence of the woman Picard, and
M. Varies, and also by that of other witnesses. The
jury returned a verdict of guilty upon all the counts,
but found that there were extenuating circumstances,
and the Court condemned Lucie Louis to imprison-
ment for five years, with a fine of 100 fr.
A man, named Canonne, of Avesnes-les-Aubert,
near Cambrai, was, on the 3d instant, convicted by
the Court of Assizes of Douai, of attempts to poison
his brother and sister-in-law, increasing the enormity
of his conduct by employing in the acts his own in-
nocent children, one ten, and the other seven years
old. These with their mother were summoned as
witnesses against Canonne, who objected to their being
sworn, but the President of the Court, using a discre-
tionary power given to him by the law, ordered them
to be examined without oath, leaving their testimony
to have what moral influence it might with the Jury.
During the trial an additional instance of the depra-
vity of Canonne was revealed. A man who had betn
in prison with him, but who was discharged during
his confinement, deposed that Canonne wished to se-
duce him to go into some public-houses, and put poi-
son into the drink of the guests, in order that it might
be argued that, as poisoning was committed during
his incarceration, he was not guilty of the charge laid
against him. Notwithstanding all this, the Jury, in
declaring him guilty, returned that there were exte-
nuating circumstances, and the Court, instead of pro-
nouncing-a sentence of capital punishment, was obliged
to confine itself to condemning him to hard labour at
the hulks for life.
The following anecdote is given by the Echo de la
_Frontiere as having, been lately related- by a witty
bishop, during his visit to Valenciennes One day
a bishop was travelling with his theologal (every body
is not aware what this word means : a theologal is a
sort of coadjutor to the bishop, who accompanies him
everywhere)—the bishop was reciting his psalms in
one corner of the carriage, his companion was asleep
in the other, when they arrived at a bureau of
customs. The postilion pulled up, and a repre-
sentative of the public treasury, clad in green, opened
the carriage door, and inquired 'if he had any
thing to declare." Why, I don't know,' said the
bishop, 'I have nothing with me but a theologal.'
Perfectly right, sir; I will only detain you one
minute.' And away went She functionary to his chef.
'There's a traveller below who declares a theologal
--what duty am Ito demand ?" Look at the tariff.'
The man in green examined the tariff, but could find
nothing to enlighten him. It is an untariffed object,
sir,' said he to his chef. ' I had better claim the fixed
duty.' Assent being given, he proceeded to the car-
riage and said to the Bishop, Two francs for your
theologal.' fhe money was paid, and the journey
resumed. Some time after the sleeper awoke, and in-
quired n here they were. A quarter of a league
beyond the line of customs, and you owe me two
francs.' And why so, pray ?' It appears it is the
duty on a theelogal. You could not be permitted to
pass for less, and I preferred paying to awaking you ;
so pay me my two francs. You can afterwards, you
know, appeal against the tariff.' The money was
paid, but the theologal is still pursuing his inquiries
to ascertain on what ground he has been treated as a
smuggled article."
_ _

On the 7th March last, as a hackney-coach was
passing through the village of Creteil, on the banks of
the Marne, it was stopped and examined by some
gendarmes, who, finding inside a. young man wounded,
and supported by another, conducted them before the
Mayor of-Maisons-Alfort, who sent the wounded man,
who had received a ball in his hip, to the hospital at
Charenton. On being questioned by the Magistrates
there, he gave his name as Prevenand, and declared that
he had been shot in a duel, but positively refused to say
who was his adversary, testifying that he had conducted
himself with perfect honour throughout the trans-
action, the entire blame of which rested, he said,
with hi r, Prevenand The companion of the wounded
person gave his aline as. Arnaud, a. medical student,
who had acted as one of the. seconds. .The wounti at