Star.
London, England, 1823-12-03 00:00:00

This trial, which has excited c"n'iderable interest in
.Paris, commenced on Thursday last.
Marie Adelaide Bodin, widow &tarsier, is indicted
fbr having, on the 24th of June, made nit attempt on the
'life of, her husband, Gailborne Etienne Boursier. by a
poisonous substance capable et causing death ; and
,Ni..
colas Kostolo, a Greek, for being "an accianplice. and
'with foreknowledge, aiding . and assisting the said
widow Boursier.iii the acts-which prepared and facili-
tated the said crilet. • .
it-appears from he narrative in tire indictment, that
'the deceased Boursier married the female prisoner in
February, 1809, and that they had had fivechildren,-the
eldest of whom was twelviikand the youngest Sae years
of age. Boursier carried 'on the.trade of a grocer in. the
Rue de la Pair. His hnsiness was good, and he ex-
=pected in the course of four years more to retire with
an annual incomesof 15,000 francs. The husband and
ife lived
happlr together until about the middle of
last year, when Kestolo was introduced to the family
by an aunt of Madame Bourier. He visited the shop
:daily, under the pretence of pzocuring for himself a•
vekt de chambret place. A. criminal connection, it ap-
pats. was very soon formed between this Grecian an .1
Madame Boursier; but their meetings were manwa•A
with caution, and did not excite the jealousy of the hus-
band. When Madame walked out of a morning *to the
Champa•Elysees, she was always accompanied by i.
Demoiselle Reines a girl who assisted in the shop. In
these walks they met Kostolo, as if by accident. They
then proceeded to Kostolo's lodgings; where the young
woman, who was made the confidant of the intrigue, left
them,k and returned at an appointed time for her mistress.
Baursier always breakfasted on boiled rice, which
was prepared for him by a female domestic, named Jo•
sephine Blin, in an iron saucepan. On the morning of
the 28th of June, the rice was brought in the saucepan,
and placed in the room where Bourster always break-
fasted. It was the custom of this girl to retain a small
portion for herself andahe youngest child. She did so
oti this occasion, and she andahe child ate their share
' without experiencing any inconvenience fr:an it. Bour-
sier and his wife were passing to and fro from the shop
to the room in which the saucepan was deposited ; but
, according to the account of the-girt-Blin, not more
than four or five minutes had elapsed after she had
broughtioahe breakfast 'before her master (Wiest-her,
and complained of something disagreeable in the taste
tsf the rim- Ile was Seized. with a violent tit of-vDmit-
: ing, and physicians were called in, hut the patient got
• worse and worse. The rice was eaten about nine on
• Saturday. morning, the 28th of June, and on Monday
• morning, at a quaiter before four o'clock, Bourier'was
dead. The medical attendants wished the body to be
opened, but the -widow objected, and the decease&was
interred on the Tuesday morning. Kostolo was present
during the illness of Boursier, assisted in adnainiuering
medicines to -hien, and, iu fact, the unfortunate man
died-in his arms. Suspicion of unfair treatment soon
arose in theneighbourhood; and the police being applied
• to, the body was disinterred and dissected. Onexamfaing
the stomach, arsenic was discovered, and the widow an 4
Kostolo were arrested. rl,l
At- ten o'clock on Thursday, the 27th ult. the pri-
soners wet& brought into Court by gendarmes. The
widow was in deep mourning-; a black veil eoveredker,
head. She is a .small woman under the middigt
'with a very ordinary set.offeatnres. The inairitroutou-
riosity of which she was the object appearedio ifect
her greatly, and her eyes overflowed with tears. At one
time it was thought she would faint.
- Kostolo is a tall handsome young man, but his air is-
Coarse and impudent. 1-te walked boldly into the Ceort,
in a fashionable mourning dress.
The trial was • concluded on 'Saturday.. 'age ',tory,
after deliberating auAngel e hour, deelared'bodkahe
prisoners Not Guilty.- the-first part of the ver-
dict, that in favour al the widow, wall rieliv:!red,part.of
lthe crowd in the Court applauded., 'Thy Pc silent
checked their indecorum, and ordered the arrest of. any
person whO might attempt to repeat it. He informed
Madame Bonrsier that she was now at liberty ; and as
the Jury had acquitted her, he hoped she would cape-
rieuce an equal absolution from her own conscience..
To her disgraceful conduct, and the violation of the most
sacred ties, she might attribute the situation in which
she had been placed ; but he trusted that her future
conduct would make amends for her past life. This
wretched woman, who was in tears during the whole
of the last days of the 'trial, fainted on hearing the
President's observadirs, and was carried out (41 the
Court by the attending gendarmes. Kostolo disployed
his usual indifference and hardihood.
,
The case of S. Voke, who was cnitally convicted at
the last Assizes for the s&nty of Somerset, for malici-
ously shooting at Lord ti'lastonbury's gamekeeper, was
reserved for the opinion o 1 the twelve Judges. They
met accordingly, and were unanimously of opinion
that the conviction was right, and the execution of this
unfortunate young Tan took place on Wednesday.
FENAONS TO FRENCH ENtaassies.--Thooflicialpart
of the Moniteur of the 26th ult. contains a very' long
'Report from M. CH ATEA WIRIA KO, on the .Pensions to
'he granted to the Foreign Agents, and Olken of the
Department of ,Foreign Affair s. The Report is preceded
by an Ordonnance in 16 articles, fotsaded upon.it, and
which regulates in the following man* the pensions
attached to the differefit ranks aster 90 yeidi sensate, or
after 25 years ter' vise in case of seriodsiatemities. The
pension it calculattsd according to the rank held by
these agents during the last tire .yeari _or *et ice,
taking the mean of-the pensions, wlycb toy &below,
for each rank after St/ years:—
Ambassadors, 11:000 instreit' Plinleserw4asit4l/11f alitir.thas
100001Vantt salary, SWAN AliaigOritiav* by in that
in
8,000; Residents, Chars& Anima inert:ell
qualltp,), and die Counsellors of liisnbeisli sow; Abele-
- etf.kashaimlteoo.; >jithetethet: *Unit
°JAW:2:I;OT ; Consuls-General, 6 000 • •
;' alit Dtagentens tithe
5,000; the Dragomans of the 'tenant 4aas .le the mop to ab es
well as the fitst Drigotnatits of the, ponsulfte-Cpener.al;
LestlY, rr9 the Dragomans, beep( theta albrektentkaed, 7:1t;
laterproks Citanceiteri, 2,110 Q francs. ,