Star.
London, England, 1829-07-10 00:00:00

MURDER IN FRANCE.

The two last days of the sitting of the Court of
Assiut; for the department of the Rhone, • hel.l at
Lyons, have been occupied by the trial of a young
man named Gerard, charged with a robb ry and
murder of the most atrocious description. Msdernoi-
*elle Buy, a tingle woman, about 40 years of age, who
had realised 40,000 francs by her business .s s shawl
worker, was engaged to a young trade man named
Savoye. On the 25 hof October last, the lovers
supped together in the Lady's apartment, situated
on the second floor of a house in the Rue de.
Capucins. A few minutes before ten M. Savoye
took his leave, and Mademoiselle Boy at the same
time retired to her bed chamber, which lead no com-
munication with the ►itting-room, without gs•ing out on
the landing place of the staffs, on which the doors of
both apartments opened. Here •hey paired and M S.
having wished her good night, di►tinctly heard' her
lock and bolt herself in. Ate quarter before eleven a
single cry of" Murder ! Fire i was heard by some f the
occupiers of the astjo•ining rooms to issue ,ioni 'Made-
moiselle 13isy's chamber. aid t if 4 0 of tilt m even came out
on the staircase; but the cry not being I. prated, and
all continuing quiet, they sewed again to t' sir own
rooms. Soon after eleven, another person who lodg-d
in the honse, coming home, encounteied a man on the
stilt secorresponding in height an.l fiorre to .he iccused,
who brushed hasttly by him and wet on.. The neat
morning. MJlle. Buy not making her appearance as
usual, and her docu s continuing dosed, her I fiends were
apprised of t circumstance, and a police officer who
resided in the house was applied t By his assistance
the door was broken open, when the body of the unfor
=Ate woman was discovered lyilig on the floor, and
covered with blood. The bed cuitaing •sere partly
burnt ; the chimney-board (behind which the assassin
is supposed to have concealed himself, till his victim
was in bed, having tiken an opportunity to slip into
the clianib.i, while she was engaged in the other room
with her friend) was thrown down; a book which Mlle.
Buy scented to have been reading in bed, lay on the
counterpane. and it lamp was ou the Boor, having ep-
parentfy been overturned in the struggle, and setting
file to the curtains in its fall. On examining the body,
it was found to have been stabbed with a knife in 19
places, and life had been long extinct.
A box in which she was known to have kept her
money and trinkets stood open, despoiled of its con-
tents. Suspicion immediately pointed towards the pri-
soners who had lately resided With his mother and sister
on the same Boor with the deceased, and whom
Mademoiselle tlny bad previously suspected of baring
committed some petty thefts in her apaitment. It was
evident the murderer was well acquainted with the
plade, and effic.ed both his entry and retreat by the
assistance of false keys Gerard, who at this time was
working as a sift weaver, Was immediately sought for,
when be war found to have quitted his master's house
abruptly afew days before, leaving the piece of work
he was engaged upon unfinished.
It'alstiaPpeared in evidence. that on the night of the
minder be had returned to the hOuse of his tuothei -in-
law Mandot, where he bad spent the two preceding
days..st half-past one in the morning, uitb his clothes
wet, pale and agitated, and having his right hand mirth
burnt. On being questioned by his brother-in-law. he
accounted for This by saying that he had been to the
Theatre des t.elestins, and on his return, stopping to
light his pipe at the stall of a man who sold roasted
chesnuts, some drunken people in passing pushed his
hand into the brasier. The wetness of his garments he
attributed id a shower that had fallen on his way home.
It was proved Ofi the other side, that though the
evening•of the 25th bad been misty, no rain had fallen,
and the production of the curtains in Court satisfied
the Jury that the fire had been extinguished by some
persons rig it hand; the clothes it was presumed b id
been washed, to eradicate the stains of blood which
might have been on them.

The morning after the murder Gerard quitted his•
brother in law's, and went into the Hospital de l'Anti-:
quailltrunder a feigned name, and remained there IS
days. after which, having employed a friend to procure
him a passport, be was denounced by the I attei ,and taken
into custody in the Place de Fourviere while waiting to
receive it. On his arrest Gerard spoke tatiouelly to the
officer, but on the day following pretended to be mad,
and continued to support the same chatacter upwards
of two m..nths, the last fortnight of which he was
especially under the survrillance of two physicians.
The latter at length bad recourse to a mode of treat-
ment which should be•beneficial if his malady were real,
but would probably detect imposture, flit esisted, by
the inconvenience to which it would put the patient ;
that was the daily application of the actual cautery to
the soles of his feet. For ten days Gerard held out,
on the eleveth he gave in, and admitted that his mad•
ness was feigned.
Athalt-peat three on the second day of the trial the
Jury retired at four they returned into Court and pro-
nounced the prisoner Guilty. No sooner was the vei-
dict delivered than Gerard chew a knife from bis sleeve,
and attempted to plunge it into his bosom; a gen-
darme seized him by.the wrist just in time to prevent
the blow from taking effect, and after a short struggle
he was disarmed. Sentence of death was immediately
pronounced upon him, and he was returned to his
dungeon.

The 4.1111011 C,ourier sa)s—Vast quantities of hay
are lying, is a damaged state, throughout this county.—The Moor-1
lands and Meadows around Wells and Glastoabury, have been but
partially mown. and where the scythe has operated, the produce
remains in a dark and spoiling eondidon. Oa large portions of the
hfarsh-ground, Stock have been turned in. from despair of dale-
' lag any Meek from the attempt of haymaking. The boisterous
wind and rain of Friday last have prostrated the earn to a Ws.
chimes degree. and occasioned considerable destrustien araeag
the Orchards. which from their heavy bankes of fruk were dis-
mantled of grept branches. and la many instances the uses also
were 0 Yews dews by the china of the sterna.