Massachusetts spy and Worcester advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1823-1825, 1823-12-31
afscellaMp.
From London Paper.
SINGULAR AND INTERESTING
FRENCH TRIALS.

to come or before the court of AssiZe at
Paris. They are all ofthem for murders
of great atrocity, attended with singu-
lar or striking circumstances. The two
most interesting. from the station and
condition of the accused,are for assasina-
ions by poison; the third, involves the
fate of wretched mother and her SOD,
who are accused of numbering beggar
woman, in order 10 obtain possession of
watch and few francs, which she
kept concealed in her bed of straw
The first that will be heard, is that of
Dr. Castaing, who is accused of two
murders, committed at the interval of
Dearly year, on the persons of two
of his most intimate friends, the sons of
notary at Paris, to obtain possession
of an income of about 10000 francs,
which belonged successfully to BOTH
The Indictment charges him with three
great cr;mcs-1st, with having admins
tered poison 10 his young friend Hippo
Iyte Ballet, about the end of October
last-2dly, with having in conjunction
with the surviving brother, Auguste
Ballet, destroyed the will o. the deceased
to. convert his property to their joint
use and thirdly, with having in the end
of May last, made his accomplice his
victim The death Of Ihppolyte was
| not so sudden or striking as 20 excite al
the time the suspicion Of his family
Contrary to the expectations of his broth
err Auguste, and of his friend Castaing,
he had made a will which Included
neither. This will bequea,hed 10000
francs TO party out If the family
The surviving brother leagued with
the doctor TO destroy it, and the doctor
poisoned his friend to secure the spoil
which he had previously induced Au-
guste TO make over to him by testament
tary deed The poison employed in
both cases was of vegetable kind cal
led acetate of Morphine, and therefore
more difficult of detection than the usu-
al mineral or metallic substances en-
pIoyed by the: murderer. 1t was admin
istercd in the last case in tavern at St.
Cloud, where Ballet and Castaing had
gone TO pass some days Of pleasure or
relaxation in the confidence Of friednd-
ship. The curious examinations of
the ablest chymists and. Physicians of
Paris, and the general detail of the cir
cumstanCes eXtnrted, as the case in
France. from the mouth of the person
who is accused, or obtained from the
deposition ofthe witnesses are expected
with intense interest.
The trial which will follow is that of
Madame Doursier, for the murder of
her husband. This crime, likewise. has
excited no common interest. Boursier
was one of the richest grocers in PARIS.
Having bis large magazines and shops
in the Rue de la Paix, most Of the En-
glish in that almost Englieh quarter,
were his customers. He died about
two or three months ago in terrible ago
nies, attended with circumstances which
if the medical man who attended him had
done bis duty, would have Immediately
led to the detection Of the crime and
criminal 1t was proposed, on his death,
to open the body. His discoasolate wi
dow opposed the proposal,on the ground
that the operation would harrow up her
feelings. He was inferred in the Gem
etry OF Pere La Chaise. The widows
grief dried up as soon as the husbands
remains were inferred. No garlands,
according to custom here, were laid on
his graye-none Of the flowers of the
cemetery were watered with the wi
dow's tears. She recovered quickly
her wonted cheerfulness, aud receiy-
ed the visits of favorites whom her hus-
band had forbidden the house. The sus-
picicns of the husbands family could be
no longer supp essed. His brother
procured an order from proper author
lilies TO dsinter the body and examine
the servant.-Madam BOursier had not
the knowledge, or could not employ the
means Of DR.. Casiaing. a greater guam
tity of arsenic than is usual on such &C.
casions, was detected in the contents of
the stomach,& the proof ofdeath by poi
son was complete. Madam Boursief was
Instantly arrested. Her father, a re-
spectacle man, who is Receiver General
of an reimbursement Of Normandy, who
happered to be in town at the time Of
The disiniermcnt, is said TO have be.
come mad, in consequence ofthc con-
duct and arrest Of his daughter. This
latter circumstance adds considerably to
the interest Of The triaI, and 10 the impa-
tience with which it is expected by The
public.
The last of these assassinaiions, to
which have alluded, is not the least
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