, 1864-06-03

|, EXTBNUATING CIRCUMSTANCES French
juries have a curious habit of declaring
criminals guilty, "with eKtenuating circum-
stances" and they do this sometimes under
very odd circumstances, as the following
instances, collected from a number of French
reports, show;
sin 1913 man killed his mother, and
then reduced the body to ashes in the FIRE
place. He was found guilty, but with Tex
tenuating circumstances A bare verdict
of guilty was doubtlessly reserved in case
any other man should advise himself to burn
his mother before she was absolutely mur-
dered. In 1913 a servant girl committed
several roberies on her master and mistress,
who unwilling to prosecute her, contented
themselves with giving her notice to leave
The girl pro6ted by her short stay to poison
them both The jury found her guilty but
considering how much she must have been
irritated at the prospect of being discharged,
added that it was under 'extenuating cir
eumstanoes.' . lr' s'c
a'About the same period young woman,
of eighteen, who had not been married many
months, happening to have had some little
disagreement with her husband, was guilty
Of the horrible cruelty of pouring moulteu
lead into his ear as he lay asleep. He did
not die, but his suferings were intense and
prolonged The girl was tried for the Of
fence; her counsel did not venture to af-
firm that his client had not committed the
deed imputed to her, but suggested that it
might have been the unhappy result of
mental alteration to which pregnant women
are occasionally liable. The jury found
this conceit SO excellent that il 'extenuated
the circumstances up to the point Of de-
priving them OF the semblance Of guilt
They returned a verGict recording the in
nocence Of the interesting criminal
GA poor woman named Rosalie, unable to
support her illegitmate child, and not hav-
ing the courage to take i, herself to the hos
pice les enfans trouves, agreed with a neigh
Dor that he should convey it thither for a
certain monetary consideration, to procure
which the poor woman gave her last sou,
and sold the remnant of a scanty wardrobe
When the day came the man expended the
money in drink, and then coolIy threw the
child on the ground, crushed its head with
the heel of his wooden Sa5ot and digging
hole buried it out of his sight. 1t will
hardly be believed that any jury could find
extenuating circumstances in this rufianly
case but nevertheless so it was. Guilty,
with the nvarable addition of 'extenuating
circumstances. A widow in the department
of Vancluse, in l845, was proved to have
buried alive three illegitimate children in as
many years. The same verdict was re-
corded.
"Another woman, married to bricklayer,
and who, it is to be presumed, had at least
some sentiment of hostility towards her hus-
band, took the opportunity, when he was
working at the bottom of well, to kill him
by literally stoning him to death with her
own hands. The same verdict was returned.
At Isere, man set fire to the loft where
his father Ga paralytic man of upwards Of
eighty years Of age) slept, and fairly roasted
him to death. 1t was remembered by wit
nesses that the accused had threatened his
father in these words: q would like to see
thee roasted like a toad on shovel And
he had, to the best of bis ability, redeemed
his promise. The jury, struck with admi
ration at the scrupulous fidelity with which
the prisoner kept his word, returned yer.
dict of guilty, but with 'extenuating cir
cumstances.'