Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-04-27
from the London Star. March 81
An Extraordinary Trial.

| An extraordinary kFIais
A singular trial has just had singuls
conclusion In France. The eccentrieities
the anamolies, and the striking defects c
the French system Of criminal judicatur
could hardly appear in any case more glal
ing 10 the English eye than they show il
the recent trial of NJ Armand at Ak
Probably many of our readers are not ye
acquainted with the leading facts of thi
cause, which is now destined to be cele
brated. NJ. Armand, banker, living q
Montpelier, was arrested early in July
on charge of having attempted to muir
der his coachman, Maurice Roux. NJ
Armand was man of wealth, position
and high character, apparently respected
and admired by all who knew him, anG
even, according 10 the evidence. looked
up to as a generous benefactor by many
to whom he had rendered spontaneous
and noble services.
The coachman, his aecuser, was a per
son of a somewhat dissolute character
and who had at the best given no special
proofs of high regard for veracity. On
the evening of the 7th of July, this man
was found lying in his masters cellar, ap-
parently stunned and speechless. There
was cord tied round his neck, his hands
were bound behind his back, and his feet
were made fast with a handkerchief
When restored to consciousness, he seem
ed unable to speak. He was interroga-
ted, however, somewhat after the fashion
of the paralytic dumb man in Dumas
Monte Christie" An alphabet was
placed before him, and he was invited to
o1I ha Il.
to the amazement and horror of all de-
nounced his master as the man who had
attempted tomurder him.
He stated that Armand knocked him
down with heavy blow from billet OF
wood, then fastened his hands and feet,
tied cord tightly around his neck, and
left him to die. Again and again in the
most solemn manner he declared that this
was true and appealed to Heaven to vim
dictate the justness of the accusation
After while he recovered his speech, and
again and again repeated his story. The
only explanation which he could suggest
for Armand's having made so extraordi-
nary an attack on him was, that he had
been charged by Armand with having
called the house a wretched hovel. Ac-
cording to his own statement he must
have lain for hours senseless and all but
suffocated in the cellar. Nearly the whole
day, in fact, he must have remained help
less and motionless in the place where
his assailant left him.
Now this was at best an odd story. 1t
might be true; and the accuser solemn
ly and repeatedly declared it was true
But there were some startling improba-
bilities about 1t. rne character of 81 Ar
mand was very high-the motive for this
deed seemed utterly made
quate. Moreover those who knew Ar
mand were aware that his hands were
nearly paralyzed with gout. Still, it was
quite certain that Roux; the accuser, was
found pinioned and apparently senseless,
and somebody must have done the deed
and Roux swore that somebody was his
master. So NJ Armand was committed
TO prison.
For eight hong months and more he suf-
fered all the rigors of the French system
of preventive imprisonment. Had he
been proved guilty the physical and men
tai sufferings of so long confinement un-
der that stern system would have been
nearly punishment enough. The case
came on for trial the other day at the
Assizes of AK. Meanwhile, there were
new accusations accumulating, for the ac-
cuser seemed the most singularly perse-
cuted of men, and had during the inter
val suffered more than one terrible as
sault, according to his own account, at
the hands of unknow enemies. The de-
fense made for NJ. Armand was as singular
as the charge. 1t wss alleged that Roux
had got up the whole thing him self as a
means of extorting money.
An eminent physician of Paris main
tanned that the inssnsibility Of Roux was
a sham-that the mark on his neck show
ed the cord 60 have been tied so that it
might not do injury-that the dumbness
was g sham-that the accuser not only
the power of articulation, but
avoided the performance by likewise ap-
pearing to have no power of moving his
lips-thst he could not hsKe lain insensi-
hle for the hours alleged, and in the po-
sition in which he was found, and yet
have presented 10 symptoms indicating
the approach Of genuine suffocation
finally, that the accuser's hands were so
tied as to render it not only probable that
he had tied them himself, but extremely
improbable that any one else had done so.
OF course this evidence was disputed by
some medical men, and sustained by 9TH
ers, and some odd and unseemly wrangles
took place in Court. ..
Experts were called to examine into
the knotting of the cords, and of course
the experts differed. The court was con-
verted into an experimenting room, and
operations in the binding of hands were
performed upon living subjects to the en-
joyment of most of the spectators. 1t
seemed, at all events, to be established
that Roux could, if he liked, have tied
his hands himself as they were found
when he was discovered in the cellar; and
the eminent physician already mentioned
maintained that to lie insensible for hours
in such posture, and when found to ex-
hibit only the appearances which Roux
would be simply an impossi-
bility. Moreover, the same authority in
sisted that the marks which Roux showed
as the result of tremendous blow from
a billet of wood, could not possibly have
been produced by such an instrument
The jury acted as we suppose any ration
al Jury on earth would have done.
Taking into account this testimony and
that of a number of witnesses and con-
tradicted Roux on collateral points tax
ing into account the prisoners high char
acter and even his physical condition,
they declared him not guilty. The YER
dict was received, we learn, with literal
transports of applause, both within and
without tho court. Mr.. Armand, after
his eight months of painful incarceration,
was set free. e
But there was another little ceremony
yet to be gone through. The prosecutor
Immediately shifted his ground and sued
the acquitted man for damages done by
the blows which the jury had just aequit-
ted him of giving. The claim was tried
next day, and the court ordered that Mr.:
Armand must pay fine of 20,OO0f. and
the costs of the case as damages, for hav-
ing Inadvertently struck Roux blow.
Under the Code Napoleon this decision
seems to be lawful. Even for aninadyer-
tent act which causes damage the doer Is
liable, and the fact that man is declar-