The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-11-08
Led AsfrtaBiy. az {,

- The Paris correspondent. OF the London
STANDARD writes For the moment, how
ever, both home nnd, foreign, politics are
thrown entirely Into the shadeSby a re-
,markable but sad case which will come be-
lore, the, Police yConrt Martial In q few days.
a cadet OF the military school Of Saint ,Cyr
Is about. to fbe tried for robbing his com
frades. believed is the first time that such
q crime has been--I will not say committed
but published by any member Of Q national
institution that Is Justly considered ias the
anultupl in, p1rUo OF French honor and
chiyalry. 1t Is leasy, therefore, to under
all ranks Of society, The facts may be briefly
past the cadets of the school have COM
plained OF the strange disappearance OF the
money. contained in their purses: They
went to bed all right, but on waking up
next morning found their pockets empty.
It was resolved at last to set watch in the
dormitory, and at 3.o'clock in the morning
one OF the students was caught wandering
about. He excused. himself by saying he
was suffering from sudden indisposition !;
but as two of the cadets found their purses
emptied the, student in question was ar
rested by his comrades. They made him
undress himself, searched his clothes,
and !, looked B everywhere but the
missing moneys could not be y dis
covered. The affair would have probably
dropped there and then had not one of the
younger cadets remarked the peculiar shape
Of a. packet Of cigarettes taken out Of the
pocket Of the suspected cadet. The packet
was opened, and inside, neatly rolled up,
was found a bank-note for 1000 francs
which had been stolen from one Of his COM
rades, On searching further, gold and sill
yer were discovered deXterously secreted in
| his socks and shoes. His guilt was now be-
yond doubt. But how to save the honor
Of his family and the school 7 To ac-
complish this it was decided to persuade
him to commit suicide; such is the Fren ch
idea of retributive justice and honor.
he was allowed to put on his clothes
again. This done, brace of revolvers, a
dose Of poison, and rifle were placed be-
fore him. The oldest cadet then approached
him, and held forth as follows: {" We shall
now leave you alone; you know your duty.
The means OF saving your honor lie before
you. Your, death will be attributed to dis
appointed love, or family differences, or
what you like, and you can write letter to
that effect to the Governor Of the school.
Goodbye But the guilty cadet was not
made of such high metal, and instead Of ac-
cepting the Honorable compromise" offered
him with such theatrical but very Gallo mise
en- scene, replied by vulgar French epithet,
which showed that both shame and honor
were unknown to him. He was conse-
quently handed over to the military authori-
ties. He has. confessed his guilt, and ad-
mits having stolen as much as six thousand
francs from his comrades during the past
two years. He is the son of retired officer
in the French army named Philippot, who
lost both his arms by cannon ball at the
siege of Sebastopol. 1t is said that this
promising youth has been led astray by ne
of the fatal stars Of the denai monde.