The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-10

|"HE name Bonaparte was destined,
 from the time of the great Ma \ poleon, always to be kept before the public view. and as late as 1870 bearer of that name was tried for murder in
 Paris It was Prince Pierre Bonaparte' a son of Lucien, and therefore a first cousin of the reigning Emperor. He was
 a red hot republican in his opinions and
 a reckless bravo in his habits and temper ament. After wandering over half the world and taking part in various rev. olutionary plots and insurrections in the es stern and western hemispheres, Pierre finally married the daughter of working
 man in Paris and settled down in that city just prior to the Franco-Prussian war Pierre was in disfavor with the Elm peror and was not allowed to visit at his court, although he received pension from Napoleon III. His chief offense at this time was the scurrilous articles he con
 tributed to various journals, one of which called out a stinging reply by Henri Roch- efort in the Marseillaise. When this ar ticle appeared Pierre challenged Roche fort to fight q duel, and in turn M. Grousset of the Revanche challenged the
 Bonaparte. The latter intrusted his mes
 sage to M. Ulrich de F'onvielle and Victor
 Noir. and these envoys proceeded to call
 on the prince.
 | Whel. they handed Pierre the challenge
 he crushed it in his hand, and whipping revolver from his pocket, shot Noir dead, and fired at his companion, who was able to make his escape, although l bullet pierced his coat. AS soon as the affair became known in Paris M. Oliver, as minister of justice, ordered the arrest of Prince Pierre Bonaparte, who immed- | lately surrendered.
 l Pierre was conveyed to the Concier-
 gerie where his family and friends were allowed access to him. The Emperor, on hearing of the affair." at once signed a
 decree converting the high court of Justice,
 appointed by the imperial constitution, for the trial of any member of the imperial family accused of criminal offfense. Directly following the shooting M. Roche- fort printed in his paper the following
 critical article: Here are IS years that France has been in the b1oodstained hands | of these cutthroats, who, not satisfied with
 moving down the republicans with grape shot in the streets entice them into filthy ! snares to kill them within four stone walls. Frenchmen! Can 1t be that you
 do not think you have had enough of them?
 The funeral of Victor Noir took place on the following Wednesday afternoon, and nearly 100000 people collected to show their sympathy for the deceased. Prince Pierre Bonaparte- was placed on tria l before the high court of justice assem- bled at Tours on March 21. 1870. The day on which the sittings commenced the whole town was crowded. Inside the
 Palais des Justice every place was oc. crpied long before the hour of the trial
 Tho proce edings begin with a charge te
 the jury from the president of the court M Glandaz. Then came the reading oi
 the indictment, the exhibition of tho
 mute evidences: the documents, pistols
 sword stick, plans, etc., which bore upor the crime committed.
 The prince was examined in the usua fashion of French prisoners on trial, ane required to give categorical answers tt
 the questions of fact addressed to him He gave his version of the story. in whicl
 he claimed that Noir had struck him, ant
 that he shot him in self defense. H' was then confronted with the witnesses for the prosecution. One of the first O these was Fonvielle. who had accompaniet Noir with the challenge and who hat barely escaped with his life. He declarc' |. that the prince. after treating his visitor , with scurrilous abuse first struck victo . Noir in the face, and then shot him; an