The Sun. — 1853-08-17 (London, England)

ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE THE EMPEROR  OF THE FRENCH.  Edouard Baynaud, 36, described as a tailor, was indicted for unlawfully attempting to conspire with others to kill and murder Louis Napoleon the Emperor of the French. Mr. Bodkin and Mr. Robinson conducted the prosecution, and the prisoner was defended by Mr. Wollett. The trial excited a good deal of interest, and the court was very much crowded. Prince de Joinville occupied a seat on the bench, and was attended by his secretary. The whole particulars of the case have already been published in detail, and it will only be necessary to recapitulate some of the main facts. The prisoner, who is a tailor by trade, lived at 4, Gerrard-place, Goldensquare, and he was charged with sending three letters to Prince de Joinvillo offering to assassinate Louis Napoleon, the Emperor of the French, for the sum of 201. On receiving these letters, his Highness handed them to Sir Richard Mayne, the Commissioner of Police, who set an inquiry on foot, and the prisoner was traced to Southampton, and apprehended. On being taken into custody he expressed his regret at having sent the letters, and said he wrote them while labouring under an affection of the head, for which he had been under treatment at the hospital at Southampton. The present prosecution was instituted against him by the direction of the Secretary of State for the Home Department. Prince de Joinville was the first witness called. He was examined through an interpreter, and deposed to receiving the letters, but said lie knew nothing of the prisoner, and saw him for the first time at Bow-street. He added, in cross-examination, that he was in the habit of receiving many applications from exiles for money. A Russian, named Lemiot, identified the handwriting of the prisoner, and said he had frequently gone with him in search of work. Sometimes they were unsuccessful, and on these occasions he was very much upset and depressed, and seemed troubled in his mind. John Saunders, of the detective force, said he arrested the prisoner at Southampton, and that he expressed his regret at having sent the letters to the Prince. The letters, and a literal translation of them, were then put in and read. This concluded the case for the prosecution. Mr. Wollett objected to the prosecution on the ground that Claremont, where the letters were received, was beyond the jurisdiction of this Court. Mr. Baron Platt over-ruled the objection. Mr. Wollett then addressed the jury on the part of the prisoner. He contended that the prisoner had no intention of carrying out the threat contained in his insane letters, andthat his only object was to get money. If he really had any serious thought of assassinating the Emperor, he would have made some preparation, but no evidence was adduced to show that he had in his possession any infernal machine, knife, pistol, or other weapon, with which to commit the deed. Under these circumstances he did not think the jury would be justified in finding him guilty of the serious offence alleged in the indictment. Mr. Baron Phtt then summed up the case, and said the only question for the consideration of the jury was whether the prisoner intended to induce Prince de Joinville to join in the conspiracy to assassinate the Emperor. If they believed that to be his object, they would find him guilty ; if not, they would return a verdict of acquittal. The jury then retired, and after an absence of about twenty minutes, they returned into court, when the foreman announced that they had agreed to a verdict of not guilty, intimating that they thought the only object of the prisoner was to extort money from Prince de Joinville.