The Express. — 1861-07-13 (London, England)

VIDIL.  THE ATTEMPTED MURDER BY BARON  Our Paris correspondent, writing last evening, says.:—" The member of the Jockey Club, who, as I men. tioned yesterday, has been arrested on a charge of attempting to murder his son-in-law, is Baron Vidil, formerly attaché to the French embassy at Stockholm. lie was the last baron created by Louis Philippe, and his patent bears date February El, 1848. The circumstances of the crime appear to be very much those which I briefly stated yesterday. Baron Vidil, as guardian to his step-sun, would be liable to amount for and pay over the fortune of the latter on his coming of age, and it was to escape this I liability that he drew the young man to a lone piece in the country, fell upon him, wounded him grievously, and left him for dead on the spot. So far all the accounts I have heard to-day agree. The monstrous deed was perpetrated in England several days ago. The story is that M. Vidil was seen galloping about near Twickenham, inquiring with much apparent distress of mind for his son, who had been making au excursion with him, and whom he had loot ; that the peasants found in the fields a young man, wounded in several places, speechless. The step-father, it is said, sent for medical assistance, and sat by hie victim's bedside for two or three days, when he left, saying that urgent humiliate required his pre. sence in Paris ; and it was after his departure that the youth sufficiently recovered to state the astounding fact that his legal and natural guardian and protector was his would-be murderer. The baron was arrested here pursuant to a telegraphic despatch sent from London by Count de Flahaut. He was arrested the evening before last at the Jockey Club, which was hemmed in by a cordon of police agents to prevent his escape. I hear that Lord Cowley has demanded that the prisoner may be sent to England for trial, the crime having been committed on British soil. I have not before me a copy of the extradition treaty, but I rather think that in the case of a crime committed in England by a French subject it is optional with the French government, when the criminal happens to be within French juriadiction, either to try him here, or to hand him over to the English tribunals. In the absence of special reasons for a contrary course, the inclinetion of the French government would, I should think, be not to withdraw a French subject from his ' natural judges' —an expression much used in Fiance—and more especially in a case where the victim of the crime is a French subject also. Practically the question of jurisdiction may make a great difference to the prisoner. BealllB, summing the facts as stated, he would be hanged to a certainty by a British jury, whereas there is no knowing whether a French one, palpitating under the excitement caused by an eloquent speech, might not consider the great need in which the culprit stood of his son-in-law'■ property, as constituting ' extenuating circumstances.' " Young Mr. de Vidil, we hear, though very seriously and almost dangerously cut about the head, is making rapid prograss, ands likely soon to be convalescent.  The whole story (remarks the Times) seems something more like lunacy than a cool attempt at murder. Had the baron accomplished his purpose his detection within twentyfour hours wu aa certain as night follows day. This result must have been so obvious, even to the most reckless and desperate of assuains, that there must have been other mo. tives to the crime than the mere enjoyment of the fortune that was to come to the baron on his son's death.