The Sun. — 1850-03-14 (London, England)

MURDEROUS ATTACK ON A FAMILY IN FRANCE.  The following details of a murder recently committed on a family, by name Redaud, appear in the Courrier de Limoges:—Paulait, a landed proprietor et St. Priest le l3etoux, in the canton of Chateupousat, fired six shots at the Reclaud family as they were returning in a cart fcmn Magnac Laval. Madame Redaud, tl,e mother, and her eldest son were mortally wounded; the wife of the latter is severely injured, as also is M. Redaud the younger, recently retired from the service, and married on the 11th of February last ; his w ife, who was also in the coach, received no damage. On the morrow of his crime, the 3d of March, at six o'clock in the morning, the murderer executed justice on himself by blowing his brains out near Lussac les Eglises, whither he had proceeded after the perpetration of his crime. Paulait, who is about 34 years of age, was of a taciturn disposition. He was generally considered as a well-conducted man. His fortune consisted of 40,0001'. in landed property, and he had received some education at the college of Magnac Laval. He was married, but had successively lost all his children, to the number of five or six, and this had given him a desire to quit his native place. With this intention he sold all his property to MM. Redaud and Chaumoneix for a sum of 33,000 f. He soon repented of the bargain, and the sale was cancelled at the cost of 2,000 f., which were to have been paid to R.I. Redaud at a certain fixed period. Paulait soon after refused to pay, and an action was commenced, which increased Paulah's liabilities to 5,000 f. The result of this was an excessive degree of exasperation on the part of the debtor, which for some time he carefully disguised. On the Ist of March Paulait met with M. Redaud at the fair of  Bellac, and asked him for Of. as a loan, which he promised should be returned the next day at St. Sornin. On the 24 of March, at eleven o'clock in the morning, Paulait was at the inn of the Green Bull, on the road to Magrac, when he perceived in a char-a-bane certain persons belonging to the Redaud family, who were going to the college in that town to visit the young Redaud at school there. Paulait asked the innkeeper for writing materials, and, when he had finished a letter, asked to hob.and-knob with him fcr the last time, no attention being paid to the expression at the time. He then went home, cast some bullets and slugs, and ensconced himself at a distance of two kilometers from the cross-road leading to Dompierre. Hidden behind a holly-bush, he laid at his feet two double-barrelled guns and two pistols. At half-past four o'clock he heard a coach coming up the hill at a walking pace, and having assured himself that it contained the Redaud family, when it had arrived within ten paces of him, he rushed out into the middle of the road. The first two shots struck Madame Redaud in the abdomen—she fell ; the horse stopped, and two more shots were fired, taking effect on the shoulder and arm of M. Redaud, the elder. He had strength, however, to jump down and drag himself to a distance of more than a kilometer ; his wife alighted from the cart, threw her arms round the assassin, and entreated him to spare her life, and she would forgive him his debt. The wretch threw her off, crying, "It is your life I want, Madam !.' and a pistol was directed at her head. She covered it with her arm, which was pierced through, and as she was attempting to escape another ball struck her in the loins. N. Redaud, the younger, had been wounded in the thigh at the same time with his mother—his wife alone escaped uninjured from this fearful slaughter. The assassin fled in the direction of Lussac, and arrived at the village of Libauderic, at the house of one of his friends. His disordered features were fearful to look upon. He asked for a bed, and one was made up for him in an adjoining barn, there being no room in the house. The next day, at five o'clock in the morning, the explosion of a fire-arm was heard, and on running to the place Paulait was found behind the barn with his head shattered by a pistol shot. The letter written at the inn was lying at his feet.