The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1841-05-21 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

COURT OF ASSIZES AT ROUEN  DELIBERATE MURDER.—The Court of Assizes at Rouen was, a few days since, occupied with a trial of a man named Pierre Gustave Terry, on a charge of murder. The circumstances attendant on this cold-blooded crime excited the attention of the public to a high degree, and the court was consequently very crowded. The prisoner was throughout the trial perfectly unmoved, and replied with calmness and sang-froid to the questions addressed to him by the president. During the whole proceeding be did not exhibit the slightest feeling of sorrow for what he had done. From his own confession, it appears that, on the night of the 2th of December last, he conceived the idea of murdering some one, when his attention was fixed on the widow Toussaint, a venerable old woman, 76 years of age, and who was generally known by the appellation of the " Orphans Mother,' in consequence of being in the habit of frequently adopting orphan children, and bringing them up at her own expense. At the time of her falling a victim to the murderous attack of the prisoner, she was residing with a man of the name of Dolitais, who had been left an orphan and had been brought up by her from an infant. He chose the time when he knew this individual was absent on his usual avocations, when he felt sure of finding his intended victim alone in the house. " I went to the house," said the prisoner, " about ten minutes past seven in the morning, but the widow was still in bed ; I knocked at the kitchen door, she asked who was there, to which 1 answered It is Pierre. lam come to borrow your pitchfork to clean out the stable of your neighbour Romain Brument.' She got up, came into the kitchen, and gave me the fork, and then stooped down and began ricking up some bits of stick that were strewed about near the chimney. While she was in this position, I laid hold of a cleaver that was lying on a table and struck her a heavy blow with the flat of it. She fell from the blow, when I repeated it three or four times, and in about five minutes she was dead. I then broke open the cupboard in the kitchen, threw out the linen and articles of wearing apparel which it contained, and find• ing a small bag containing money I put it into my pocket. I afterwards found it to contain about 30 francs in silver. I then opened other parts of the house and took all the money I could lay my hands on, but do not recollect the amount. I chatted with the old woman about five minutes before I struck her, and stopped in the house about ten minutes after she died, in examining the cupboards, drawers, &c. During the whole of the previous evening, I bad been haunted with the idea that I must murder some one, and at first thought of venting my violence on a man of my acquaintance, with his wife and (laughter, but something happened to prevent this taking place. I then thought on the widow Toussaint, and could not resist the impulse which hurried me to commit the'deed." This confession he made on being first taken up for the crime, and repeated the same on his trial with the most perfect nonchalance. After a deliberate examination, the court pronounced a verdict of guilty, without extenuating circumstances, and the president immediately passed on him the sentence of death, an award which he heard with the same indifference as he had shown throughout the whole of the trial.  The SPEAKER said he certainly was of opinion that the motion of the hon. member for Oldham was not seconded, and therefore be did not put it from the chair. He paused for two or three moments, and be did not see any one rise to second the motion ; if he had, it would have been his duty to put it from the chair. (Hear.) Mr. WAKLEY said be rose to second the motion, but could easily imagine, from the noi:e which prevailed in the house at the time, that the right hon. gentleman did not hear him. (Hear, hear.)  The SPEAKER repeated that he heard no seconder, and that was the impression of honourable members who were near him.  Mr.