The Sun. — 1834-08-26 (London, England)

THE MATTER OF ABRAHAM BELASCO. Mr. PRENDERGAST applied that the recognizance Tnr: be respited to the next sessions. He had an affidavit Mai notice had been served on the parish. I adMr. ADOLPIIUS, for the prosecution, said that lie mitted notice had been served, but it would not be coosented to ; still, however, he would not oppose the aPP  cation. The Court respited the recognizances to the next sessio!: Mr. ADOLPHUS said the defendant must come into our'  - _ MURDER OF A SUPPOSED WITCH•  In March last, Annette Rumillier, a young viromall'4 years of age, living at Vergnoz, in the Isere, was attack with a nervous complaint, which she attributed to a bege woman, named Modion, nearly 80 years old, who passecil: the village for a witch. Her family and the neighuL°"‘,o were convinced that it was she who had cast a spell 017?„ the young girl. The relations of Annette took her to to; house of Modion several times, but never found her home, she being usually out seeking alms from door._'d door. In a neighbouring hamlet lived Brochet, a repalaei. sorcerer, and to him the family had recourse for the V. ing of Annette. Brochet listened to their tale, and gh°ltie up stairs, uttered, after a loud noise, these Prq-eOO words :—"'Tis an old woman who has cast a spell IT it your daughter. It will be difficult to get rid of it. If were a man, there would be less difficulty, for then it Dugan be made to pass to a cat or a dog ; but as it is a girls it co only be given to another girl:, The next day the sorcecir a went to Rumillier's. He muttered some prayers, diPPe little ivory saint into the water, and directed the fan% to light a large fire the next day, to give to the water, in which the soles of old shoes had been boiled, °id to place a chair near the fire, adding, that whoever slibt first sit down on the chair was the person that had l'e; witched the girl, and that the only means of curing be was to heat that person well, and even give her a beaten These directions were executed the next morning, an" -0 so happened that the widow Modion came in, and sat dow by the fire. Rumillier and his son, obeying the instrl tions of Brochet, seized her and heated her girl sonla well, an finding the patient grew no better, the son kicked her 4:1103 of the house, and beat her severely with a stick. a, poor woman was afterwards found at the bottom of 3 the vine, called the Grande Combe, 25 or 30 feet deep' was taken up, covered with blood, and carried to a neig bouring stable. The next day, her children went to er vey her home, but she expired before she reached it. milliet, his son, and the sorcerer Brochet, were in Co sequence arraigned, a few days ago, before the Cn,r, of Assizes at Grenoble, on the charge of raur'eke ing the widow Modion. Several witnesses Wed to the violence of the beating given to the cleeeasen by Rumillier, junior ; and one deposed to having se of her thrown down the Grande Combe by two men, one a whom was the same prisoner. Other witnesses declarer that they heard the deceased state that the author of the sufferings was the son, Rumillier. In the course of ,the evidence it appeared that the whole village regarded death of this poor creature as a blessing of Providence, ans that the Mayor of Vergnoz so fully believed she Wah. witch, that he refused to make minutes of her violent dcatio Against Rumillier senior no charge was established. Ihe son, in his recital of the affair, evidently showed that,. Il acted under the influence of brotherly affection, and in 1%. persuasion of his sister being bewitched by the decelehie Brochet betrayed also deep conviction of the efficacy the curative means, and pretended that he only prescribed hatto and prayers. The counsel for the prisoners argued murder had not been proved, and called upon the Court. 0, give to that part of the country the blessings of edueat:°o and not the severity of a sentence. The Jury broughtfor verdict of Not Guilty in favour of Rumillier senior, 43" co Guilty of wounds and bruises only against the other tsta prisoners, upon which Rumillier junior was sentenced two years', and Brochet- to 13 months' imprisonment' French Paper. that to