The National Register. — 1815-05-28 (London, England)

TRAGICAL CATASTROPHE.  COUNCIL OF WAR.  PA pig, MAY 19 1815 —The deliberations on the attar of Captain Serres de St. Claire were continued this day, and terminated by a catastrophe which the numerous slier-aims were far from expecting. The President opened the sitting by addressing sonic reflections to the accused, on the improbability of his declarations; afterwards the Recorder expressing how painful was the task which he had to per form, en.ered firmly into an examination of the charges laid to the account of the accused. He skilfully seized eve'y suspicion, indication. comparing ail presumptive evidence, and con( !tided that the accused was guilty of the homicide committee on the courtesan Kersemaker, otherwise called the hand ,sme Dutch girl, and that he had committed it wilfully and with premeditation. Mr. Bet ryer, Jun immediately commenced his defence with a degree of emotion, which seemed equally to affect the soul of his client. Relying on this principle, that every crime must have a motive, he enquired whA ady.sn. age the accused.could derive from the death of Kessemaker. Was it hatred, reveace, or jealousy ? But how could those passions animate St Claire, against a woman whom he only saw for the second time? Vas it cupidity, but wha+ could he take from a person in the situation of the hAnd. some Dutch girl ? St. Claire 11.:d experienced. was true, considerable losses at play, but those losses had been core td by several receipts. No, gentlemen, added his advocate, you cannot assign ant, reastnable motive to this host. c;de. Even theifirst judges themselves could not alledge fss. From thence, Mr. Bert yer considered the question of remeditation, and most satisfactorily proved, that i• could not exist in the accused, even supposing he had been guilty. It is true, that it was proved in the first trial that Si. ('fat e had not remained more than twenty minutes with Kersetua::er that it was by chance he had met her in the Palais Royal. and that in the whole course of the day, which preceded the crime, he had made no preparatit ns ; besides. if hr. hail the intention of killing her, would he not have selected acother weapon, than a very small knife ? In this part of the defence the advocate seemed to us triumphant, but he was not so successful' in that which followed; he should have destroyed that series of presumptions, that chain of circumstances, .vhich had struck t onviction into the first judges, and which the Recorder had just revived. Mr. Iltrryer dividing, in otder t weaken. endeavoured to destroy the one, and to extenuate t' rotbers. but in general with more art, than effect. As last, ad ic,s!og the Council, he said : " You will now enter, t;entlein, , he chamber of your deliberations; St Claire hiii self, fir Irons dreading your verdict, calls you there; you will see whether it is possible that a French officer, educated among camp., raised by his courage to a distinguished rank. and associated top legion of Knights, whose device is honor, should have been guilty of sn horrible a crime." Ele then •aflded with an agitated accent,which came from the heart. • as to you, Bt. Claire, you base told me, even to the last moment,  1 i I P P t {