The Sun. — 1842-06-22 (London, England)

FRANCE. At the sitting of the Court of Assizes for the Vosges, held at Epinal, on the 9th inst., a shepherd, who was known by the name of Jacob Mayer, was tried for robbery, attended with an attempt to murder, under the following circumstances :—On March 15, Francoise, the wife of a wooden-shoemaker, named Corniot, living at Midrevaux, set out alone early in the morning to walk to Neufchateau, to make some purchase. As she passed along she was observed by .Mayer, who was keeping his sheep near the road, and, Judging from her appearance that she was richer than she really was, determined to waylay her on her return. Between four and five in the afternoon he saw her coming back, and immediately, and without addressing a word to her, gave her a violent blow on her head with his crook, and knocked her down, continug to beat her, not only with the same weapon, but also with large stones picked from the road, and, finding that he had not yet killed her, he stamped upon her chest with his iron shod shoes. aving thus reduced her to a state of insensibility, he dragged her off the road to a retired spot, took from her person all the money and other articles of any value she had about her, and left her, believing her to be dead. Night coming on without her re-appearance-at home, her family became alarmed, and went out in search of her. At eleven o'clock they found her lying where Mayer had left her, covered with gore -- her head, her hands, her arms, and her whole person exhibiting the effects of the violent treatment she had received, and the struggles she had made in her own defence. Still she breathed, and was carried home. With great skill and care she was restored to her senses, and, after a time, was able to relate all the circumstances above I related, giving an accurate description of her assailant. Two shepherds were arrested and brought into her presence ; she recognised Mayer, who was detained, and the other man released. On further examination, the blouse ofMayer exhibited stains of blood, and also spots from some syrup of gum, evidently from a bottle of that liquid, which Francoise Corniot had brought with her from Neechateau, and was broken in the conflict. Fragments of the bottle were found on the spot, and also marks of the liquid were perceptible on some ofthe stones used by the assassin to consummate his crime, and, particularly on one he had placed on her cap, which had come off in the struggle, to prevent its being blown back to the road, and thereby betray the spot to which he had dragged the body. It was also observed that the iron of his crook had been newly filed, either to take out some notches made by his desperate use of it, or to obliterate the traces of blood. All these concurring circum stances, added to the depositions of Francoise Corniot, were so damning, that Mayer, at length, confessed his crime, and point( d out the place where he had concealed the money of which he had robbed her. • This confession, he repeated at his trial ; Francoise Corniot also appeared as- a witness against him, being sufficiently recovered to go into Court, but still in a state to convince all who saw her that her health was ruined for ever, and probably her life shortened. Yet, such was the stolidity of Mayer, that he did not show the slightest sign of remorse on seeing the lamentable condition to which he had reduced her. The jury pronounced him guilty, but added that there were extenuating circumstances, and consequently the Court could only sentence him to hard labour for life at the hulks. lie received his 'udgment with the same insensibility he had displayed throughout.