The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — 1825-02-28 (London, England)

VINCENNES. TRIAL OF LOUIS AUGUSTUS PAPAVOINE. This man, it will be in the recollection of our readers, stands charged with having murdered two children who were walking with their mother near Vincennes. On Thursday his trial came on before the Court of Assize at Paris. The curiosity of the public, which has long been excited by *mi. des in the journals, had attracted spectaup of all ranks to the Court, so that all the places open to the pdblic without tickets were filled by seven o'clock in the mottling. Some deputies arrived long before the Magistrates had taken their Ruts. The ladies filled the benches appointed for great judicial solemnities. The entrance of Papavoine caused a great sensation, which did not disconcert him. He looked at the assembly without timidity, I a ithnot arrogance, and without betraying the smallest emotion. His /oohs turned for e moment towards the bureau of the Court in which were the cnaanguined clothes of his victims. His counteranee did net change; twelve gendarmes were placed round him. He was Messed in a black coat ; his appearance indicate% nothing extraordinary: He is of a middle beignt, his face pale, his look firm. When he is interrogated, he speaas with extreme volubility; his voice is stammering and hurried ; his physiognomy, though not wicked, has in it something melancholy and gloomy. When the clerk read the indictment, at those passages which described the circumstances of the crime, the spectators turned towards the prisoner to see if they could discover any change in his features. but he appeared perfectly indifferent. The names of the witnesses were called over to the amount of firty.four. A table was covered with the ensinguined garments of the two innocent children, with the great coat which Papavoine had on on the 10th of October, and on which there is a patch of blood ; there was alto his hat on which was a visible mark of an umbrella, and the two table knives found at his house. The knife he bought at Vincennes, which cut off the unhappy victims heads, has not been found. The answers of the prisoner to the interrogatories of the President were all affirmative of his being deranged at the time ; that it was quite by chance he went to the wood, and that he would aillingly redeem the lives of the children with his own blood. Ile did not pretend to account for his being sometimes deranged Ana sometimes havinglucid intervals. Ile left that to the physicians. He also denied what he, had before asserted relative to his intention to murder the Dauphinesa. Seventeen witnesses were heard, his neighbours and old friend., who bore testimony to his tenderness and humanity in general, but especially towards children ; but that he was occasionally gloomy, restless, and irritable—shunning the society of mankind, especially women. Two uncles of the murdered children were called, but proved no material fact. Mademoiselle Malremet, 82 years of age, was called. She der posed to having met Mt children and their mother on the day in question, and of having embraced the former. She had previously seen a man following her, who then catne up, and asked who the children were. To which she said site did not know; and that was Lll she knew of the affair. Papavoine did not contradict any of the facts deposed to by the last witness, but persisted that he could not account for it himself, and that he couLl cot have been in his right mind.  -------