The Sun. — 1858-11-24 (London, England)

STRANGE STORY.  An account, it may be remembered, was given in September of a very curious affair having occurred at Calais. A young man of gentlemanly appearance arrived in that town to embark for England, but being prevented doing so by want of a passport, spent several days in the place under the surveillance of the police. He then obtained permission to go into an excursion steamer to Ramsgate on promise of returning in the evening, and, as there was a good deal of mystery about him, a police-officer was, unknown to him, charged to watch over him. During his absence at Ramsgate orders arrived from Paris by telegraph to arrest him on the charge of having attempted to commit a murder and robbery in the department of the Seine-et-Marne, and the moment he landed he was arrested. Having been conveyed to the office of the commissary of police, he jumped through a window, took to flight, and attempted to commit suicide by leaping into one of the docks, but was rescued when half-drowned. This man, whose name is Pesty, was afterwards given up to the authorities of the Sieneet-Marne, and the day before yesterday he was brought to trial before the Court of Assizes of the department on the charge of attempted murder and robbery. The case excited great interest. The prisoner, who seemed much affected, said, in answer to questions put to him, that he was 24 years of age, and a farmer of Beaune-la-Rollande, in the Loiret. The following singular facts were then stated :—A shepherd, named Masson, was in the evening of the Ist Sept. last driving a flock of 250 sheep from Bransles to a place beyond Nemours. At some elistancefrom the latter town he was overtaken by a man in a light cart, who, putting his horse into a walk, expressed admiration of his flock and got into conversation with him. Having ascertained the direction which he was going, the stranger drove on to Nemours, andafter the shepherdhad reaehed that town again overtook him in his cart, and descending from the vehicle began chatting with him. After a while, on passing through a wood, he suddenly drew a double-barrelled pistol from his pocket and discharged it at the shepherd, wounding him in the head with the ball of one barrel, and in the neck with that of the other, after which he beat him about the head with the butt-end of the pistol. The shepherd fell bathed in blood, and his assailant thinking he was dead dragged him into the wood. The man then examinedthe shepherd, as if to make sure that he was dead, fired his pistol again at him, wounded him again, and left him. The shepherd remained senseless some time, and when he recovered he found his flock had disappecred, that his dog was by his side lickinghis wounds. lie managed to get to the nearest farmhouse, stated what had occurred, and had his wounds dressed. The gendarmes immediately made a search after the assailant, and had little difficulty in finding whip he was. They learned that a man whose appearance corresponded exactly with the description which the shepherd gave of him, had, a few hours after the attempted murder, arrived at a place called Chateau-Landon with a flock of 250 sheep, and had there placed them under the care of one Lejeune, shepherd to Pesty, jun., of Beaune-la-Rollande, who was driving a flock of 100 sheep from Bransles for his master. This Lejeune was found at Beaune-la-Rollande with the 250 sheep, and he stated that it was his master himself, young Pesty, who had confided them to him. He aided that Pesty, on arriving at the village, had joined him, and remarked—" I shall get into trouble about those 250 sheep ; they are stolen, and the shepherd who was driving them has been murdered !" Lejeune further stated that Pesty made a similar statement to his (Pesty's) father, on which the latter, with great emotion, cried out, " If it be you who have committed the crime, the best thing you can do is to kill yourself!" On that young Pesty at once took to flight, and was no more heard of by his own people until after his arrest at Calais. The shepherd recovered from his wounds, and his recovery was mainly owing to the dog having licked them. After that incident Pesty was confronted with Masson, and the latter distinctly recognised him. Pesty himself, after some vain denials, admitted his guilt, and also that he had deliberately premeditated the murder of the shepherd. This man was, of course, the principal witness against him, and he created some sensation after giving his evidence by remarking, "It is a sad thing to say that a fellowcreature attempted to take away my life, and that a poor dog was the principal means of saving me !" Pesty's crime, it was stated to the court, is perfectly inexplicable, inasmuch as he is the son of a most respectable man of good property, was in comfortable circumstances himself at the time the crime was perpetrated, married to a charming young woman of 19 years of age, is the father of a child still in the cradle, and had received a good education. It appears, however, that last year he was tried for stealing 19 sheep, but was acquitted. The jury declared the man guilty with extenuating circumstances, and the Court condemned him to hard labour for life, also to pay 6,000 f. damages to the shepherd.—Galignani.