know this gentleman; I should not be at liberty here; I shall not engage the

room."

The President.-Might not this old lady be a woman who kept your child? Castaing. No, sir; Auguste knew very well that my child was at Montmorency, whence I had no intention of bringing it.

The evidence being closed, M. Persil, advocate of Madame Martignon, addressed the court, and went over all the circumstances which tended to prove the guilt of Castaing. He admitted that there might be doubts as to the poisoning of Hippolyte, were it not for the dreadful light thrown upon it by the fate of Auguste, whose death by poison appeared to him incontestibly demonstrated. He wished rather to act on the reason than the passions. A different course was followed by M. de Broe, the king's advocate, who, after a full exposé of all the proofs of guilt, added

"You have now before you this fearful cause. Need much be said to recommend it to the friends of social order? Where is the man who does not shudder at the idea of poisoning, a crime which unites the horror of homicide to the infamy of meanness? Where is the generous heart, which, having tasted the sweets of friendship, does not feel a just indignation at the spectacle of friendship basely and cruelly betrayed? What religious man would not groan at the spectacle of immorality leading to crime, and hy pocrisy giving birth to sacrilege and profanation? What citizen, in short, what father of a family, would not tremble at the idea, that a physician, a man initiated by his profession into the secrets of human nature, should abuse a protecting science, to introduce into the interior of families, instead of his claims to a necessary confidence, the frightful calculations of a

shameful avarice; instead of the for the preservation of life, tubl duce death-death in all its boro death coolly combined in its :and surprising the victim withare. T traying the murderer.

"It has been enough, gentle unroll before you this dismal pi You have felt how much it in social order; you will not give poisoner the rich spoils which bes to claim, holding in each hand the 0: of a friend. You will not give ta a brevet of encouragement and nity. Society has raised a cry c sternation and alarm; society a avenged."

Roussel, the advocate of Ca began in the following manner

"A man dies in the flower d age; he has been struck by a foreseen accident. A voice rise cries, that this man has been peis a thousand voices repeat it. A sand circumstances add to the bu of the crime. It is a physician, has abused his noble profession; tr a friend, who has made death o the veins of his friend; it is as loaded with benefits, who, imped a base avarice, has caused the deat his benefactor. These conjectu sprung from curiosity, propagated malevolence, indiscreetly spread public report, swell and are agg ted in passing from mouth to mo It is amid these general preposses that the inquiry is begun, pursued, a finished. The whole life of the accu is interrogated-his family, his stada his most intimate relations; but investigation, being conducted by p judice, could not lead to truth; public opinion, led astray by f lights, shares the error into which tice was for a moment drawn."

The advocate proposed to co himself to the death of Auguste. the rest was mere presumption supposition, destined to pave the

e belief of this horrible and imble crime. He undertook chiefly ove the three following proposi

The disease of Auguste presented toms different from those which served in case of poisoning even vegetable substances. The poison was not found. The examination of the body exs every idea of poison. these subjects, the advocate went extensive details, through which innot follow him. The purchase ison to destroy the cats which rbed Auguste, appeared to him a natural freak of a hasty young who, in a moment of impatience, it readily call on his friend to dishis medical skill, by ridding him hese tormentors. The minutest culars had been distorted and mispreted, so as to overwhelm his illI client. Such was the demand of batement on the price of the drug. was this like a man who had in the obtaining a fortune of from en to twenty thousand francs aBesides, it drew attention more n him, which it would have been policy to avoid. Among the cirstances which had most heightened prejudice against him, were the vaions in his own testimony. Yet ht not these be the result of the m inspired by his distressing situon? They had been adopted on the ice of Goupil, who, there was reato suspect, had been placed beside n for a sinister purpose, and with a w of drawing from him these misiced and fatal confidences.

The advocate terminated by invong the white hairs of the aged father the panel, on whose breast was the coration of honour, and who prosted that his son was not capable of le crime of which he was accused. Shall I speak," added he, " of his nhappy mother, and of that cruel

word, which has been so much used against her unfortunate son? She said horrors of him." Ah! could this ever be true of a mother? They have interpreted too severely this passage, in a letter of reproach, written in a moment of quarrel by the person to whom he was intimately united. The horrors of which she speaks were doubtless the fear that he would be faithless to her, and would abandon her. It is evidently to grievances of this nature that she makes allusion.

"An appeal has been made to your sensibility. Be not deceived; the interest of society can never require anything but the maintenance of the rules established for its own preservation. Allow not yourselves to be carried away by this representation of society in alarm. To avoid the two rocks between which it has been attempted to place you, there is a sure path-there is a virtue which has no excess-it is the love of truth. Moved by this love, I have presented to you whatever could disprove the accusation against Castaing, and to this love of truth I recommend the accuser and the accused."

The jury, after retiring two hours and a half, brought in their sentence, acquitting Castaing as to the poisoning of Hippolyte Ballet, declaring him guilty of the abstraction of the will; and, by a majority of seven to five, Guilty of the poisoning of Auguste Ballet.

The court, after ten minutes deliberation, unanimously adhered to the sentence of the jury.

Castaing, on being introduced and informed of the sentence, fell at first senseless on the bench; afterwards, starting up, he gave vent to a series of incoherent exclamations and protestations of innocence. His advocate, Roussel, at length succeeded in calming him.

An hour after, the court pronounced their sentence-Death, and the pay.

ment of 100,000 francs to the family of Ballet.

Castaing made an appeal to what is called the court of cassation; but it was rejected.

from my former studies, it was easy to know poisoning at the end of a month, and not impossible even at the end of a longer period, particularly if mine ral substances had been employed; and that with precautions, the opera tion could be performed without dan ger. I went, the day after this con

POISONING HER HUSBAND.

Paris Court of Assize, December.

M. Boursier was an extensive grocer, who was so fortunate in business, as to be on the point of retiring, with an income of 15,000 livres (upwards of 6001.) a-year. His wife had been particularly active in the management of the shop. They had five children, and appeared very happy together for some time; however, a Greek of the name of Kostolo, of humble rank, had become a frequent visitor; and Madame Boursier, after strongly denying, was obliged to admit, that she had formed a criminal intimacy with this person; and that very soon after the death of her husband, she had favourably received proposals of marriage from him. There were circumstances about the death of Boursier, which gave rise to the suspicion of poison; and his wife declined, on grounds of inconvenience, to have the body opened. Suspicions increasing, about a month after the prosecution was commenced. The following are the most important heads of evidence :M. Orfila, professor in the faculty of medicine. I was sent for, on the 30th July, by M. Demoutiers, juge d'instruction, who put to me the following questions. 1. Is it possible to know, after a month's interment, that an individual has been poisoned? 2. In case this possibility should exist, would there be any danger in performing the operation?

I replied to the first question, that

Chaise, at seven in the morning. The body was drawn from the coffin. Al ter the identity had been established, it was placed on a table. I perceived that putrefaction had reached an extreme point over the whole surface; and thought it necessary to employ liquid, which might neutralize the bad smell, and make it disappear. As soon as this liquid was employed, the smell dispersed as by enchantment, and we proceeded to the opening of the body. The greatest care was taken. I said before, that the exterior surface was entirely putrified. It was not so with the interior; the intesti nal canal and the stomach, were, on the contrary, very well preserved, and, in a manner, untouched; we could then easily discover the alterations. We found, at the first inspection, nothing remarkable, not having the instruments necessary to examine the substances contained in the stomach. I applied two ligatures, the one to the upper, the other to the lower part of the digestive canal, and the whole ca. nal was thus carried to the school of medicine.

We discovered that there were in the stomach red spots, which evidently announced an inflammation. We found, at last, in the intestines, white oxide of arsenic, commonly called the arsenic of commerce; but not in so great quantity as is said in the act of accusation. These grains were mingled with little balls of a fat mat ter, which were taken, at first, for arsenic, but were not arsenic. The following means were taken to ascertain

he President. The physicians attended the patient, appeared to be it to a rupture of the vessels.

Orfila. I affirm that there was upture of the vessels, and that we not find even any trace of bleed. which was very remarkable.

. Do you consider the death as sed by the arsenic ?

4. Orfila. To affirm it, I would aire to know all the symptoms of malady; but, I repeat it, the ar. ic was in quantity sufficient to cause th. Ors Gerdy, Lemeur, and Barruel, oned to the same effect. Josephine Blin, servant of M. and adame Boursier, is introduced. This expresses herself with extreme voility.

The President.-What passed in morning of the 28th June ? Josephine.—I rose as usual, and my ster too; Madame, who had taken emetic in the evening, was still in at eight in the morning. My mas. seeing that she did not rise, took ttle brush, and amused himself with cking the cheeks of Madame. He k a mirror, and said to me, take à mirror to Madame, and let her how pretty she is. I waked Mane, and said to her, presenting the ror, mon Dieu! what is the matter h you? Madame was angry, but id not last long; she and my masembraced, and were reconciled. My master gave me soap, because

we were this day to have a great washing; and began arranging bottles in his shop on the other side of the counter, while waiting for breakfast. Then I came to tell him that his rice was served. Four or five minutes after, he came into the hall, and ate. He called me in a moment after, and said, oh! mon Dieu, how bad the rice is! I said to him, sir, it is very good; he ate again, and said, how bad it is! Then he was taken ill. My mistress came to give him aid; she looked if the pan was clean, and went to throw the remains of the rice into a platter under the well; after that, she recommended me to clean the inside with ashes and sand. During the time my mistress went to seek a glass of sugared water, into which some spirit of wine had been put by mistake. Monsieur vomited much, and his illness became worse. Physicians were sent for, and he died in the night between Sunday and Monday.

The President.-Madame Boursier, you pretend that your husband, while breakfast was preparing, remained in the shop opposite to you?

Madame Boursier.-Yes, sir.

The President.-According to the deposition of the witness, he was not in the counting-room, but at the other end of the shop, employed in arranging bottles. Thus you might, without being perceived, have penetrated into the breakfasting room.

M. Couture. That would be impossible, according to the plan which I have got made of the localities, and which will be immediately shewn to the court.

The servant answers to diverse exa. minations, that, according to custom, she took out of the rice which was in the pan, two portions, one for her own breakfast, the other for the breakfast of a child. She did not see Boursier eat his rice, but she was the first on whom he called to complain of it;

but she answered him only from the entrance of the kitchen.

Madame Boursier persists in maintaining that she did not give orders to Scour the pan with sand and ashes. She adds, that counsellor Sylvester interrogated at her house the girl Blin before five persons, and that the girl said the contrary.

The President. You are mistaken -it was not counsellor Sylvester who visited the places; besides, you speak of a fact which is not in the precognition, and which nothing can fix.

The following examination of Kos. tolo, seems very characteristic of French judicial proceedings.

Q. How much money did Madame Boursier lend you?

A. 650 to 680 francs; nearly 700 francs.

Madame Boursier. I gave, at most, 350 ranks.

Kostolo.-(Coolly.)-You are mistaken, madam; you gave me 200 francs at one time, and 150 francs at another; but at other times, you sent me sums amounting, in all, to nearly 700 francs. I declare the truth.

Q. Did not you ask Madame Boursier, if she would have a husband like you.

A. You must feel that, on these occasions, one says all sorts of things. I spoke as it were for the sake of speaking. I did not love this woman; I had no thought at all of marrying her.

Q. What did she answer?

A. She said she durst not—that the law forbade it before a year; we said all this in jest ; you know well, that on these occasions, a woman never says at once, yes.

Q. You passed the Sunday night with the patient, and gave him drink? A. No, sir, Madame gave him to drink?

Madame Boursier. It was you that gave him to drink.

Kostolo.-How could that be The sible, madam? No; it was youMETS, Madame Boursier.-I prepared lime and orange water, and you him to drink.

Kostolo. That is possible.

Q. Did you not communicates Mr Toupie, a young medical studen who watched with you, some sa cions that Boursier might have be poisoned?

A. I remarked that the nails blue-that he had white spots are i body. I remembered having seent same thing on the body of Prince limachi, when he was poisoned in country.

Q. Did you not say also to dame Boursier, that you dreamt husband had died of poison?

A. I do not recollect such a drem Madame Boursier.-Kostolo spir to me of this dream that very evening He said, that during the night he had been tormented with a painful idea he saw my husband die poisoned, horrible sufferings.

Kostolo.-I do not recollect the Q. Had you culpable connection with Madame Boursier, in the chan ber of her husband, fifteen days after his death?

A. Yes, sir.

Madame Boursier.-I deny it. The President.-You confessed a in the precognition.

Madame Boursier.-I did not m derstand; I say the truth now.

Q. You admitted, Kostolo, that you made proposals of marriage w this woman?

A. Never in my life did I think marrying a woman with five children: a woman whom I did not at all low (Movement of indignation in the pub lic;-they said, in an under tonehappily he is not a Frenchman.)

The President.-What! you made protestations of attachment-yourceived money from her?

Kostolo.-Good!