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Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1671, 28 June 1879, Page 3

An extraordinary trial has juet taken place at Antwerp. Tn November last an aged widow named Yan Roy was found murdered, the room showing traces of a violent struggle. Her grandson, John Retain, twenty years of age, was found in an adjoining room, gagged, and bound with a rope. He stated that two men had entered the room while bis grandmother had gone to look for some linen, that they garotfcod him, and that he fainted and heard nothing of what passed elsewhere. The theory of the prosecution was that ho murdered his grandmother to inherit her properly, and that ho tied himself. Spots of blood were found on his clothes, such as would have been made by lying upon the victim and suffocating her, corresponding spots being found on her. But there were no spots on his overcoat, which, it was argued, ho must have put on after committing the murder, and before tying himself. His character was bad, moreover, and ho was alleged to have expressed a wish for his grandmother’s death. There was much dispute as to whether he could have bound himself, but no particular attention was paid at the time to the way in which he was tied. The jury, by eight to four, after hearing 200 witnesses, acquitted the prisoner. Two large bombs are reported to have been thrown into the Church of San Antonio at Seville, with the object, it is supposed, of creating a panic, during which the perpetrators might bo able to steal some of the valuable sacramental plate belonging to the church. Several persons were hurt by the explosion of the bombs. At the impending Spanish elections a partial trial will be made of] Mr Hare’s scheme for the representation of minorities. Any candidate receiving an aggregate of not loss than 10.000 votes in two or more constituencies, without obtaining a majority in any of them, will bo declared elected, but the number of such members is limited to ten.

The Boy of Tunis has presided at a banquet given on the opening of the first portion of the lino which is to ioin the Algerian net* work. Ho had the French consul on his right and the chairman of the company, M. Gory, on his left. He complimented the engineers and said he attached the more value to this French undertaking, inasmuch as it was destined to tighten the bonds between Tunis and France