HORRIBLE CRUELTY.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 720, 20 September 1870, Page 4

HORRIBLE CRUELTY.

An extraordinary case of sequestration has just been disclosed before the Court of Assizes of the Manche, a man having been kept concealed, chained to a bed, for a period of forty years, by his own father first, and by a brother afterwards. In the year 1830 a farmer named Bcmillaud lived with his wife and four sonsCharles, Jacques, Francois, and Julien — in the commune of Romagny. Julien, who was then twenty-two years of age, had shown some signs of a deranged mind, the result of a fright while walking out at night, and the father, to escape the trouble of guarding the young man, had him chained by the two wrists on a bed, irom which the son was never moved. The result of the captivity was that Jnlien's limV>s became at length completely paralysed from inaction, and he became a perfect idiot. The father died in 1852, having previously shared his fortune between the three other sons, on condition that Charles and Francois should each pay a sum of L2OO annually for the wants of their brother, while Jacques was to boavd and lodge him. The unfortunate man continued chained to his bed until 1864, when, as he could no longer make any movement, the shackles were taken from him, but it was not till the present year that the facts came to the ears of the judicial authorities. ■ A descent was made at the house, and Julien, now over 60 years of age, was found lying almost naked and in a miserable condition on a litter of straw, placed in a dark hole for concealment. Jacques Bouillaud, being arrested, was now brought up for trial, and pleaded in his defence that he had only continued a state of things commenced by his father. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty, and he was set at liberty.