A CURIOUS CASE.

Thames Star, Volume IIII, Issue 1766, 31 August 1874, Page 3

A CURIOUS CASE.

A trial for attempted murder, which has caused some sensation in tho department of the Saone-ct-Loire, has just taken place ,' at Chalon, arising out of the following circumsknees:•—The chateau.of Senozan,in that department, wa» recently occupied by v four persoixs, M. Lacroix, a septagerian.'.h's wife and son, a retired advocate of Lyons, and lastly, Mdle. Despeyrons, granddaughter and niece respectively of the before-namedi This young lady, -vrlio is twenty-one years of ago, is the daughter of the directpr^f the Observatory at Toulouse, and has been sent by her father to Sjeflfean to cure her of a passion for the sonW neighbour, M.Paulßonnebaight, who^d asked for her in marriage, but whose offer had not been accepted by h<>r friends. Mdle. Despeyrons had been reaiding with her grandfather for sonle • months ; and her friends had every reason -to suppose that her affair hnd been forgot-, ten, when one day the young man suddenly presented himself at the chateau, obtained access to ker, and in an mterview endeavoured to persuade her to dispense with her father's consent to their marriage, as she was of age. On her objecting that'she had promised to break with him, he said, *'Have you forgotten the four years.at Toulouse during which ' we were so happy, living only forjeach other," unknown to our parents? At this moment M. Lacroix, jun., who had been absent shooting, returned to the house, and finding M. Bonnebaight with his neice, reproached him for coming their, to destroy her peace of mind. An altercation arose between the men, and the. uncle, losing all control over himself, discharged his gun at the other, the charge of which carried away the jaw and lower part of the unfortunate young man's face. M. Lacroix was arrested, and justice having taking the affair in hand, found it necessary to dive a little into the history of the two lovers. Letters which had passed between them were seized, and were found to contain passages of such an amatcry nature and so crude in their details that tho judge thought it necessary to order the trial to take place with closed doors, which act an interdiction to publish the evidence given. Mdlle Despeyrons is, however, said to have .shown great firmness under the examination, answering the most intimate questions without any feature in her face betraying the least emotion. The young man was quite painful to see, he was so frightfully disfigured. A. portion of his lower jaw was, in fact, lyitfg; on the table among the other pieces> a cbnyictiori. The trial lasted four /• days, and ended in the acquittal of M. Lacroix on tne criminal charge, but the court ordered him to pay Mr. Bonnebaight ft'sum of money down and £100 per annum.