Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Saturday 10 July 1858, page 6


THE TRIAL OF DR. BERNARD.

(FROM THE DISPATCH OF APRIL 25.)

Our latest edition of last week contained

the summing-up of Lord Campbell, and the

verdict on Saturday last.

The prisoner, when the learned Judge had concluded, rose from his seat and advanced to the front of the dock, and said, in a very excited manner, " I declare that the balls given by me to De George, and which were conveyed by him to Brussels, were not the same that were afterwards taken to Paris, I have not produced any evidence upon this point because I am not in the habit of compromising persons. I also declare that I am not a hirer of assassins. Radio, upon his trial in France, declared that I did not induce him to join in the affair and he stated, with his own mouth, that he had himself applied to Orsini to be allowed to join him. The blood of the victims of the 14th of January is not on my heart. AB to conspiring, it is true I have conspired to crush despotism everywhere ; I have done so, and I ever will do so.

The jury then retired at twenty minutes to

3 o'clock.

At 4 o'clock they returned into Court, and their names having been called over, Mr. Clark, the Clerk of Arraigns addressed them, and inquired whether they had agreed upon

their verdict?

The Foreman replied: " We have.

Mr. Clark: "How say you, gentlemen? Is the prisoner at the bar guilty or not guilty?"

The Foreman of the Jury: "We find the prisoner Not Guilty."

The moment the verdict was delivered, there was a tremendous burst of cheering in the Court. The ushers called out " Silence," and did their utmost to repress the disorderly proceeding, but it was of no avail. The

Judges appeared quite amazed at the ebullition

of ffipllntr.

When the cheering had partially subsided the prisoner came in front of the dock, and in an excited manner exclaimed, " That verdict is the expression of the truth. I am not guilty, and that verdict shows that in England there will always be a determination to crush tyranny wherever it may be found." When the prisoner had concluded the cheer-ing KOB renewed.

Mr. Simon said there was another charge of wilful murder against the prisoner, arising out of the same circumstances, and he wished to know what course the Attorney-General proposed to take respecting it.

The Attorney-General sold that as the second charge rested entirely upon the same evidence that had been adduced in support of the present indictment, he did not feel that he ought to proceed with it after the verdict the jury had given in the present case.

The prisoner was then arraigned upon the second indictment, which charged him with the wilful murder of Eugene Regneur, and

he was called upon to plead.

The prisoner at first did not appear to understand the proceedings; but, upon Mr. Sleigh, one of MB counsel, informing him that it was merely a formal matter, he said, "I am not guilty," and he was then given in charge to the jury.

The Lord Chief Justice, addressing the jury, said, that as no evidence was offered by the prosecution, the jury had nothing to do but to say that the prisoner was not guilty.

'The jury accordingly returned a verdict of

not guilty.

The scene during these proceedings was most extraordinary: the cheering in the Court was taken up by the crowd outside, who had been anxiously awaiting the termination of the proceedings, and lasted for several minutes. Every one in the galleries stood up ; the female portion of the audience waved their handkerchiefs, and the male their hats, and there was altogether a scene of excitement rarely, if ever witnessed in a court of justice.

The jury were then discharged, and this concluded the business of the Special Commission. The indictment against the prisoner for misdemeanor will be tried in the Court of Queen's Bench,

On Tuesday, Mr. Edwin James moved in the Court of Queen's Bench for a writ of habeas corpus to bring up Bernard for the purpose of being admitted to bail. After some discussion the writ was made returnable at the rising of the Court, when Bernard appeared and entered into his own re-cognizances of £1,000, and found two sureties in £600 each. The bail were Mr. John Epps, M.D., of Great Russell-street, Bloomsbury, and Mr. Peter Stewart, of Dutton Lodge, near Warrington, Lancashire.

Loan HANDraiDE, one of the Judges of the Court of Sessions, died on Sunday, the 17th April, at his brother-in-law's seat, Kennet House, Clackmannanshire. His death creates a vacancy on the Scottish bench.

A STATUTE of Dr. Isaac Watts is about to be placed in the public park just formed in his native town of Southampton. Mr. Gullresume, the architect, who has laid out the park, has resolved upon paying for the statue by means of a penny subscription amongst the Sunday-school children throughout the kingdom, to whom Watts'' hymns for children

are familiar.