FRENCH BARONESS CHARGED WITH CHILD STEALING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6099, 4 June 1881, Page 7

FRENCH BARONESS CHARGED WITH CHILD STEALING.

A cxmious'trial at the : Court of Assizes at Paris is concluded. The accused, who is 39' years of'age, was a person calling Herself Baronne de Livcrniere nee de Gravas, of" stylish'appearaince. She was accused of baby stealing and false declaration. In 1576 she was condemned, under the name of Martin, to a year's imprisonment for obtaining goods under false pretences, and':-while in prison "made the acquaintance of i certain Madame Bonton, who had been sent there for selling indecent photographs.-andrwho.-waß capti-. vated by her-grand airs. On leaving' St. Lazare the accused went to stay with Madame Bonton, and while there formed the scheme of marrying Madam Bonton's son, a boy of 17 years of age," with whom, however, "she set up house without marriage, Madame Bonton not being well-disposed towards her guest's project. The accused did not abandon- the idea, and soon simulated pregnancy, followed by a pretended confinement at a concierge's lodge and the actual "production"of a newlyborn_ infant to a happy father. She had obtained the child through the agency of an attendant at a lying-in hospital from one of the patients, who, however, was sufficiently interested in her offspring to wish to have news of it from its adopter. The accused having got possession of the child, did herself up to look pale and weak, and so returned home and went to bed. The district doctor called, the child was registered, young Bonton discovered an extraordinary resemblance of the child to his mother, Madame Bonton, who was duly informed of it. He agreed to. change his name to M; de Gravas, and set up a "a comfortable home for aged gentlemen," and proceeded quietly except that the child died.' The infant's mother, meanwhile, not having received the promised news, - communicated with the' police, and on the accused at length writing, to her announcing the death of the child, the police were able to discover her whereabouts .and arrest her. She .was also accused :ol stealing another child in a similar way,, giving herself out as a midwife, who was charged by a Husband to find a baby to place by the side of his wife, who was certain to be confined with a still-born child. What had become of this child has not been discovered. Tiie accused stated that she was a dramatic author, had written books, and taught English. She declined to state her origin and antecedents in order to save the honour of her family. Her husband, she said, was dead; but she had three children,one of whom was 15 years of age. At this part of the interrogatory she much affected the audience by shedding abundant tears and sobbing. Her children were in France, at her father-in-law's. In 1860 .she went to London, and on her.return she had considered herself unworthy to see "them. The jury found her guilty, with extenuating circumstances, and sho was sentenced to six years' penal servitude and ten years' police supervision,