the wealth left by his father, a rich Paris notary, to him and a younger brother, Hippolyte, who had died towards the close of the preceding year; the other was Edme-Samuel Castaing, a doctor of medicine, twenty-seven years of age, the senior of his companion by two years.
Castaing came of a family enjoying a good position in the world, but by no means rich. The modest income of the father permitted him, indeed, to give to his son a liberal education, but he could afford him only a small allowance during the first unfruitful years of the profession which was selected. But Castaing had abilities and application; at college, at Angers, he had distinguished himself by these qualities, and had been held up to others as an example of good conduct. At Paris, too, all went well at first; the young student attended his lectures punctually, and during the first two years successfully passed several examinations.
But his assiduity soon gave way before a stronger passion; when twenty-two he had formed an attachment to a widow, to whom he had been professionally called—an attachment which, though guilty, was shown to be deep, lasting, and sincere. The birth of a child rendered the union more close, but Castaing listened to the remonstrances of his parents; he resumed his studies, and at length took his doctor's degree. Whether his application were due to a love of science, or the result of the promptings of an ambitious nature, which told him that fortune could only be acquired by rising high in his profession, he had set before himself a wide course of study. Physiology, anatomy, botany, and chemistry had engaged, as his papers proved, his laborious attention; but, with the suspicions that were hanging over him, it was remarked, with a shudder, that he had deeply studied the effects of different poisons; he had carefully divided them according to their action, and remarked that, unlike mineral poisons, which destroy the tissue with which they come in contact, the action of certain vegetable poisons "is extended over an entire organ, without the possibility of our finding a trace of disorganisation." He had assured himself that there were deadly drugs which act in the same manner, and leave behind them the same symptoms, as certain diseases. Had he acquired these terrible secrets of science with the intention of putting them in practice?
A time came when, through his own fault, he was in a position which gave to the possession of these secrets an awful power of temptation, for, out of his small allowance and his slender earnings, Castaing had to support as well aa his own child, its mother, to whom he was deeply attached, and three children, the issue of her marriage. Into such distress had he fallen, that he had been compelled to postpone for a while taking his degree, till he could induce a creditor for a trifling sum to abandon proceedings commenced against him. This poverty had continued till June, 1822; in October, four mouths later, he was in possession of considerable capital; he had lent 30,000 francs to his mother, and had invested 70,000 francs in the funds. Whence had come this sudden wealth? It was at this point that investigation was turned towards Castaing's connection with the Ballets.
The fortune of the rich notary had, on his death, been divided between his two sons, Augusta and Hippolyte, and their half-sister. Acquaintance with two wealthy young men was not distasteful to Castaing, who, in time, acquired a great ascendancy over Hippolyte, a young man of delicate constitution, to whom, as a consequence, the friendly advice of a doctor was acceptable. A coolness existed between Hippolyte and Auguste, who viewed with dislike his brother's reckless and expensive ways. Matters were in this position when Hippolyte was taken ill. After a few days illness, he died on the 22nd October, 1822. Castaing alone had attended him, refusing admission to all friends. Death having taken place he sent the servant to the relatives to acquaint them with the fact; he himself remained alone in the house, and completely master of it for two hours.
It was shown that Hippolyte had declared to several friends that, displeased with his brother's wild life, he had made a will, by which, instead of leaving to him his property, he had bequeathed it to his half-sister: among other witnesses to this, was Lebret, formerly head-clerk to the father, who was still consulted on business matters by the young men. No will could, however, be found; immediately after Hippolyte's death Castaing had taken possession of it, and before many hours had passed Auguste Ballet had allowed himself to be entrapped into an infamous bargain, which placed him at Castaing's mercy. As far as could be learned from subsequent confessions of Auguste, what passed between them was this:—
On the arrival of Auguste, upon the summons sent to him by Castaing, the latter informed him that he had discovered a will in Hippolyte's desk; that this document bequeathed all the property to the half-sister, and that friendship had therefore led him to take possession of it. The wretched weak young man, whom Castaing had brought to regard his half-sister with jealousy and