The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-12-12 00:00:00

A SHORT WAY WITH HUSBANDS!

A series of crimes has just been brought to light at Mar-
seilles which recalls Ilw old stories Id nunifieval Italy and the
Aqua Tofana, an.l in which the widows Ville, Salvage, and
Gabriel are accused of havieg, poisoned their husbands.
Marie Magdeleine Florence liaptistlue Olive t'olombe Dye,
eclair, Gabriers mother, Paliorye Louis Flay 01. her cols-in,
Fanny Laniberte, a fortunc-tellcr, mid Joye, a seller if holm,
stand at site bar as accomplices. Tile trials reveal a won-
derful state of morality, as the fidlowing outline will
show:—

About the 20th of August in the present year a
flower-girl named Ansi:H.llle Jourdan whilst selling
her bouquets in the Cours saint Louis was accosted by
a strauee woman, who inquired for another bouquet-
seller named Illiette Marine. When it was found
that Miette was not in her accustomed place the
woman gate Angefflipie a message for her which was
to the effect that Miette was to look to herself, as her
husband had a mistress who longed to get rid of her
and intended shortly to do so : moreover, that this
mistress had already disposed of her own husband with
the assistance of a man named Joye. In order to
convince herself of the truth of all this, Aliette was
to go' accompanied by two witnesses, to Joye's shop
and ask for poison to kill Marina The herbalist
would readily accede to her request if she offered
money enough, and then Miette was to declare who
she was and accuse Joye of his infamous intentions
in regard to herself. This startling announce-
ment was duly communicated by Angelique Jour-
(lan to Miette Marino, and the girl in turn recounted it
to her husband. This man, l3arthelletny Marino, a
journeyman mason, recognises in the woman who had
addressed Jourdan one Copello, ordinarily known as
Fanny Lamberte, a fortune-teller and notorious bad
character. Joys had been resident in Marseilles ohly
for a few months. He was a man of about forty-six
years of age, and had lately been released from
imprisonment at Toulon. At first he took up his
quarters in a chamber in the Rue St. Antoine, a street
which ran through one of the worst and least known
districts of the old town. Later, however, he contrived
to pass the necessary examination, and though still
secretly keeping his old room, was settled as a herbalist
in the Rue Ranier. Knowing what sort of persons
these were, Barthelemy Marino was somewhat
alarmed at his wife's story, and hurried off to
his mistress, a Mdme. Ville, alto had but
recently become a widow, and questioned her on the
subject of her acquaintance with Joye and Lamberte.
Her replies were so unsatisfactory that Marini° de-
termined to sift the matter for himself. Accordingly,
he assumed the part of a private detective, and betook
himself to Joye's shy. He had heard enough from
his wife and Mdme. Ville to understand his man, and
told him at once that he was Mdme. Ville's lover. lie
also told Joye that he had only done his work by
halves; that it was his business to get rid of Mdme.
Marmo just HS M. Ville had been she:posed esf. Upon
that Joys looked fixedly at Isis visitor and said, "Are
you a man ? " " Certainly lam a man," rejoins the
other, "or I shouldn't be here ; hut 1 elsee't tsioh that
my wife should be bungled with mid tertured as M..
'Ville was." Joye thereupon declared that that stupid
business was entirely the fault of tie woman Lamberte,
who in truth, was a mere card shuffler, a person
having no real knowledge of her art, and utterly incom-
petent to deal with such a case ; bet that directly he,
Joye, had been called in, he finished him off in a very
few days with his "little white powder." Satisfied to
all appgarance on this point, Marino made an appoint-
ment with Joye at Mdme. Ville' s on an early day,
and went back to his mistress to tell her that he knew
all, and that any attempt at concealment would be use-
less. In great alarm she confesses that she did kill
her husband; adding that she bad first obtained poison
from Lamberte, but finding that too slow in its opera-
tion, she had recourse to Joye and his white powder.
Melina Ville avowed also that her intention was to
kill Marino's wife, and then to have poisoned hint also
if he refused to marry her. Next dy this precious pair
went into the country to a small house belonging to
Aldme. Ville. On the way Marino spoke of the probable
consequences of murdering his Wif,, exhibiting some fear
on this head. The lady, however, endeavoured to reassure
him by declaring that to her knowledge mueder was
not always found out—that, notably, the widows
Salvage, and Gabriel had disposed of their husbands in
that way oral had never been the worse for it. At
this Marino seemed to take heart, and no more was
said. Next day Joye went to Mdme. Yule's house,
taking with him powder anel herbs—arsenious acid and
belladonna Ile save Marino souse of each, only
stipulating that Marine should not make use of them
in Marseilles itself. To this consliton the 1/146011
readily assented, explaining that as lie WJA sliertly
pip, with wife to her na:ive village he could de
the log
conveniently there. But instead of
leaving Marseilles lie went straight to the police-office,
and demouncest Salvage, and Gabris 1, as well as his
mistress and her accomplices, Limier:' and Joys.
Mdme. Ville, who is described as by no mamas a
handsome woman, forty years old, was the wife of a
man who had risen from the usesition of a common
weaner ; be had iscanuhulated a moderate fortune in
trade and retired from business. Mdme. Ville herself
dealt in porcelain ware. For many years she had
lived quietly with her husband, but sonic months
before these terrible events happened she fell in live
with Marino, a Mall much inferior to her in position.
She appears to have had sonic suspicion that his affec-
tion was purely of a mercenary kind, and in order to
find out whether it was boor not she applied to Fanny
Laniberte, in her capacity of fortune-teller. Lamberte,
following the asual practice of her tribe, tells Aldine.
Ville what she thinks will he agreeable to her, affirm-
ing that according to the cards Marino is far more
attached to her ti an is M. Vile. From t in point
the conversation at differeettimes creeps gradually in a
certain directionuntil sine or other of them suggests that
the best way to secure Marino's affection for Mdme.

Ville was to remove M. Vile horn this life. An
agreement was made to consummate that end, and
early in 1868 Fanny Larnberte furnished the poison
with which Milian. Ville began to practise upon her
husband. The latter, who had previously been in
good health, is taken seriously ill, and the wife carrics
on her operations so carelessly that on ells occasion
she nearly poisoned her servant and herself as well as
her husband. M. Ville, who believed Lis wife all the
time to be devotedly attached to him, grew worse and
worse, and a Dr. Martin was sent for. He con-
ceives suspicions, and another physician is called
in. They agree as to the symptoms, but
Mdme. Ville is now so cautious that they are
lunable to verify their suspicions. However, Dr.
Martin alarms the poisoner, and she desists for a thus.
M. Ville grew better at once. But at the end of
March he again falls ill, and after much suffering dies
on the 111th of May, leaving all his property to his ,
wife. For his services on this occasion Joye received I
about 3,000 francs. He had supplied the strong
poison through Lamberte.
It took nearly five months of slow poisoning to kill
the unfortunate M. Vile; but Ronne Salvago had
been far more expeditious in the treatment of her
husband, Jean Salvago—a rough, drunken fellow.
Towards the close of the year 1867 he fell ill, and
Rosine got tired of nursing him. Accordingly, she
consulted Fanny liamberte. and the result of the con-
sultation was that Jean Salvago died within a few
days on the 3rd of February. It was at Lamberte's
that Rosine Salvago met Mdme. Ville and confide] to
her the manner of her husban I's death.

The third case was almost worse than either of the
others. Josephine Dugu et was the natural daughter
of a woman named Marie Dye, who left her to be
brought up at the foundling hospital. She was taken
thence by a well-to-do couple, M. and :Udine. Simon,
and adopted by them. So admirable was her conduct
that she obtained the prize left by a charitable person
to be given to the best pupil brought up at any of the
public institutions of Marseilles. She was not only
good, but beautiful; and it was not long before a hus-
band was found for her in the jr-resin of a clever
mechanic named GabrieL After a time they left the
Simons, and her husband foolishly placed her behind a
small drinking bar. Of course, the young wife was at
once thrown into bad company. Her mother and a
woman Flayol, both of the most dissolute character,
got access to her; and besides she found a lover of whom
she fancied herself madly fond. Josephine also
becomes eager to know her fortune, and to attract her
lover to her by some supernatural means. She hears
of Joye as a great proficient in fortune-telling and
sorcery, and goes to him. He proposes not only to
secure her lover to her, but to put Gabriel out of her
way at the same time. The idea at first strikes the
young girl—she was but twenty--with horror, but her
mother persuades her to give way, and Flayol suggests
that a wax candle burnt at the shrine of the bonne
nifre would secure impunity. At length her scruples
are overcome. Flayol acts as a go-between, and
fetches the poison from Joye. It is all over in eight
days. Taken ill on the 31st of July, Gabriel is dead
on the Bth of August. His wife tended him with the
the greatest affection, and was rewarded by a will
made in her own favour just before her husband's
decease. Joye's services this time were valued at
100 francs down and a bill for 100 francs. On
the post-mortem examination large quantities of
arsenic were found in the bodies of both Salvago
and Gabriel, but in Ville's body no traces
were exhibited. Joye's room in the Rue St. Antoine
was discovered to be full of poisons of the worst
description. The ignorance and suirrstition shown
by the criminals were in themselves sutlicent to place
them in the hands of wretches like Lamberte and
Joye ; but the fact that a person of Fanny Lamberte's
character should escape suspicion, and that a gaol-
bird like J oye should be permitted to carry on his
trade without let or hindrance, says little for the sur-
veillance of the French police.
. .

After a lengthy trial the woman Salvago was sen-
tenced to twenty years' hard labour, and four other
prisoners to hard labour for life.