The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-09 00:00:00

A French Poisoning Case.

The Count de la Pommerais is to be tried on Mon-
day next at Paris on the charge of having plisooed

a widow named Madame Panw, The idietment

preferred against him, tram which the whole of the
following is taken, begins by recording that at the

beginning of November last there lived in a small
lodging on the second floor in the Rue Bonaparte, a

woman of the age of 42, who ever since 1858 had
been the widow of a painter named Pauw. She was
left without fortune and with three children, the

eldest of whom was only eight years old. She
courageously struggled against the difficulties of
the situation in which she found herself, and

her family. La Pommerais had known Madame
Pauw for several years ; he attended her taus-

band in 1858, and after his death he very soon be-

came the lover of the widow. Their relations on
the footing of lover and mistress continued to the

middle of 1861, but in the month of August in that

year M. la Pommerais married Mdlle. Dubizy, and
for more than two years afterwards he never saw

Mme. Pauw. He even refused to go to see her

children when they were ill. One day, however, in
the month of June last, Madame Pauw to her great

surprise, found him once more in her lodgings, and
by way of explanation of his sudden return, he
said he had hit upon a plan for providing for her
children in the future. He told her that she must

not tell any one of the means, and having thus re-
established relations Ns ith Madame Pauw, he pro-
posed that she should insure her life for a sum of

550,000 E, that he would pay the premiums, and that

she should assign the policies to him. But it being
obvious that in this way neither Madame Pauw

nor her children would get any benefit, La Pemme-
rais added that he could manlge to get for her an
almost immediate income by this arrangement. He
suggested that a little while after the policy was
effected she should pretend to be seriously ill, and
make the insurance office believe that she was on

,he point of death; then he would go to the corn,

pang and propose to them to cancel the policy,
on the terms of paying her a life annuity of
6,000 f., to run from January 1, 1864. He
would share this annuity with her, and
in this way she would be better off than she
had ever before been in her life. Madame Pauw
had not the courage to reject this strange proposal.
She shut her eyes to the dishonesty of the specula-
tion. She was incapable of suspecting the real de-
signs of La Pommerais, dominated as she was by her
passion for him—a passion now revived, and
stronger than ever. She blindly consented to let
him arrange the matter as he desired. But La

Pommerais took care not to come into direct con-
tact with the insurance companies. A broker
named D3smidt, through whom he bad only recently
become initiated in all the various combinations of
life insurance, was instructed to tell the companies
that a rich Frenchman, the Count de la Porn-
merais, wishing to provide for the children he
had had by Madame Pauw, desired to insure her

lite, which was an excellent one, for their bene-
fit. On this representation six French com-
panies—La Generale, La National, La Paternelle,
L'Union, La Phenix, L'lnaperial—and two Anglo-
Frenchcompanies, L'lnternational and the Gres-
ham—agreed to issue policies on Madame Pauw's

life for the total sum of 550,000 f. The eight policies
were signed between the Bth and 21st of Slily, and
the annual premiums agreed tobe paid amounted to
18,810 f. Madame Pauw was utterly unable to pay

the first premiums. These were paid, through Be
smidt, by La Pommerais; and thenceforth his
only thought was how to get the benefit of the in-
surances which he had effected. He began by get-
ting all the policies tranderred to himself by Ma-
dame Pauw's endorsement, in which she was made
to admit that she had received from him sums of
money equal to the amounts mentioned in the re-
spective policies ; and separate deeds, drawn up by
an agent named Louis, repeated the same stery.
Doubting afterwards whether he was sufficiently
secure against all possible claims on the part of
Madame Pauw's next of kin, h© consulted an aroue,
named Levaux, without telling him what had been
done, stated a fictitious case, and got him to draw
up a deed such as he required. This deed served
him as a copy, and on the 31st of August he got
the widow Pauw to sign another deed similar in
form. But to be more secure still, he got her to
sign a will, in which she repeated that eight policies
were his property, and moreover bequeathed to
him all that she could by law leave, and she even
went so far as to say that she gave him the interest
of the part reserved for her children, without his
being called upon to give security. She was never-
theless a fond mother, and this fact proves how com-
pletely Pommerais had obtained an influence over
her, and how blindly she did whatever he required.
The time now came for La Pommerais so to act
that all the pains he had taken might not be
futile and unproductive. The death of Madame
Pauw was the only event which could relieve him
from the payment of annual premiums (the
next of which was due in January) quite beyond
his means, and at the same time put him in pos-
session of the £550,000f. He had long pre-
pared himself with the necessary poison. As far
back as the month of June, when he renewed his re-
lations with Madame Pauw; he bought a gramme of
digitalis, and a week later he bought two grammes.
He perfectly well knew that this poison leaves no
trace behind, but it was important for him to be
able to explain in a more or less plausible manner
the vomiting which digitalis never fails to cause.
With this object he reminded Madame Pauw, as
soon as he got the will from her, that in order to
got her policies bought up by the insurance offices
upon advantageous terms, it was necessary that she
should simulate an illness. She at once followed
his counsels, and one day in Septeaeber, a window
frame having fallen down with a great noise upon
her staircase, she took the opportunity of saying
she had had a violent fall, and after that time com-
plained frequently of a pain in the stomach. She
went furtuer, and consulted several physicians, who
gave her prescriptions which she took care never
to follaw, but handed over at once to La Pommerais.
the month of November came without Madame
Pauw, although she continually talked of her illness
and her pain in the stomach, ever ceasing to busy
nereelf with her ordinary occupation. La P3M-
naerdis then thought
,that the preliminary stages
had gang long enough, and that the time had come

for striking his grand blow. At his suggestion
Madame Pauw procured from the office of the etat civi
the certificate of her birth, which would be requi-
site to be produced to receive the amount of the policies
after her death, and which could not have been wanted for
any ofher purpose. When he had got together all the papers
required, he told Madame Pansy to keep her bed, and give
out that she was worse than ever. At the same time, as she
complained during this soluntary sequestration that she lost
the price of some lessons she was giving to a person residing
in the Grand Hotel, La Pommerais said he would make up
the amount to her, and pay her the price of the lesson every
day. Madame Pauw did not leave her room after Nov. 12,
and always wore a nightcap, as if she were ill, in order the
better to deceive the doctors, who it was expected the com-
panies would send to visit her. La Pommerais said he wonld
make her take something to cause agitation, a promise well
calculated to render Madame Pauw disposed to take unhesi-
tatingly whatever he might choose to give her, and to prevent
her from being frightened by any disagreeable symptoms
which might follow.
But La Pommerais' injunctions to secresy did not prevent
Madame Pauw from telling several of her friends and neigh-
bours what she was hoping for. "If the thing succeeds," she
said, "my fortune and that of my children is made." She
repeated frequently, that on the policies being brought up she
was to have 3,000 f a year. All she bad to do 'iv as to make the
doctors believe that she was really ill, and to keep her bed for
about a fortnight. On November 13 she wrote to her friend
Madame de Ridder, to beg ber to come the next day to
spend the evening. The tone of her letter indicated content-
ment and hope, and contained a promise to tell Mme, de Rid-
der "all about it" on the morrow. But La Pommers,:is sent
word to Mme. Pauw that he should come to pa ;a Saturday
evening with her, and as he wanted partice"larly to be with
her alone, the rendezvous with Mad ;me de Ridder was
countermanded. No sensible chanrSe, however, yet appeared
in the health of the pretended sir,:tc person. On the Monday
at five o'clock she dined in cAmpany with the two Misses
Biord and their mother. She afterwards begged a neigh-
bour, Madame Dele:are, to get a bottle of essence for her,
and she made a toilette with a care and attention which
showed her be in very good health. She expected a
visit fro La Pommerais. He came about eight o'clock.
He stayed with her a long while, and nobody else saw her
tilA the morning of the next day. At half-past six the widow
Pigerre, who came as usual to bring the bread, was surprised
to fiad the key outside the door, whereas it was Madame
Pauw's habit to take it inside. This woman went into the
bedroom and found Madame Pauw in a terrible state. Her
face betrayed great suffering ; her bed and all the flooring
near it were stained by vomiting. Madame Pigerre at once
called up Felicite and Adelaide Pauw, who slept in the en-
tresol. They came up directly, but their another told them
that she had only an indigestion, and wished to be left alone.
Therefore they went to their own room. At eight o'clock
La Pommerais came again, and, as in the evening, remained
for a long while alone with Madame Pauw. It was evident
that she was in a dangerous state. Bat he called for no as-
sistance; he spoke to no one about her, and left her suffer-
ing as she was. She felt no uneasiness about herself. She
knew that to get the 3,000 francs a-year it was necessary
that she should appear to be seriously ill I Besides, La
Pommerais had re-assured her. She said to her daugh-
ter Felicite, " He tells me that I have the :cholera, and
that I shall be ill for 24 hours." Now, the word cho-
lera did not at all frighten her, because La Pommerais told
her that he had had it himself and had cured himself in 24
hours by means of a medicament which he would bring her.
So far, therefore, from asking her daughters to nurse her,
she ordered them to go to school as usual. But after they
were gone she got worse and worse, and received no atten-
tion, except from her neighbour, Madame Delattre, who
came to her every now and then. At 1 o'clock, Dr. Gau-
dinot, who she had often consulted, came to see her. He
really believed that she had fallen downstairs, and when he
learned from Madame Delattre that she had not followed
his prescriptions, he became very angry, and went away
without examining her, and without her attempting to
keep him, Shortly after this, and at about 2 o'clock, La
Pommerais came again, and was again alone with her. He
prescribed nothing, and left her still suffering. At half-
past six Madame Pauw died, just as Dr Blackey, who had
been sent for by Mdlle. Hurlmond, arrived. La Pomme-
rais returned for the third time at eight o'clock. Mdlle.
Hurlmond, whom he met on the staircase, told him of
Madame Pauw's death. This news caused him no sur-
prise, no emotion. He went upstairs, coolly approached
the corpse of her who had so long been his mistress, as-
sured himself that she was really dead, and then withdrew,
leaving it to be supposed that her death had really been
caused by a fall on the staircase. " That is all nonsense,"
exclaimed Mdlle. Hurlmond, "Madame de Pauw never fell

downstairs." And as La Pommerais appeared to insist,
"Don't answer (she said to him), you know well enough that
I know all about Mme. de Pauw's affair." "He but too well
knew also (says the indic•ment) what was the cause of this
woman's death, and of that cause there cannot now be the
slightest doubt—Widow de Pauw was poisoned by La Porn-
merais in the evening of Nov. 16, The accused was the last
person who saw her that night. He admits that she was
seized with that vomiting which furnishes to science the proof
that poison must have been administered some moments be-
fore. The next day he saw her twice ; he was again alone
with her, and nothing could have been more easy than to
repeat the dose of poison if he thought it needful. He alone
had an interest to commit the crime, and he had evidently
imagined it at the moment when he made Madame de Pauw
qffect those insurances which cannot be explained by any
other hypothesis."
It is alleged that as soon as Madame Pauw was dead
efforts were made by La Pommerais to get the whole of the
mone) from the eight insurance companies, and that many
letters were written by Madame Pauw at his diet ition,
which it now seems were to aid him in his work.
Several of these were received by her relations, particularly
her father and sister, the day after her death. The letters
tell them that she is very ill, and beg them to come imme-
diately, if they would find her alive. These letters, the first
not dated, were put into the post in the, evening of Novem-
ber 19, a few moments after Madame Pauw had breathed
her last. It was the accused who got her to write these let-
ters six weeks before they were sent, She told Mdle. Hurl-
mond at the time, and according to the expression of this
witness, it pained her so much to write them that she cried
about it. A host of other statements are made in the in-
dictment against the accused, and it is said that there is a
second charge against him of having poisoned his mother-
in-law, Madame Debizy, by digitalis, in 1861, What kind
of defence will be made remains to be seen.

The Treatment of the Poor in Bethnal-Green,

THE OFFICIA.L INQUIRY.

On Satui day forenoon, at 11 o'clock, Mr.Farnall resumed
his investigation at the Bethnal-green Workhouse, Vic-

toria• park. •
The Commissioner proceeded with the case of Mr W.
Runcieman, a relieving officer, charged with neglect and
misconduct in the case of a poor family named White. It
was for neglecting to bury a full-grown child ; and also
that when the father—Wm. White, a small hawker, living
at 19, Weatherh2ad-gardens. Crab-tree-row, Bethnal-
green—applied to Mr Runcieman to have the child buried,
he not only refused, but called the applicant "a common
impostor and a pauper, that he would have locked him up,
and that he would not give him a box for his child or any-
thing else, and then walked away."

Mr. Pearce, barrister, instructed by Mr. White, solicitor,
defended Mr. Ituncieman.

Mr Wm. Runcieman, examined by the Commissioner,
deposed that he was a relieving officer of the third district
of Bethnal-green for one year and eight months. B e remem-
-1 ered that on Monday, the 29th of February, the man
White came to aim for en order for the doctor for his wife,
who was near her confinement. Witness gave him an order
on Dr. Massingharn. The next morning White came and
asked to have his child buried. Witness asked had he got
a certificate. He said he had not. Witness then took notice
of the man, who seemed to have takes a little liquor. He
was excited. The man said his child was born dead, but
witness told him he could not take anyone's word in such a
matter, and he must have a certificate. The man made use
of bad language, and left. Witness entered the application
in the book, but not the reason for its refusal. White's
case was not then in the books, as entries were not
made about medical orders. He kn^w that medical
orders were relief. The number of orders issued was re•
ported weekly to the guardians. The names of the appli-
cants were not reported. He issued about 30 orders a-week.
He did not call White a pauper or impostor. On the Tues-
day he visited White, he did not enter the room as de-
scribed by White, for he knocked at the door, and it came
open. Facing the door was a bed on which lay Mrs White
(Ann Bradshaw), and outside the clothes White was lying
down asleep. Two other children were there, but witness
did not see them eating anything. Bradshaw told him the
child was dead in the room, but ho did not see it. A napkin
he saw covered it. Witness said he had not inquired into
the circumstances of the family before giving the medical
order.

The Commissioner said that should always be done. It
was not fair to the doctors, who were not overpaid, to seud
orders for them to attend persous not entitled to their aid.
The witness said that the Whites' house was in a deplo-
rable and ruinous condition as to furniture. The bedding
covered the woman well. There were chairs and a table,
and common ornaments on the mantelshelf. There were
some halfpence, perhaps 6d., on the shelf, There were po-
tatoes in a saucer, and halt a loaf of bread on the table,

There were tea and sugar, apparently two ounce of the first
and half a pound of sugar, and perhaps half a pound of
:neat also on the table.

Th© Commissioner—Neverthless, did it seem that it was
a poverty-stricken place.

Witness said that there was poverty the result of impro-
vinence, but he saw nothing to need relief at that particular
time. He knew Mr Massingham had not ordered nourish•
ment. Witness sat down to ask questions, when a dog flew
from under the bed at him. He jumped up very suddenly
and said that they should not keep such a dog in the place.
He asked a few questions. White got off the bed. Witness
said that he ought to make some effort, and said that he
(witness) was glad his wife was getting on well• Witness
then saw that he was partially drunk. Witness had often
seen White, and knew him to be of violent character, and
had heard him in the streets using bad language and guar-
reiiing and abusing his wire. He W4B a bad man, for wit-

ness had seen him a quarrelsome drunkard. Witness left
the house and White followed and laid hold of witness's
cloak. Witness had asked him over and over again for the
certificate of death, without which he could do nothing, and
he (witness) desired to get away from him, as he was not
really accountable—he was drunk. When White caught
hold of witness's cape he made a blow at witness, when the
latter, for his own protection, seized hold of his wrist. Next
day witness got the ticket (produced) from Dr Massingham,
certifying that Ann 'White required tea, sugar, and oat •
meal. Witness gave that nourishment at White's house.
He also got a certificate of death and he gave a coffin, and
the child was buried by the parish, Jane Collins brought
him the certificate.

Ann Bradshaw said that she lived with Wm. White, She
had three children-11, 6, and 2 years respectively. She
made and sold six gross of fish-baskets in Billingsgate
weekly. She paid 7s 6d for the materials for one gross and
sold the manufactured article at 9s, That was not con-
stantly, however, as she could not get the stuff to make
them. The stuff was a flat rush that came from 'lndia. The
trade was for about six months in tho gear. Mr Runcieman
came into witness's room about I 'o'clock, Her husband had
only laid down a few minutes before, and he was not asleep
or chunk. What Mr Ru.ncieman said about his being a
drunken, quarrelsome man was not true, and she could
bring neighbours to contradict him, for they lived nine years
in the one house, Mr Runcieman did not knock, but came
right into the room. There was no dog in the'room, but
there mi 7,:nt have been one in the yard, and she heard one
barl-
-•
,ng there.
Cross-examined by Mr Pearce—White never kicked wit-
ness. No Bible lady nor any one else saw White drunk and
ill-using her. IVitness got beef about three or four times
(about each time) during the three weeks of her confine-
ment. She thought she ought to have got it oftener, or
when she got the bread, &c.
Mr Runcieman said he gave relief in kind on the recom-
mendation of Dr Massingham, although he said to the doc-
tor he thought it was not required. It was given for three
weeks, and then witness stopped it because he saw the
woman in a public-house. He reported the circumstance
to the guardians.
Ann Bradshaw said that was not true.
In answer to the Commissioner, Mr. Runcieman said that
she was not drunk. She was only taking a glass of beer.
The relief ceased by order of the guardians in consequence
of his report.
The book was put in, and it was stated in it that relief
was stopped because the woman was " not here."
Mr. Runcieman stated that he should have reported if he
saw the woman out. lie did not mean to imply that there
was anything wrong in her going into the public-house, but
that she was quite well. The doctor had ceased to attend
her. She did not attend before the board, though shs had
an order, and that alone would stop relief. He never used
bad language, or was unkind,
After other evidence,
The Commissioner said that reckless people like the-Whites
hardly deserved relief,
The inquiry was then declared to be closed.