The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-26 00:00:00

MURDERS BY ARSENIC IN FRANCE.

One of the most extraordinary cases ever brought
before a criminal court has just been tried by the
Court of Assizes of the Ille-et-Vilaine. The prisoner
was a female, named Helene dagado, who for several
years past has been a servant in different families of
the department. She stood at the bar charged with
several thefts committed in and since the year 1846,
and with seven murders by arsenic in 1850 ; but the
evidence showed that although only seven cases had
been selected, as more recent, and therefore more easy
of proof, not less than forty-three persons had been
poisoned by her with arsenic. The victims were
either her masters or mistresses, or fellow servants,
who had incurred her hatred. In some cases no
motive of interest or hatred could be assigned. The
prisoner appeared to have been actuated by a thirst
for destruction, and to live taken pleasure in wit-
nessing the agonies of her victims. The suddenness
of the deaths in the families where she was a servant
excited the greatest sensation, but for a long time no
suspicion as to the cause, for the murderess appeared
to be very religious ; she attended in many instances
with apparent solicitude on the persons whom she
had poisoned, and so successful was her hypocrisy,
that even the deaths of the mother and another re-
lative of a physician in whose family she lived
raised no suspicion of poison in his mind. The
frequency of deaths, however, in the families by
whom she was successively engaged excited a sus-
picion among the peasantry that there was some-
thing in her nature fatal to those who were near her,
and it was customary with them to say that her liver
was white, it being believed in that part of France
that persons who are dangerous have white livers.
The prisoner herself frequently exclaimed, after the
death of the victim, "How unhappy I am; where-
ever I go, death follows me." The cases on which
she was brought to trial were established by the evi-
dence beyond the possibility of doubt. The prisoner,
throughout the trial, which lasted ten days, con-
stantly declared that she was innocent, and seemed
to anticipate an acquittal on account of there being
no proof of her having had arsenic in her posses-
sion. It was proved, however, that in one of the
families in which she was a servant some years
ago there was a large quantity of arsenic, which
was not locked up, sad that it had suddenly disap-
peared. This arsenic had, without doubt, been taken
by the prisoner, and had served for the commission of
the successive murders. The only defence set up for
her was founded on phrenological principles. It was
contended that the organs of hypocrisy and destruc-
tiveness were developed to a degree which over-
powered the moral faculties, and that, although it
would be unsafe to leave her at large, she ought not to
be condensed to capital punishment, the peculiarity of
her organization rendering her rather an objcct of
pity. The defence failed entirely ; and, the jury
having delivered a verdict without extenuating cir-
cumstances, the Court condemned her to death.

SEABORNE MAILS.
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When made up is j From what
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