The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1831-12-07

A MONSTER. The New York Courier
publishes an account of the trial and con-
domination of woman at Bremen, on IL
charge OF having committed murders of I'M
paralleled atIority. The facts stated were
gathered from German papers, received at
n. York. The woman's maiden name was
Marguerite Timm. Her father was tai
Tor, living at Bremen in easy circumstances.
In 1865, at the age Of 20 years, she marri-
ed one Mettemberg, a saidler, who also
possessed some property. Seven children
were the fruit of this marriage, three of them
survived their fla Their, at whose decease the
widow found herself in possession of ali am
pie fortune. In 1915. in the space of few
months after the decrease of her husband,
death also carried off her mother and her
three remaining children. The following
year her only brother also died, on his re-
turn home alter long absence, and when
the property of the father was about to ,e
divided. In 1917, the widow entered into a
second marriage with Il Mr.. Gottiried. Some
days after the marriage, Gottfried died sud-
denly. Six years elapsed, and she WAS on
the point Of marrying MIR. Zimmerman,
when he was attacked by R severe illness
and died. 10 1926, she sold her house to
Mr.. RumpG retaining, however, one apart
ment in it tor her own use. Some months
expired, and the wife Of Rumpf died, when
she took charge of his household. He was
attacked from time TO time with violent vom-
things. On the 9Th of March, 1928, he per-
ceived that piece OF bacon which had been
cooked by the widow Gottfred, was cover
ed with some strange substance. He caus-
ed it TO be examined by his physician, who
Immediately declared that there was n large
quantity Of arsenic on it. On information
| given by the physician, the woman was ap-
pretended.
| 1t was proved on the trial, that she had
given arsenic to great number of persons,
| fifteen of whom died in consequence, and
seventeen others survived. She confessed
that she was induced by motives of interest
to commit some Of these murders, but as to
others, she could only attribute her conduct
to an irresistible desire to give poison, and
to see her victims perish. The counsel, in
her defence, endeavored to avail himself of
this latter declaration, to show that she was
laborlg under monomania, and in conse-
quence, that there was no criminal intention.
Medical men who were examined on this
point declared that they could discover in
her no physical cause which could give rise
to such monomania, and this defence in
consequence did not succeed.
The criminal court of Bremen found her
guilty of having assassinated, by means of
poison, her father and mother, her three
children, her first and second husband, her
brother, her betro.hed Paul Thomas Zim-
norman, Mrs. Anne Louisa Meyerholz, Mrs.
John Mosees, the wife of cartwright Mrs.
John Christopher Rumpf the wife of coop
err, Frederick Bchmidt, ann lastly, the wife
Of locksmth, Frederick Kleine, at Hano-
yer, as also of having caused the death by
poison of Miss Eliza Schmidt, daughter Of
the said Frederick Schmidt, which last act
however, was not premeditated of having
administered poison to the said John Chris
t1pher Rumpf, at divers times, with the in
tention Of killing him, after having by the
same means destroyed his health of having
administered poison to a great number of
other individuals, with generalization, but
without intention to kill them.
She was sentenced "to have her head cut
off with sword !" and was executed on the
21st of April, 1881, at Bremen, in the pres
ence of nearly forty thousand people.