Virginia free press & farmers' repository. [volume] (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1827-1832, 1831-12-08

three remaining children. The fol.
lowing year her only brother also died.
on his return home after q long absence
anu when the property Of the father,
was about to be divided.
In 1917. the widow entered into a
second marriage, with a Mr.. Gottfried,
with whom she by her own confession.
had carried on an illicit intercourse
during the life Of her first husband.
some DAYS after the marriage, Gott.
fried died suddenly. Six years clans.
cd. and she was ON the point Of mar.
rying MIR. Zimmerman, when he wa.
attacked by q severe illness and died.
In 1876. Ms. Gottfr,ed sold her house
to a MIR. Rumpf, a cartwright. retain.
ing. however, one apartment i'm 10 for
her our use. Some months exp,red.
and the wife Of Rumpf died in child
bed, when 'N- w,io~ Gotifricd took
charge 81 Oh ons-hold of Rumpf.-
tie was att II from time tn time
With violsnt ,omii,ng>. On The 9th
oil March. iSss. he perceived tina, a
piece oi bacon which hal been cooked
by the widow Got,fric,l. was covered
With some strange Substance. He
caused II To be examined by hi. phvs,.
can. and the widow Go,tfried was an.
pretended
The police then received consider
able Information from ditfc, eni person.
IN relation To the conduct of this wo
man. twas proved on the trial. and
she confessed. that she had given arse
mic to number of persons, fifteen nf
whom died IN consequence, and seven
teen others survived. On the trial.
circumstances came ont which justified
u belief that she had given poison to
other individuals. to whom il had no,
been fatal. In consequence Of the
number OF murders proved against her.
u was, however, thought unnecessary
to 60 into an investigation of the &c
cases.
The woman confessed that she was
induced by motives of interest To com
mt some OF these murders, but as to
others. she could only attribute her
conduct to an irresistible desire TO give
poison aod to see her victims perish.
The counsel, in her defence, endea.
vored TO avail himself Of this latter de.
claration that she was laboring under
monOmania. and in consequence, that
there was no criminal intention. Me.
dicat men who were examined on this
point, dec Jared that they could disco.
yer in her no physical cause which
could give rise 10 such a monomania.
and this defence in consequence did
not succeed. The following is the
Judgment given by the criminal court
OF Bremen on the 18th September,
1880.
In the trial held on Marguerite Tim.
widow OF the late Michael Christopher
Gotttried. accused Of poisoning and
OF other crimes. the Court declares the
widow Gsttfried, (who has besides
committed sundry thefts, acts Of
swlndlins and perjury, as well as at.
tempted to cause abortion,) convicted
and guilty
LIST. Of having assassinated, by
means OF poison, her father anil mother,
her three children. her FIRST and Sc
eond husband. her brother, her betroth-
ell Paul Thomas Zimmerman, Mrs.
Anne Louisa Meyerholz, Mrs. John
Moses, the wife Of the cartwright,
John Christopher Rumpf, the wife Of
the cooper Frederick Schmidt, and
lastly, the wife of the locksmith, Ere.
derrick kleine, at Hanover, as also Of
having besides caused the death by
poison Of Mss Eliza Schmidt, daogh.
ter Of the said Frederick schmidt,
which last act, however, was not pre-
meditated.
g. Or having administered poison 20
the SAID John Christopher Rumpf, at
divers times, with the intention OF kill.
ing him, after having by tho same
means destroyed his health.
Sd. OF having administered poison
TO great number of other individuals
with generalization, but without inten-
ton to kill them, though it proved ex.
iremely pernIcious TO the health Of
those individuals.
10 consequence, aud conformably 10
the l50th article Of the criminal code,
the Court condemns the widow Colt
tried for the crimes she has committed:
and as useful warning to those who
might be tempted IN initiate her, To-
have her head cut of With the sword,
and that the expenses Of 'tial. judg
meni aud execution, shall be dei,ayod
rom the property Of the condemned.
The execution Of the widOw Gott.
Tried took plsCr tn 2Ist April, 1851.
on tive Cathedral square, ~ Bremen.
The Protestant clergyman who had
attended her during her imprisonment.
onIy qoitled her at the last moment.
Her hair was cut Oh, snd she va. then
clad IA white under dress, decorated
with black ribbons, white cap with
IL. Z. - 49,. Il