The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-03-30

6C', ~, az.
Friday, the 23d, was the day appointed
for the execution of Anne Bilansky. This
case has excited great interest throughout
the State, we have thought review of it
from first to last would be interesting to
our readers. We commence with
sTANIsLAUs BILANsKY,
Who came to this city in the year l847. He
was, as his name indicates, a Polander, con-
sidered wealthy, having in 1848, made
claim of part of lower town. He had
been married twice before he married the
woman who murdered him, and had separ-
ated from one wife, by whom he had several
children, and who resided in the city at the
time of his marriage with the last. He
kept little drinking saloon, in the lower
town, on the Saltwater road, and although
he was intoxicated at times, was regarded
as a harmless, inofensive man. His repu.
tation for wealth, was supposed to be the
inducement for the last wife to marry him,
while previous wife was still living.
BILANsKY's DEATH,
Occurred on Friday, March IL, 1859, and
he was buried the next day, Saturday. On
Sunday suspicious were rife that he had
met with foul play at the hands of his wife,
and his body was exhumed, and Mrs. Anne
Bilansky, his widow, was arrested to await
coroner's examination on his body. The
examination resulted in the finding of arsenic
in his stomach, and after an examination
before Judge Simons, she was held to an
swer to the charge of murder committed
upon her husband, at the next term of
the District Court.
CAUSE OF THE MURDER.
A young man, named John Walker, lived
with Mr.. and Mrs. Bilansky, and is said by
her to be nephew, and with whom she is
said to have had criminal intercourse pre-
vious to the murder. Upon the trial there
was evidence that Mrs. Bilansky had lived
with him previous to her marriage, and
leaves no doubt the murder was planned
and consummated that she might marry, or
have more unrestrained intercourse with
her paramour.
The trial commenced Monday, May 22d,
before Judge Palmer-I. V. D. Heard,
ESQ.,, for the State, and John B. Brisbin,
and A. L. Williams, Esqrs., for the defence.
We give below synopsis of the evidence
upon which she was convicted
Lucinda Fitzpatrick was first sworn, who
testified in substance that on the 18th Feb
ruary, 1859, she went up town with the de-
fendent; that they went to the post Office
together, and from thence to VOLTS drug
store, and then to Day & jerks store, where
poison (arsenic) was purchased by the de"
fendant. That while going to these places,
the defendant said her husband wanted ar
senic, with which to kill rats-that she
"would not mind giving him a pill, if the
doctor was attending him." that if she
bought arsenic and he should drop away
suddenly. that they (people) would have
suspicious of her /; that she asked the depo
nent to buy the arsenic; that she answered,
"Mrs. Bilansky, if wanted arsenic, would
buy it," that it was bought by the defends
ant, at Day & jerks drug store that after
Mr.. Bilanskys death, when the coroner
came and said an inquest would be held on
the body, defendant called upon the witness
and asked if she 1.-THE witness) saw the sus
picion arising, and received the answer Eyes
since bis DEATH That defendant then said,
"don't you swear 1 bought the arsenic"
That defendant then said, +" if no arsenic
should be found in bis stomach, they would
do nothing with her )" that defendant re-
piled, " what if he took it himself That
Mr.. Walker lived at the house with Mr..
and Mrs. Bilansky. That Mrs. Bilansky
had lived with Walker before her marriage
to Mr.. B. That defendant had told her
1.-THE witness) Walker was her nephew. That
she had never seen any rats, either dead or
alive, about the house, or he 4rd complaints
of them, or heard from Mrs. Bilansky the
effects of the poison to the rats. She had
never seen any tears, or other manifestations
of grief on the part of the defendant, since
the death of Mr.. B. That she lived close
by, across the street, and was there when he
died.
Rosa Schaff, was next sworn on the part of
the prosecution.
She testified to Mrs. B. staying in the
room with Walker the night after the fu-
neral :, that their looks and actions attracted
her attention that when she noticed their
strange conduct, she endeavored to hear
,rho+ ,oouod hofxuoon them Int conld MT .