Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-11-01
DAILY LEADER.
REMARKABLE FEMALE GRIM.
mails.
prom tls LONDON Quarterly Review

Q injurious tendency Of the notions the
c prevalent as to the manner in which W
! men should be encouraged, even in the
crimes. Ever since. Women have hef
E heid responsible for their conduct quite /
much as men; the former, as we'll as II
latter, have been i%nexorably execute
| when found guilty of murder. We wi
note one case as an illustration-that {
Donna Maria Mendieta, of Madrid VIII,
toward the close Of the last century, exc
ted horror and amazement throughou
Spain by the assassination of her husband
1t was found, on examination, that he
paramour, Den Santiago San Juan. CON
mitted the deed at her instigation, Will
her husband was lying sick and helples
in bed.
She made suchsarraneements as enable,
the assassin to escape after the commissi61
Of the crime, without being observed b.
the servants. That she had not committed
the murder with her own hands was evi
dent to all but she was Immediately ar
rested, nevertheless, and safely lodged il
prison. 1t was supposed that Santiago
was absent from Madrid at the time of the
occurrence. In order that this might be
urged in his favor in the event of suspi-
cion falling upon him, he took formal
leave Of his mistress, in the presence of
several of his servants about ten DAYS be-
fore the murder, taking care to notify her
that she need not expect him back for ut
least a month. But the police soon found
that he had been lurking about in the me-
trOpohs, from one hotel 10 another under
a fictitious name. However, it was found
impossible TO arrest him until she herself
invOluntarily betrayed him by a letter she
wrote from the prison, addressed to Don
Thaddeo Santiago, Madrid.
At this period it WAS the custom in
Spain TO hang out a list of letters brought
by the post, the addresses of which were
not sufficiently explicit. Santiago saw the
letter, and by calling for it himself into
the coils that were spread for him. Soon
after, the two were brought for trial. She
was one of the most beautiful women of
Madrid, and belonged to one of the most
ancient families but the judges were most
infexible. Both the lady and her para
mour were sentenced to death, and they
were accordingly executed. Until the last
moment they solemnlY protested their in
nOcence; but Just as the final cords were
adjusted about their necks they made a
full confession Oftheir guilt, and acknowl-
edged the justice of their sentence. Now
need we ask how much better was it for
the interest Of the sex to see the laws thus
vindicated than it would have been to turn
turn the trial into a farce and allow the
guilty to escape?
One of the most remarkable cases in
criminal annals is that of Madame Colt
fried. In 1925 a gentleman named Rumpff
established himself in a house in Bre-
men, which belonged to, and was also in
habited by a widow lady of the above
name, who was, by common consent, a
charming woman, and who was. so much
celebrated for her kindness and gentleness
of manner as she was for her beauty But
all regarded her as unfortunate, and they
sympathized with her accordingly; they
thought it a great pity that such a good
woman should have lost two husbands, her
father, mother, brother, and several child
ren, all in the course of a few brief wears. |
She used TO lament herself, with tears in
her eyes, that she had had TO perform the
duty of ordering thirteen collins
Of the undertaken; but she added that she
had the consolation of knowing that she
had tenderly nufSed all her lost friends, |
leaving their bedside until they
we're beyond the reach of all earthly aid.
Although now forty years of age, she
had still claimants for her hand, for the
worst thought entertained about her was
hat she had a poisonous breath, which
fatal to al who inhaled it at certain
lines, or under certain times, or UNDER
certain circumstances. Partly for thisaE
'eason, and partly for her ill-luck, the
of Mr.. Rumpf tried to disstade
Inn from establishing himself in her
lopse. In many features of his character
his gentleman was much like DR.. Bur-
lell, the victim of a m whose char
is still moro like that of Madame
1ottfried. Rumpf had no faith in the
-easOns assigned by his friends, and he had
10 idea of resigHing a residence that suit
d him7on absurd grounds. Ualike DIR.
Mr.. Rumptf had a wife and fam
ly. For some time, however, the latter
eemed to have great reason to cOngratu-
ate himself, and his wife was, if possible,
till better pleased with the change than
himself, for Madame Gottfried seemed to |
AVE no other care but to render herself
,greeable to both, and do all in her power
or the children.
Such were the relations for eight weeks.
when the general joy was interrupted BY
he sudden death of Madame Rumpff, VINO
seized with a violent vomiting two
f three DAYS after her confinement. Moth
ng could exceed the attention ofrMadame
iottfried; and.so well did she play her
that the chief consolation Of the dy- |
ng woman in her last moments, While
in agony was that she left be-
lind her so kind a fiendtb protect her
and comfort her bereaved hus-
and and to al gppeafapee her hopes
nd wishes were fulfilled to The letter. So
friendly and, afiectionate was she TO the
hildren that they called her no other
than Aunt Gottfried. The infant
vas doing quite well, but the nurse who
ad charge Of it soon became so extreme
= i'll that she had to leave, declaring that
7hatever was the reason, she felt she
ould never be well as long as she re-
named in the house = 0te
Nor did Mr.. Rumf's apprentices fare
they, too, were seIzed in turn with
fits of vomiting, and some three
months after mis- wifels death he became 4
Il himself in a similar manner, Being a
trong, robust man, he struggled re~solutely
o overcome tho supposed hiaIady; but in
ain; he could keep nothing on hisstom-
oh everything he ate caused him the
most excruciating agonies and his health
.eclined from day Do dayjsIn about two
Teeks, he1lestv the use7of his fingers and
6es, and became as weak as infapt. In
he midst Of all his suffering the idea of
never occurred TO him but he
bought there might be some decaying
INSTANCE about the house which exhaled
vapor fatal to the health Of all who in
it. He made a close search for the
opposed substance, causing the boards of
he floor to be lifted, the walls tosbe open
d., etc. but with no result. ItAis notd
that in time his mind began to
all; he now began to doubt whether, af-
er all, there might not really be some evil
pirits that pursue mankind 70 their de-
truction, wasting their bodies and wither-
their minds. az liG z
These doubts he first expressed TO Aunt
1ottsfried; hut she told him to trust in
Tod, that she would watch over him like
! mother; and when he described 10 her
lis sleepless nights of anguish, she earn
.stly wished him such sweet rest as blessed
Ter own pillow This state of things went
N fora year, the patient growing weaker
weaker from day to day, until finally
ii regarded him as near his end, As was
lsual with him in the spring. he ordered a
1ig to be killed for his family, and his
sent him a small choice bit of the
to taste. Finding that it agreed