Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-12-27

against one of the most monstrous
women that ever lived. The trial
was terminated on the 18th, by her
condemnation to twenty years i'm
prisonment with hard labor. The
name of the monster is Mary Jean
neret. She comes of a respectable
family; is thirty two years old, anC
wears green spectacIes on account
I OF an alleged disease OF the eyes
. She simulated weakness of hel
eyes in order to procure some afro.
pine, an alkAlOid prepared Of bella.
donna, which is very virulent poi
son. By an uncommon knowledge
of the medical Technology, fine
manners and very insinuating de-
meanor, she succeeded in gaining
the confidence of the druggists and
physicians at Geneva, and she
treated the patients intrusted to her
care in the hospitals and in private
families with the solicitude of a
mother. She was first employed in
a private hospital Two of the
elder inmatcs-a man and his wife
soon died; afterwards their
daughter, and in the end the land
lady herself. Nobody appears to
have suspected her, but an unknown
hand wrote the celebrated verse of
Dante on the entrance door of the
hospital rrTg I
Vol eh'entrate, lasciate ogni speranza.
Jeanneret afterwards entered the
house of the painter Bourcart. His
mother in-law was sick, and soon
after the arrival of Jeanneret suf-
fered from terrible nervous fits. She
felt an uneonquerable apathy against
the new nurse, and the painter, who
suspected her of mischievous deeds,
dismissed her, though in polite
manner. But he did not lose sight
of her, and soon learned that two
persons, who were intrusted to her
care in the family of a Mr.. Gross,
had died. A young lady who had
visited the patients and took tes
with them, was also affected by very
singular symptoms, and Jeanneret
said to the domestics: "You see,
that girl has the same disease as our
ladies'; all three will probably die
The physician who treated this
young lady recognized that she was
poisoned by belladonna, and he
saved her. He spoke with the nurse
about the case, but she answered so
promptly and judiciously all the
questions that he did not suspect
he. in the least. The nurse, never
thcless, felt afraid of discovery
and soon disappeared. The painter,
Bourcart, heard of all these cases,
and denounced the woman to the
States Attorney. She had just
poisoned another woman who was
seized by hysteric delirium in con-
sequence of the use of medicine
administered to her by Jeanneret.
She was surprised in her room be-
fore she could conceal the walls con-
tanning the atropine
1t was proved during her trial that
she was q hysterical person. She
had consulted great many physi-
clans in regard to her imaginary
diseases. She feigned to have CON
slant trouble with her eyes, but an
occulist soon discovered that her
eyes we're in a perfectly normal
state She used atropine immoder-
ately on her eyes, and begged of
one of her physicians to apply a
hot iron to her shoulders.
By one of the witnesses she was
described as a model nurse, who
could during seven consecutive
nights stay with a sick person with
out falling asleep a single moment.
But when her patients died in con-
WILSON'S, she constantly smiled, and
even broke out for q moment i'm
loud laughter. AS she used the
atropine always for the eyes, she
agreed that she might have made
mistake and given it in lieu of other
medicine to her patients. SOmeS
times she said she gave them bella
donna in small. doses to do them
good; never with the intention of
killing them "with these things"
Her behaviour as woman was 9th
erWise faultless, with this exception
everybody who knew her described
her as the greatest liar on earth.
Was she sane? Was she posses
sed of monomania? The public
accuser did not believe it. Faith
lessness, perseverance, cunning and
audacity, he said were combined in
that woman, and if there were any
intOxication of her senses it was
the intoxicatiOn of crime, which
silenced her conscience. He asked |
the court to condemn her to death.
She was very ably defended, and
the assertion of her legal adviser
that she had watched the dead bodies
of those whom she was suspected of
having poisoned alone during the
subsequent night, and that she on
those occasions, never showed the
least symptom of fear or remorse, |
made deep impression upon the
audience. But it was in vain that
he tried to prove her innocence.
The jury declared that Mary jean
neret was guilty of having poisoned
eight persons, and found her " not
guilty" in regard to the young lady
who was poisoned and afterwards
saved. But it admitted extenu-
ating circumstances" whereupon
the court condemned her to twenty
years hard labor.
Fortunately such cases do not oc-
cur often, But, whenever they at
tract public attention, the question
always arises whether the insanity,
in which such series of crimes can
only originate, is not precisely the
state of mind which induces the per
petration of every crime, and which
is only the highest degree of the
animuS criminals. Whether it is
rapacity or the morbid and horrible
delight in the commissions of diving
victim, which drives such a mon
ster to commit a murder, is a mat
ter of little moment To the can
did mind both are insane conditions,