Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-09-12

laOly written Cle orders he sent to the
grocery and drug stores, , So she, went
with an order, purporting to have been
signed by him, to the apothecary OF
whom he bought his drugs, and OBJ!
tanned from him quantity of arsenic
sufficient to kill a dozen persons, and
which she said was destined for the
rats in Steinbach's barns.
After her return to Lengenfeld, that
very night, she tried at the supper ia:
bic to put some Of the.poleon into the
cups from which Constantia and Ber-
nard drank their tea. dtwas almost a
miracle that she did not accomplish
her fell purpose on this occasion. But
there was an alarm Of fire, and the
whole company lett the table and did
not return to the meal, q considerable
eonfagration having consumed the
houses OF two of the villagers. "a.
But the jealous murderess met with
better success two days afterward. It
was at the dinner table. A large. dish
of boiled mutton and cabbage stood on
the table when Hermini entered the
room. No one was there yet, and she
threw, unobserved by anybody, a large
quantity of the fatal drug into the dish.
Old Steinbach was detained outside,
and so Hermina, Constautin, Bernard,
and his little brother Arthur alone sat
down to dinner Fifteen minutes af
terward Constantia was seized with
cramps and vomiting. Bernard and
Arthur were soon afterward in these
condition. The poison had done it's
WORK. ...
Hermina rushed from the room and
alarmed the whole house. The village
doctor was sent for. He saw at once
that it was clear case of poisoning.
The victims were subjected to the tor
ture of the stomach pump, but it was
al of no avail. About supdown the
three poisoned persons were dead.
Next morning the authorities we're NO.
tilted, and, as matter of course, it did
not take them long to discover who
had committed the fearful crime. '"'
Hermins Clauser was arrested and
charged with the crime. She main
tanned her composure. in a truly sur
r4iSipg manner, and denied Invinp
caused the death Of tie three. She
was removed to the jul 81 ,Jhner, and
would have beSae edolS5 Hbd at the next
term of the criminal = * court: but
her perslste4t denials ~ Ter innocent
prepossessing. appeal lncAmade so pro-
found an imPreeslonl on. the jury that
they failed toNfeerefe1 refe1.go 81 she remained
in jail for nine -l3f16s, and in the be-.
ginning of April RRere second trial took
place. This time the jury were made
out of sterner stuff, and the young mur-
deress was promptly convicted of the
terrible crime ~ith which she stood
charged. When the President of the
assize court pro10unced her doom. she
turned very pale and uttered q half
composure, and ''whe the officers led
her back to her cell she chattel almost
gayly with them. ~
The trial and its result created pro.
found sensation in that part of Silesia
Some kind-hearted philanthropists,
among them several aristocratic ladies.
took an interest in the fate of Hermiua
Clat1ser, and they sent to the Emperor
William the First of Germany q peti-
ton setting forth all the facts Of the
case which had been brought out dur.
ing the trial, and urged the commuta.
ton of the sentence to term of i'm
prisonment. The Emperor, however
refused to interfere, and on the 10th of
July the sentence Of the law was cur
ried into effect
Never before had 80 many people as
sembled in front of the jail of Jauer,
where the scaffold on which the young
murderess was to be executed had been
erected. 1t was low, square platform,
without a railing. In the middle stood
the block on which the culrrit was to
lay down her fair head.
Assistant Execntioner Riffscl,ncider
a young man of thirty, heavy set, with
q pleasing countenance, and dressed in
an elegant suit of black broadcloth, was
to deal Hcrmina the fatal blow. He
was GU hand, with two assistants, ut
half past six. At seven o'clock Herml-