The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-02-29
Another Ll,cretfa Borgia.
SHE IS ACCUSED oF POISONING TWO HUSBANDS
AED TIE WIFE OF HER FIRST HUSBAND.

Some twelve years ago there came to Louis
Vile. from Germany, very attractive-lOOklng
German girl, of about eighteen years of age,
named. If our recollection serves US right Cath
arine Melchior. She was what is termed
beautiful woman, finely developed, with fault
less form and graceful motion-a woman who
would attract attention wherever seen. she re-
srained at Louisville bat "a short time, when she
Beft the city for the town of Rockport, on the
Indiana side of the river, about titty miles
above Louisville, where she soon obtained ser
vice in the family of an old and wealthy far-
mer named Sharp, residing some two and halt
or three miles above the town.
Mr.. Sharp and his aged wife lived alone to-
pether, their children having all married and
removed from the old homestead. The old
people were very highly esteemed, and were
we'll known to nearly all the citizens of the
county. Catharine found her new home very
pleasant one, and was apparently we'll content
ed and very happy. About two years after she
had entered the Sharp family Mrs. Sharp was
taken ill. She was confined to her bed for
some time; but, growing better, her speedy re-
coyery was fondly hoped for by her husband
and children. Very suddenly, however, she
was taken worse, suffering intense pains In the
abdomen for some hours, when she died. The
symptoms of her fatal illness, it was remem-
besed few years later, were decidedly those OF
poison from arsenic or strychnine.
Mr.. Sharp and his children mourned her
death, but no one seemed 10 feel it more deeply
thanC Catharine, and this wsls remarked through
out the neighborhood; and so Mr.. Sharp pre-
vailed upon her, which was not difficult, to re-
main in his house as his housekeeper and gen
eral superintendent Of the domestic depart
ment of his extensive farm, paying her hand
some salary for her services. Time wore OH, as
time is always doing, and the wounds that
grief at the demise of his wife had inflicted
upon the heart of Mr. Sharp were healed. And
then it bethought him that, with Catharine as
his wife, his declining years would be full OF
comfort, and so he paid court to the young
maiden. She was ave.se TO the union proposed
by the old man; it would be too much like
uniting June with December, she argued, as
she looked up languishingly from her lustrous
black eyes and beautiful face into the counten-
allce of her aged lover. Those glances, as she
well knew, were not to be withstood and SO
the old mans passion was only lntamed and
his sIit pressed with moro earnest determine
ton.
Catharine took q few days to deliberate over
the matter, and then she returned answer to
her persevering but gray-haired lover that she
would marry him on condition that he would
deed her his farm, valued at about twenty-five
thousand dollars, and certain other moneys
and property. This the old man agreed TO do,
and ia due course Of time all the necessary pa
pers for the transfer were legally drawn and
placed in Catharine's hands. Then the we'd
ding took place, and for couple of years or
more the infatuated old man bathed in the sum
shine of her smiles, and received her toying
with all the delight Of child. But suddenly
he died. Els disease was 9 laDguishing one at
first, and indicated toward its fatal termination
q speedy recovery. But those dreadful pains
that had been noticed in the illness of his wife
Immediately prior to her demise supervened,
and as suddenly and painful as his aged wife
had died so died he. His children and many
ef his neighbors believed that both he and his
frst wife had died from poison at the hands of
Catharine, but they dared only breathe their
suspicious suppressed in whispers, lest the law
should take bold of them in the shape of an
action for SANDER. -
.Catharine was rich. She had but Just reach.
e3 the prime of womanhood was the most
beautiful woman in the country, and it is not
as all s7srprising. that the days of her widow
Aoo6 were made bearable by the attentions she
received from both men and women. In due
course of time her grief was SO much assraged
that she received as suitor for her hand we'll
known and popular merchant, named Batche-
and Evansville. Mr. Bachelor was supposed
TO be wealthy, and so his suit for Catharines
heart and hand prospered, and they were mar
ried; The course of their married life ran
smoothly enough. Indeed, their apparent hap
piness became subject of remark. Both were
apparently deeply devoted to each other.
But after year or two of bliss MIR. Bachelor
was attacked by alanguishing illness, which in
creased and diminished in severity by turns, un-
til the disease, which puzzled the skill of the
physicians, took favorable turn and strong
hopes were entertained for its speedy and favor
able termination. 1t was noticeable feature
Of Mr.. Bachelors disease, as it had been of the
disease of which Mr.. Sharp and his first wife
had died, that it was seated in the stomach, and
no medicines seemed to reach or control it
His partial recovery was therefore unaccounta-
BE to the physician or any other hypothesis
than the great physical recuperative powers of
Nr. Bachelor. But in the midst of the fond
anticipations of his friends for his recovery,
Mr. Batchelor suddenly died in great agony,
suffering intense pain in the stomach.
He was buried, and the widows wall sounded
over his grave and was re-echoed from the old
Forest that skirted the cemetery. But the dead
husband was Mason, and in the lodge his sud
den death, and the sudden and similar disease of
Mrs. and Mr.. Sharp, were discussed, and the
conclusion arrived at was that poison nau aloeu
their sudden exit from the world, and that Cath
arine Bachelor was the poisoner. And so the
remains of Mr. Eatchelor were quietly disin-
tered, the stomach taken from them and sent to
8 noted physician and chemist for analyzation
The result of the analysis was the discovery of
enough mineral poison to produce death, and
the evidence that Mr.. Bachelor had died from
poison.
Mrs. Bachelor was arrested, lodged in JAIL
indicted by the Grand Jury, and in due time
arraigned for trial. But upon affidavit made
by her that she could not have fair trial Mt
Rockport in consequence of the excitement
against her, change of venue was granted,
will commence at Cannelton on the 26th of the
present month, before Judge Laird, when, if
proved guilty, it is to be hoped, this modern
tucretia Borgia will be placed where she will
have no further occasion to practice her mur