, 1873-03-28
MODERN HQRHIA9.

Tho recent ease Of Lydia Sherman and her
poisonings is fairly matched by the develop
1nousB made in tho West Auckland poisoning
cascs, NOW on trial in England, in which ono
Nary Cotton stands charged with tho murder Of
lor atopson, healthy child of years, who
required moro caro aud nttcntion than Ills stop
mother was willing to confer upon him. Being
anxious for moro lucrative work, Bho rid herself
Of the responsibility Of waiting upon him by
administering arsenic. In tho progress Of tho
trial, many other murders hayo boon incidentally
developed, including husbands aud children, for,
like Lydia Sherman, Mary Cotton had Boon
many timoa married, md, as If tlloro woro aomo
inlehnable, mysterious connection between
murder nud marriage in tho minds of these
Borgas, no sooner Ind sl,o assumed tho respon-
sibilties Of wodlock thGn sho proceeded to FREQ
herself from them by moa,ss Of poison.
Liko Lydia Sherman, also, ehe mado no
concea1n1ont Of her crimes, but, on tho other
oven glosied III tho confession, rs if hho Ind por
formed Homo praiao%ortlly decd.
In studying the annals Of murders committed
by womon there aro two singular features to be
noticed. Tho first Of these is tho fact that whom
d woman acts out upon O wholesale career Of
murder, she almost invariably chooses poison
for the Agency Of destruction. anl has q prefer
enco for arsenic. Mon commit murders With the
pistol, tho knife, or tito bludgeon rarely with
poison. Womon scarcely over use either ono
NJ ttaEn f1,rn in S,t,a
thoy arc actuatod by sudden or ungovornabto I'M
pulses, aud Boizo the first weapon which
comes to hand. In cases, however,
whoro q woman coolly and deliberately
mikes lifelong business of murder,
she invariably selects poison Notwithstanding
tho ingenious attempts Of n modern magazine
writor to whitewash the character Of Lucrezia
Borga, and make hor model Of womany i'll
nocoi,co and virtue, tho burden Of historical
proof establishes the fact that she wns the.poi-
sonor of all hor political enemies with whom
sllo came in contact, as we'll ~ OF thoao who
gayo her personal offonBo. Tho Marchoness do
BrinsilliorB wes one Of tile shrewdost Of poi
sonors, and haB made tho name OF Brinyillicrs
odiouB tho world over. Tic German poiaoner,
Anna Maria zwanziyor, was ono of tho most a,,-
daciouB Of posoners, aud literally planted ar-
sonio In every direction, whero' IT might reach
servants and children against whom aho had no
animosity whatever. Another English uaurdor-
csa, Mrs. Holroyd. used arsenic without
tho least compunotion, aud at one
ttmo achieved considerable reputation by
1Sar in fArNr oil LIN Haa4f
OF her victims. Our roalors will romem-
ber the caso of tho woman who, not long ago,
distributed poisoned swoetmoats among all her
friends in order to reach certain nan against
whom sho entertained q dlsllko. In our own
country, tho caaes Of Lydia Sherman, Mrs.
Wharton, Mrs. Grinder, Mrs. Van Ness, aud others
aro still fresh in tho memory Of our readers.
Every country iu fact, has itu living aud Its his
torical fomale posonors, w1io have scattered
death far ind wido, and almost every town a1d
villago can nan,o somo woman WHO Inns conf
mittod single murder by Tho use OF poisona.
How arc wo to account for this universal uso of
poiHons by womon? Is thoro any other solution
OF tic question than tho assumption thnt oven
female murdorors have tho qualities OF
reanoment and dolioacy, tho aversion
to aconos Of suffering and torture mud the po-
culiar shrinking from brutality anl blood, which
distinguish women aB u Glass from mon? Poison
il moro quiet but equally elroctiyo instrument
of doash, In Involves no pllyaeal struggling,
no violent endeayor, no question of strengtl.,
Tho chances OF escape, and the opportunities
for conoealing tho crime, aro creator tllan in
otAor forms OF murder. Tho wonnn who should
kill hor first victim with 4 pistol or a knife
would attract such attention, and tho decd would
bccomo 80 public, that III all probability she
would never Aua an opportunity to kill tho
second. Tho first victim of poison, however,
dies apparently natural doatl, and no inquiry
IL made Or suspicion aroused. Tho second