New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-28

gave her soul to the devil in good STYLE"
(gentiment). a. Mme. de Sevigne has 1t.
But all Voisin's clients were not butchers
and carpenters' wives and lewd young
women of the baser sort who had 'tgot into
trouble" Marie Msncjni. Countess of Sois-
sone, was convicted Of having gone to her in
order tot get rid OF La VALERIE, her success
full rival in Louis XIV's affections. There
was no doubt about it. The proofs are
on record. The order was Issued tn arrest
the Countess, out Louis told the Duke of
Bouillon to give her q hint, and sshe es-.
capped. Nor was she the only one who e.
capped; for there was such an epidemic OF
poisoning that the Magistrate de L. Reynie
hesitated to 60 on with his inquiries; ne
found they were likely to compromise very
exalted personages indeed. In 9 short time
he had l4 prisoners on his hande, and he
questions, "whether it is for Gods glory
and the Kings interest, j. O., the interest Of
the State, or even of Justice. to publish
abroad such terrible and enormous Grimes"
Writing to Louvoie, the Prime Minister, in
1851, he says: "But for the confession of
the criminals, should scarcely be able to
credit the existence of such . traffic in
poisons. Poisoning il the common remedy
for family troubles. Human lite is put up to
the sale daily" Zone polsoner among the
poor actually undertook the job for the
trifling sum Of thirty sous There was
such panic that people gave up using
metal drinking cups and took to glass;
metal might be 80 pre- pared as to poison the
drink poured into it. At dinner every
guest had his own silver plate, brought and
carried home again by q confidential ser
vent. The linen was washed at home, and
''got up" under the housewives own eyes,
for fear the master shirts should be made
shirts of Nessus. Letters were disinfected
as if it had been time of plague; and ladies
gave up accepting bouquets. because people
had been known never to recover after
smelling at q poisoned flower. Even
Racine, the good and truly pious, the
best character perhaps, of all the
writers who adorned that brilliant
court, was at one time suspected Of being q
poisoner. These archives show that in
and that his innocence was indlsputably
proved. Indeed, among the motley crew
who dabbled in poison there was not q
single literary men of the slightest prefer
eiOns to tame. VOisin was burned alive in
February, 1850. Nine. de Carade, wife OF
q master of woods and forests" had her
hand cut off year after. Between these
two a good many met their just punish
ment, and then the trials suddenly ceased,
and the chambre ardente left Oft it's investi-
cations Louis made up his mind that lie
IL Reynie was right, and that to 60 further
would bring scandal on the whole nation.
Other grand court favorites besides the
Countess of scissors were compromised.
Besides the v'llainous priests who were
| executed, there were many other clergymen
involved more or less deeply in the same i'm
pieties. The king, who, in epi1e Of his free
| life, wac, after his own fashion, highly re-
ligious man, did not like to strengthen the
| hands OF the enemies Of Catholicism by pub
fishing to the world the shame OF its minis.
ters. The guilty were allowed to escape
into foreign parts, or to hide themselves In
| monasteries. Public opinion, too, went
round in q moment. From being "the
fashion," poisoning became dreadful II
everybody's opinion, and there was really
NO need Of further prosecutions, for society
at once ostracised all the guilty, and ever
the suspected.-Fraser's Magazine.