Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1877-07-10
THE ART OF POISONING IN THE {
REIGN OF LOUIS XIV. -

]
To stave off bankruptcy, kings and
! ministers had recourse to strange ex-
/ pedients. Even Louis XIV. was sad
! " pinched for want OF money and,
since alchemy was the order OF the
day, he caught batch OF alchemists
and sent them 10 the Bastile to work
under Government surveillance. They
We're allowed as much sulphur, anti
/ mony, arsenic, and anything else as
they wanted, and they were expected
| to give gold in return. Hence one OF
/ the most notable discoveries Of that
time; OF course the police found no
gold, but they found (what they had
long suspecteD that these seekers for
the philosop hers stone were poison
ers, and that their customers were TO
be found in the very highest ranks OF
society. Arsenic, which is often said
to kill by accumulation Of many small
doses, was incapable OF detection in
those days, when postmortems were
unknown; and thus pOudre de success
sion became favorite way OF getting
rid OF any one who stood between
man or woman and the estate or the
human being whom they coveted. We
have all heard OF the Brinvilliers.
Vosin was aplebeian imitator OF hers,
doing for the common people what
the other did for the n0JlesSe, to which
she herself belonged. The humber
artist did her work IN just as artistic
style as did the marchioness.
A butcher in st. Antoine admins
ters correction" to his gad-about wife;
she goes off straight to Yoisin and
quietly buys packets Of powder, which
make her in few weeks frolicsome
widow.
A carpenter, dying, leaves little
money; mother and son can't agree
about it; the mother goes to Voisin
and gets a powder, but before she has
come for the next the son has been
there too. Voisin keeps them both in
hand, determined that whoever pays
her highest shall win; the mother
gains the day.
Besides poisoning, Yoisin was ready
for every other kind Of villainy She
and midwife named Lepere are stat
ed to have procured abortion in 10000
cases. and the number OF newborn
children burned by Voisin in her magi-
cal rites IS reckoned at $500. The
whole story is so horrible that, were
IL not legally attested in these arch
ives, one could not credit it; it is
worse than the worst Of the foul
dreams OF witches.
The confessions OF Voisin and her
accomplices We're made long before
they were tortured, yet one would fain
hope that some Of the revolving de-
tails were due to a diseased imagina-
ton. Spiritualism is contemplate
enough: we may be thankful that 1t
is only contemplate when we read OF
the methods which these wretches
used 10 call up the Devil and to win
from him for their dupes 1.-The flying
dollar" which was no sooner spent
than it found its way back TO its own
er's pocket.
To drape n room In black cloth, and
on black altar, lighted with black
candles.to slay newborn babe, while
priest (for priests were found to lend
themselves to the work) went through
vile trayesty Of the Mass, was one OF
the least horrible OF the ceremonies;
some are too bad even to hint at. 1t
Is a. little consolation that Voisn, who
had made 100000 crowns, and was
leaving France under false name
was caught, tried, and at last burned
tFebruary l6S0D
She supped gaily the night before,
and sang parodies on the Church
hymns; gave her soul to the Devil
in good STYLE" (geatimeld) as Ma,
dame de Sevigne has it. But all
Voisin's clients were not butchers
and carpenters wives and lewd young
women Of the baser sort who had got
into trouble" Marie Mancini, Coun-
tess Of Scissors, was convicted OF hav-
ing gone 10 her in order TO get rid or
Ii Valliere, her successful rival In
Louis XIV's affections. There was
no doubt about it; the proofs are on
record The order was issued TO ar
rest the Countess, but Louis told the
Duke Of Bouillon to give her hint,
and she escaped. Nor was she the
only one who escaped for there was
such an epidemic OF poisoning that
the Magistrate de la Reynie hesitated
to go oil with his inquiries; he found
they were likely to compromise very
exalted personages, indeed. In very
short time he had l7 prisoners on his
hands, and lie questions whether IL
is for Gods glory and the Kings in
tercst, /. e., the interest Of the State,
or even Of justice, to publish abroad
such terrible and enormous crimes. -
Hazer'S Magazine.