St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-24
LIFE WAS A BURDEN.
The Strange Story Of the
Daughter Of an Austrian
Nobleman.
She Was Left With Her
Brother Under a Tree in
g the Forest.
The Son Of Her Adopted
Parents Betrays and Then
Discards Her.
She Murders Him in Frisco
Her Story Told in the
Jury Room.

death of Archduke Rudolph of Austria
and Marie de Vetsera," said veteran
San Francisco detective to Call re-
porter. But l can tell you a genuine
local story that will go it one better. as
the boys say. There are plenty of men
living right here IN town who can vouch
for the truth of it. and some of them
may have served on the grand jury,
too"
at was in the Centennial year, 1876.
While at headquarters in the old city
hall special police officer reported
that ne had just rescued from the bay
woman who was extremely reticent as
to her motives for jumping in. She was
taken to the hospital connected with the
prison. Questioned as to what had
caused her to jump overheard, she
Preserved an Obstinate silence,
And would only say that her name was
Antonio Won Apponyi, we'll known
name in Austria. by the way.
"She appeared to be about twenty
five years old, and five feet five inches
in height, rather slenderly built, sharp
featured ami with very determined
air Her eyes had an appearance of
WlluilCoo. VIliCll. lOSCIilCl WlOil lCl SCli-
eral appearance, her wet, entangled
hair hanging down her back and her
scanty attire, conveyed the impression
that she was demented.
by this time she had fully recovered
from the effects of her morning bath,
and was sufficiently strong to go out.
A decent suit of wearing apparel was
prepared for her. There was not hing
in her conduct while an inmate of the
prison hospital to justify her detention,
and she was allowed TO go on her way.
before she had taken her departure
it came to my knowledge that the
coroner had just been notified that
man had been discovered dead in ar0um
on First street, near Brannan. went
to the place with a patrolman and found
on the bed the dead body OF young
man who was known to the inmates of
the house as Christopher Josefson. 1t
was stated that he had been mate on one
of the Panama steamers for number of
years. By his side was revolver. The
popularity of its position attracted my
attention. The handle was turned away
fromhim, very
Unusual Thing in Suicide Gases.
"There was wound on his head, and
this was the one which had caused his
death. But the interesting and signifi-
cant element in the case'was the dis
covery in the room of a suit of female
wearing apparel, part Oh chair, part
OIL the floor, plainly indicating that some
woman had jointly occupied the apart
ment. Who was she?
81 found in the pockets of the aban-
doned dress several scraps of paper,
some of them ordinary brown wrapping
paper, scrubbed over with writing in
the German language. On piecing them
together found mysterious hints and
innuendos, plainly only to be under
stood by the person tor whom they were
intended. OWNED from their general
tenor that the dead man, Josefson. was
cautioned to beware the vengeance of
the Apponyis. There was great deal
more in those letters which | cannot re-
member Just now.
"My mind at once turned to the
woman who had attempted suicide.
After vigorous search she was found
with an old couple. She was so weak.
mentally and physically, that she had to
be sent to the hospital.
''At that time the hospital was not
provided with matron. 1t was in the
care, when the physician was not there,
of man digniiied by the title of hospi-
tai steward, and who gave his name a
Henry Bergdorff. He was prisoner
various petty embeZzlements, and was
understood TO be of Russian extraction.
He converSed in that language, with
which Antonio van Apponyi
Was Perfectly Familiar.
"She had by this time recovered suffi-
GENTLY to be brought into court for cx-
animation on the charge of having
murdered Josefson. 1t was soon OBJ
served that singular friendship had
sprung up between Antonio and Berg
dorff. the hospital steward. To him she
would talk for hours In the most con-
fdential manner, and he in return
seemed to pay her as pointed attentions
as man in his circumstances could
possibly do"
SIN fact, it was the subject of COM
mon rumor that Henry had made a
NASH While waiting for the time
when her case would be called the up
per Office instituted special inquiries
to discover who the woman was and
what she had done after she had left
the house of her former employers"
About the only thing that was dis
covered was that she was not rightfully
entitled to bear the name of a noble
family, for the reason that at that time,
there was no living member of the APP
u
ing been married, had children of An
tonia's age.
Later on it was found that she had
come out here from New York some
time previous to the killing of Josefson,
and had been employed in the Empire
City in the capacity of governess. The
same
Mystery Surrounded Her There,
''She appeared to be perfectly friend
less as far as San Francisco was con
cerned, and when called for preliminary
examination she waived a hearing on
the advice of the counsel appointed for
her by the court. Not the slightest light
had been thrown on the killing of JOS
efson when her case went to the grand
jury.
''After some delay that body heard
the evidence of the witness for the
prosecution, and then came the an
nOuncement that the accused had eX-
pressed desire to make statement in
the grand jury room.
''She was permitted to do so, and the
grand jury was so impressed with the
truth and force of what she said that it
promptly ignored the bill against her,
and she was set at liberty. OF course
her testimony was not published it was
part of the secrets of a great inquisito-
RAJ, JellDeratlve Dody-a thing that even
the boldest reporter dared not take
upon himself to ferret out and publish.
But now that all parties directly in
terested are dead, l don't see that any
harm can come in telling the story that
she
Told Before the Grand Jury.
Substantially it was this: She said
she was Che iilegltimate daughter of a
Russian count named V0n AnnOnvi
and that she had brother who was her
junior by year. When her brother
and she were quite young certain events
occurred in the AppOnyi family when
created a great deal of trouble. and their
mother was eXiled. The children were
placed in the care of a strange woman.
who soon after took them out into