The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-18
MODERN BoRGIAs.
French Women Who Have Figured as
Prisoners.
From a Paris Letter,

From Paris Letter.
Apropos of the celebrated poisoning
mystery in Antwerp, where Nine Joniaux
is under arrest, charged with poisoning
several members of her family, the Gaulios
prints an interesting article on famous
poisoning cases in France where women
have been found guilty.
Poisoning, il has been said, is the darl-
ing sin of women, and it is not surpring
that form of crime which requires
neither bodily strength, violence, nor the
use of arms, but only a certain amount of
Discrimination, tenacity, address and per-
fidy, should seem to be a speciality of the
weaker sex
The Marquise de BrInvilliers, to whom
Nine. Joniaux has perhaps not uniustly
been compared, was executed on July II,
1876. She was duly convicted of having
poisoned Maitre Dreux d'Aubray, her
father, and her two brothers, and of hav-
ing made an attempt upon the life of
Therese d 'Aubray, her sister, "wickedly,
out of cupidity, and to obtain for herself
their property" She got rid of her
father at the Chateau of Offemont, in
the forest of Laigue, and in 1914, the then
owner of the estate, while removing valu-
ables which he had concealed in the walls
OF the tower on the approach of the allied
armies, discovered a secret chamber,
fitted up as laboratory.
IL contained furnaces crucibles, re-
torts, number of Theoretically sealed
bottles of liquids and four packets of diff
ferent colored powders, but unfortun-
ately those who made the discovery.
scared at finding themselves in contact
with such dangerous substances, de-
stroyed them instead of submitting them
TO scientific investigation
After the Brinvilliers trial the Chambre
Ardente, special court created by Louis
XIV. to deal with crimes committed with
the aid of what was known as la poudre
de succession, was occupied with the
cases of Vigoreux and Voisin. Both of
these dealt openly in sorcery and poisons;
they not only predicted to impatient heirs
the decease of wealthy relatives, but even
undertook to bring about the event
Vigoreux was condemned to be hanged
Voisin to be burnt, and Nine. de
Sevlgne's memoirs contain a brief men,
ton OF the execution of the latter, who
fought to the last and blasphemed and
cursed as she was bound to the stake.
In the front rank of modern prisoners
stands Mime, Lafarge. The mysterious
crime of LIE Chandler caused great excite
ment throughout Europe. Public opinion
was divided as TO the guilt or innocence
of the accused, and feeling ran so high
that young man who had never met her
committed suicide on learning that she
mad been condemned. Nine. Lafarge,
whose maiden name was Capelle, left
memoirs entitled "Heures de Prison"
Nine. Lacoste, accused of a similar
crime, was more fortunate and was &C
quilted, after trial which made great
sensation at the time Lydie Fougnies
Comtesse de Bocarme, who was accused
in 1851 of having helped her husband get
rid, at the Chateau of Bittemont, in Bel
GUM, of a relative whose wealth he Gov
! eted, also escaped, though the Comte was
condemned TO death
Next in the list comes Helene Iegado. an
obstinate, stupid and ignorant Breton
maidserVantywho poisoned half dozen
persons, among them her master and mis-
tress, without any apparent motive, and
VINO eXplated her crime on the scaffold
Marie Madeline Noble, the wife of a
miller was guillotined at Epinal in IS46
for having poisoned her husband for the
sake of another miller, who had himself
got rid of his wife TO fly to the arms of
his mistress. Five years later woman
named Segard, who had poisoned her
husband and three children, suffered the
extreme penalty of the law at Nancy.
Lastly, few years ago, cook ap-
! peared before the Assize court at Tours.
on charge of having prepared deadly
dish for her master, an old bachelor, who
had made his will in her favor. She was
acquitted, but the presiding Judge. him
| self bachelor, when he announced the
verdict to her, said Ma file, YOU are
/ to be released, but if you ever hear that |
want cook don't apply for the situa-