davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-14

ot u swarm of wasps and there size was
left for twenty-four hours, being in that
time Ftung to death. The count AID his
wife, meanwhile sat at window near
by and watched the sufferings of their
victim. After it was over the body was
drained of it's blood.
The blood gathered from these girls
was at once used by the countess to
battle her neck and face. 1t may, with con-
siderable justice, be said that vanity had
much to do with the long list Of crimes,
for ii was in the beautifying Of her COM
plexlon that she first found a reason for
her action, and she sacrificed her maids
to her love of admiration, and the idea
that the method employed would inn
prove her attractions. The love of tor
ture grew on her with the increase OF
her crimes and the familiarity she &C
qulred with suffering.
A servant upon one occasion fell in a
ft while waiting upon the countess,
wheTeat the mistress, calling in her aids,
ordered them TO remove the Shoes and
stockings OF the unconscious girl and then
twisted small pieces of paper, soaked
them in oil and inserted them between
the toes Of the waitress and set them on
fire. Before the woman came out Of her
fit her toes were burned on The count
is reported to have enjoyed this so thor
oughly that it was several times repeated
for his amusement on later Victims and
as a prelude to the killing.
II was after the death of her husband
that the countess gave unrestrained H.
cense to her murderous instinct and made
a veritable business Of killing. She had
large mansion on the Blutgasse Vienna,
and there as well as the chateau OF Gre
1.-THE, she carried on her trade.
Having detected one Of her chamber
maids in the theft of a piece Of money,
she caused her to be bound down TO the
floor with her right hand extended and
then she heated a bar OF iron red hot and
pressed it on the extended hand Of the
shrleking maid, and continuing 10 do
this until the hand was entirely gone.
Upon another occasion the countess
caused one Of her girls to be stood nude
In a hogshead of Ice water, and kept there
for four hours, after which she was
clothed in a single muslin garment which
had been soaked in ice water, and was
tied to the top Of tall tower that stood
at one end OF the chateau while a furl-
GUS snow storm was In progress, and kept
there all night. In the morning the maiden
was dead.
The burning Of the maids hand gave the
countess q new idea in the way OF tor
meIit, and soon after we are told that she
had occasion 10 reprimnnd her washer
woman, and she did 30 by having her
strapped to the wall and burning out her
eyes, her nose and her tongue with n
red-hot iron. She did not kill the woman
outright after this, but kept her for sew
eral days, burning her flesh every hour.
and torturng her In many ways that the
author of this volume describes, but can
hardly be explained here.
The demand for victims became 30 In
satiable that the countess was forced 10
resort 10 other means than that Of en-
ployment In order 20 procure girls for
her purpose. For this she directed tho
man Fierko 20 20 out to tho distant coun-
try and kdnap, induce or otherwise get
The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-14

pers from the state authorities that guar
antee every assertion he makes.
In the gallery of family portraits in
the Chateau de Fay Ugrocz, in Hungary,
there hangs a portrait of a woman of the
sixteenth century that has attracted so
much attention that visitors have made
pilgrimages for miles out of their way
in order to look upon it. 1t is the portrait
of the bloody countess.
1t pictures a young woman or princess
in the beautiful dress of a fashionable
society leader of that epoch and, at first
glance, does not suggest anything out
of the ordinary. The figure of the woman
is tall and not at all robust the hands are
beautiful in shape, and are noticeable
by the brlliancy of colorlng the artist
has given them, a brilliancy that makes
them almost translucent so white are
they; her eyes are of extraordinary size,
and are filed with an ardent expression
that is startling when they come to be
examined; her forehead is unusually high
for woman, and it is covered with a
wealth of blUe-black hair, and the con-
trast between the charming blue of the
eyes and the deep black of the hair is
productive Of remarkable effect
The painting is only mediocre in ability
displayed, and the name of the artist Is
not known, but in compensation for this
the name of the model is known to the stu
found in the pages of every encyclopedia.
Herr Won Elsberg says that he became
so interested in the contemplation of
this portrait that he determined to learn
every detail of the models life and give
the wonderful story TO the public, and to
that curiosity We are indebted for the
forthcoming volume.
The author sums up his work before he
begins his narrative, and explains that
he does so in order that he may assure the
reader of the absolute truth OF the incred-
ible story
Elizabeth Bathory was the niece of
Bathory, King Of Poland, and wife of the
Hungarian Count Nadasdy. She was born
in the latter half Of the sixteenth century,
and is described as being a woman of
much apparent refinement, slender in fig
ure, delicate in appearance, exceedingly
intelligent, educated, and possessing all
the accomplishments of a society lady.
Her crimes We're made possible by enlist
ing in her service a man servant and two
women, all of whom seem to have en-
tered Into the villainy quite as readily
and with quite as much fervor as the mis-
tress herself
The man was frequently employed in
kidnapping young girls in the surrounding
country when II was found impossible
to secure a sufficient number by other
means.
Upon one occasion the countess. an
gered by some breach Of duty on the part
of her maid, seized q toilet article that
possessed q sharp point and plunged II
into the girls neck The blow was a saw
age one, ana It severed the carotid artery.
The blood spurted forth ia a great volume,
covering the hands OF the mistress and
bespattering her face. The sight seemed
20 madden her and arouse a new element
in her nature. She washed her hands IN
The blood, and as the gifl was PROSTATE
ON the door. the countess lifted her feet
10 o chair that the blood would more rap
The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-14
She BATHED IN BLOOD.
The Baths We're to Give Her a Beautiful
Complexion.

sinRIe-Handed, With Due Del1peratlon'
She Killed Six Hundred and Fifty
People in six Years-Diabolleal Vrue4-
ties of a Countess.
A short sketch Of this story has already
been published, but the full story Is 80
intensely interesting that 1t is given 10
the readers of the Morning News III us
entirety as taken from the Clnclhnau
Enquirer:
1t is hardly credible that there lived at
one time a person who, single-handed' al
most unaided and with due deliberauon'
killed $50 people in six years. Such per
son did live, however, and the history OF
the awful crimes has just been told IN
volume now being issued by leading pup
Usher of Breslau.
The tory is one of the most exciting ana
The story is one of the most exciting and
horrible that was ever told. 1t SHOWS
that the murders were committed tor Ihe
pure love of torture and blood, ana thaI
the criminal took savage delight IN the
sufferings of the victims, and that the
knowledge of the murders was VIDE
spread, but the criminal escaped PUNISH
ment for many years because II all nap
pened in an age when the wealthy classes
were practically exempt from respoIlsl-
bility for their actions.
History is filled with the slaughters OF
those the world at some time or other mas
been pleased to call murderers because
they brought about the death OF many
people in the process of war or in the
tyranny exerted by a ruler but this Is the
only known instance where an indlVld-
ual murdered day after day, in a cold
blooded manner, in private capacity ana
with not even the license of declaration
of hostilities. In addition to the KILLINGS
there was a variety Of torture devised by
the culprit that surpasses IN ingenuity
anything the civilized world has known.
And to add TO the remarkable element
IN the horrible history, the criminal was
a woman, a countess, one OF the most
beautiful and accomplished leaders OF so
ciety In her day. and the possessor or
MAGNIFICENT and extensive estate, mistress
OF unlimited wealth, the wife of man
who held an exalted position, but who was
led into the murders finally and found
them so attractive that while he did not
actually deal the death blow, as did his
wife, he sat by and enjoyed the excite
ment. while his wife covered herself with
blood.
Herr Won Elsherg, a well-known writer
living In Breslau, has just completed an
exhaustive history of the terrible life OF
the Countess of Blood, as she was called,
and whose real name was Elizabeth Ba-
thory, or Bathori, as some spelling give H.
The author makes his work an interest
ing psychological study I'm The nature
OF a thrilling and exciting romance, fore
tined with authenticated documents, au-
tographs Of the great criminal, ana pa
The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-14

idly flow toward the neck. This done, she
caught the flow in a vessel that was at
hand, and In this manner she obtained
a quantity sufficient to literally wash her
face and neck and arms. The girl bled to
death, and the countess discovered that
the awful bath had made her own skin
much whittier and softer than 1t had been
before.
This was the beginning of her series of
murders and tortures and the fascination
of the trade was soon felt by her husband,
the count, and he became a party to the
infamy. The diversion of the couple did
not stop at murder, but it included tor
ture of the most ingenious and horrible
description, and in order to have the vic
Tins prepared for the event with as little
trouble as possible to the principal actors,
they put that work in the hands of a man
servant named Gierko, nurse who had
been in the family for many years, named
Helene 10, and an ordinary servant
named Dorothee Santes
Beneath the castle, or chateau. were
many dungeons and passages well adapted
to this work that the five had entered
upon, and here one night during the
Christmas holidays the countess spread
a royal supper and invited to il twenty
five young damsels from the adjacent dis
tricts. The girls were all selected from the
families of the poorer people Whereabouts
anu lIuh no uhHEEI Oh III investigation
was expected. The girls naturally felt
honored by the attention thus shown
them, and they were all on hand at the
appointed hour.
The supper was sumptuous, AMI the
tables were loaded down with rich plate
The banquet took place in a spacious hnll
under ground, the better to give the par
Elephants novel experience, as the Coun-
tess kindly explained.
maidens were invited one by one to in
spect the subterranean passages, and rs
they went down the corridors with their
guides they were shown into different cells
and the doors closed upon them When all
had thus been disposed Of the work Of
slaughter began, and the countess, with
her party, visited the various rooms
The three servants fell upon the girls and
disrobed them, while the count and coun-
tess sat looking on. When they were thus
prepared the countess. causing them tc
be held down that they might not strug-
gle, drew from her pocket a sharp knife
and deity cut the most sensitive nerves
I'm the girl, then sliced of bits Of flesh
pierced the eyes, and ended the suffering
by cutting the jugular vein or piunging
the knife into the heart. In each case,
however, where the killing was done. tie
blood was preserved with great care.
In this manner, varying the mode Of
torture to suit her increasing saYagcry,
the countess went from one cell 20 an
other until she had with her own land
killed the entire number Of guests she
had seated at her table The shrickg OF
each victim was heard by those who wore
awaiting their turn, and, Of course, being
ignorant OF the reason, they were nearly
frightened to death before their life was
ended by even worse means
Che OF tho girls was kept over until the
next ncrning, when early Do the morniag
she was smeared over her entire body
With honey and tied tc post IN the midst
The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-14
LION ON THE 1oooMor1vE.
Only a Mountain Lion, but He Owned
the Whole Thing for Awhile.
Llrcra L.

iNih the CnlcaBO Times,
Last winter when the snowstorms were
so fearful throughout the mountains IN
Utah and the earth was covered witt,
snow to the depth of five to ten feet ana
remained hidden so long the wild animals
Were forced to desperation The wolves
were starved and weak and what is
hnoWn as the mountain lion almost per-
lsneu from starvation. Its great strength
failed 1t, and a man with a knife conld
soon take the life of an animal that n
snort time before could hold a powerfuI
OK or morse and make q meal of his flesh
Inc hungry animals after a while dis
covered mat food was 10 be found along
the railroad track, where passengers threa,
bones and scraps of victuals from nassin,.
trains. Often two starving coyotes would
engage in deadly combat over a chicken
bone that had a short time before been
ridden OF its last vestlge of nourishment
by some economical person who did NOT
care 10 pay Is cents for meal. This was
the condition Of things.
Engineer Cast had charge of engine No.
l5l, which was known as the abelDer.'
from the fact that 1t helped trains IN the
mountain and when at the summit cut OFF
ana dropped back down to the bottom
ready TO help another. One night when
business on the road was slack Cast no.
ticed something wrong with the gearing
under the tender, and remarked 10 the
fireman that they would get off and repair
H. When half way down the mountain
side he brought the engine to a standstiIl,
and the two men went TO work on what
proved to be twenty minutes lob pack
ING a hot box on the tender. The tallow
pot was left at the boilers head.
After completing the repairs the men
were mounting the engine again only Ia
see huge mountain lion devouring the
tallow and holding fun possession Of the
engine cab. It was a cold night and the
snow drifting The men had already re-
manned outside until they were very cold
and the chances of dlspossessing Mr.
Lion were very meager, as he snapped
his teeth and flashed his eyes and fast
stored the tallow out of sight The only
consolation the men had was that the tall
low would not last long at that rate. and
even this thought was not entirely satis-
fying as they had no way Of Determining
that one Of them would not go the same
way at the conclusion Of the tallow feast.
Finally, after fifteen minutes further de-
lay the tallow pot was empty, and giving
growl, as much as to say, Il am very
thankful, gentlemen, and you ought to
be-" the animal leaped from the cab and
disappeared in the hills.
The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-14

single-Handed, With Due Deliberation'
She Killed Six Hundred and Fifty
People in six Years-Diabolioal Cruel
ties of a Countess.
The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-14

victims to make a visit to the chateau,
once there, inside the walls OF the build
ing the girl was at once taken TO the dun
geon and her clothing taken from her.
Then a favOrte plan Of the countess was
to have mock ceremony Of marriage per-
formed, the man Flerl1o acting as groom,
and the girl receiving the assurance that
in marrying she would acquire her free
dom the following day, whereas by re-
fusing she would be committing suicide,
inasmuch as she would in that event be
killed. The couple were then conducted
to a dungeon that was fitted up with
royal magnifcence and represented bril-
dal boudoir. During the night the bride
would be awakened by the countess stan
ding by her bed, and who would plunge a
knife into her heart as soon as she
opened her eyes.
A method that the countess found
greatly to her liking was to have the vic
tim suspended by ropes from the ceiling
and then gently open vein in her body
and watch her slowly bleed to death.
Many Of the girls were forced to leap
from high places, and If they hesitated
to do so they were pushed off into space.
Many were laid across benches or large
rocks and their limbs broken by the
blows Of q heavy iron bar in the hands of
the man E'lerko. The countess never in
dulged In any brutal form OF murder
she did her killing in a refined and artis-
tic manner
It frequently happened that the victim
was suspended by the feet and allowed 10
remain In that position until she died,
either from starvation or from congestion.
Five washerwomen employed in the cha
teau excited the displeasure Of the mis-
tress by their negligence, and so they were
denuded, tied to posts in the park adjoin-
Ing the chateau, and whipped with heavy
HI
until they died. Finding four OF her maids
drinking and laughing when they should
have been working, the countess caused
them to be taken 10 a pool near by and
there dragged through the water by
means Of a rope tied around their necks
and when they were nearly dead they
were taken back TO the chateau and i'm
prsoned IN room that had no other open
ing than door and a stove pipe hole
the door was closed and through the pipe
hole a stream Of choking smoke was
poured that very soon put an end TO what
little life was left in them.
Naturally, rumors Of this criminal prac-
tice at the chateau reached the public
and while at that time the rights OF the
working classes were not much respected
the stories that were told OF these muir
ders excited some comment and created
O. scandal George Thurzo, governor OF
ti,e province where the countess lived
and also a cousin Of the countess, fire.
quently called on his relative TO cease
her terrible crimes, warning her that
they would eventually make trouble and
perhaps disgrace Tor her But the warn
INK was not needed tho acts continued,
ana finally even the cousin governor made
up his mind that u should be stopped by
force.
Learning that his cousin had arranged
for q repetition OF her former Christmas
wholesale killing he took some oihcera
and went 10 the chateau. whore he made
q thorough Investigation and found ia the
The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-14

An amusing instance OF German red
tape Is recorded by the Berlin "Neueste
Nachrlchten," says the Springfield Repub-
lcan. A Munich citizen came TO the reg
istrar of births to report an addition 10
his family Being asked as to his religion.
he declared himself Christian. Tho
official looked over his list OF reli gions,
but could ma no pigeonholc for ChriB-
u0nitN ana as the man was neither IA
Catholic nor a member OF "a Protestant de-
nomination, there Wea great struggle.
The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-14

cellar OF the building twenty young wo-
men tied to the walls without clothes,
and showing that they had been horribly
maltreated. and in such manner that
the description can only be imagined.
These girls were to be killed that same
night, and elaborate preparations had
been made for the slaughter. They had
all been told of the fate that befell their
predecessors and they had been shown
the blood-stained floors where the earlier
victims had been put out. of the way
They had been goaded almost TO the verge
Of frenzy by the story of the awful death
they were to meet, ana they learned from
the lips of the countess herself the details
Of the horror chamber in which they were
kept.
These girls told the governor that they
had been there for a month, and that
there had been many more, but every day
one was selected to be killed, and when
the selection was made the victim met
her fate then and there I'm the presence
of the others. Each day the countess
would torture them, and she showed
wonderful ingenuity In her means Of doing
So one girl had a bosom cut off by the
countess; another her nose, and all had
been mutlated in other directions and
with q deVilish perception of what would
give the greatest amount of pain. One
was hanging from the wall by her arm,
which had been pierced by a great spike,
and a large basin was placed on the
ground in order that the blood might not
be lost.
Elizabeth Bathory was arrested but
owing to the fact that she was a member
Of the reigning house she was not con-
demned TO death. She was imprisoned
for the rest Of her life in the Fortress Of
Esej. and her death took place there on
Aug q, 16l1, after she had been locked
up thirty-one years. She was 81 years old
at her death, and she starved herself TO
death.
Her three principal accomplices were
not treated with such consideration
lSierko received the favor OF decapita-
ton. but the two women were burned
alive after having their hands cut of
They all told the entire story without hes
itation. and from the evidence they pro-
duced the authorities learned that dur
ing the preceding years the countess had
killed $50 young girls. and II the governor
had not interfered as he did she would
have added a score more to the number
that very day. Whether there was any
merit In tho use Of blood as the countess
claimed there was. cannot be said, but
the fact remains that she was acknowl-
edged to be the most beautiful woman in
the country Her complexion was famed
ali over the Austrian Empire. She de-
clared that before using this means Of
beauty she had been comparatively plain,
and after she was locked up and unable
10 secure further baths In human blood
she rapidly deterlorated.
Ave forgotten more than you ever
The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-14

Ave forgotten more than you ever
knew.
b thought you'd met with some such
misfortune 40 that-Puck
DR. Heinrich Hoffman, a distinguished
German author, who was one OF the most
popular writer's OF childrcn's stories, died
recently at Frankfort, aged s. years.
The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-14
PAGES 0 no 16.

wait all the The Bargains offered
thousands which enough
The Helena independent., 1894-10-05

HslsnA. honssns, Rev. y. p. rovsE. A.
NJ. d. d.. president will open Sept l3.
1894. Has tIll literary esurssL also ART
music, business and normal. Itis the best
squippsd boarding school In Montana. and
iss rates the lowssL ranging from t24 70
$242 for board and tuition for The school
rear Of nlns msAths.
To aid yosna men Of limited means. ar
ranasnsnts have been made for boarding
slab hat will reduce board aud anfuf-
pishsd Tsom 10 sam not eIes.dipe $3.50
per vssh, perhaps lssa A student can
make q farther reduo,lon by boarding him
self
The sTsoisi features OF The university ars
hsalthful location, thorough instruction,
and wholssoms moral innusnos
Fet farther information address The
ptssldsnL Rev. Y. p. Tower. Prof. J. G.
Tsrplsson, or Ms n. h. Cummins, Helsna,
Aontsna