Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-11-24
eA1hED IN HUMAN BLOOD
A Countess Who Murdered Maidens %
Preserve Her Beauty.

A Countess Who Murdered Maidens 10
Preserve Her Beauty.
A story so horrible in its details
as to DO almost beyond belief, but
which Is nevertheless a historical
fact, comes from Hungary and dates
back to the sixteenth century. 1t is
that Of q lady OF rank who was i'm.
mensely wealthy aud whU being vain
Of her beauty, resOfted to the most
diabOlical means to preserve II.
The lady IN question was named
Elizabeth BathOry, COmtesse Mad
asdy, who married at the aye of 10,
IN ljyJ, JOmtc Fran oils Nadasdy.
One day after her husbands death
she struck her wal ting maid in a 1T
of anger, and 50 wounded her that
her mistress hands were covered with
blood. When they weie washed the
Countess remarked that her hands
were whittier and the skin more sup.
pie and firm, and thenceforward her
naturally cruel nature was spurred by
the frenhied desire to retain her
waning beauty at any price.
I'D though IL may seem In the
present day, she used as a cosmetic
iron that time on bath Of human
blood, and the tradition goes that
anything 50 superb In its brilliant
fairness as her complexion cannot be
imagined. She murdered all her
waiting maids, one by one, aided by
three accOnplices, her old nurse Icing
one vi them. and when she could get
no women to enter her service she
cOUlly sent her emissarics to kidnap
the peasant girls OF the neighbour
hood AT last. however, the ghastly
scandal rose to such pitch that even
Hungary In the Middle Ages could
not afford to close It's ears TO the
wall Of bereaved families; and the
culprits first cousin, Governor OF the
province. entered the castle on
Christmas eve, 1910, 10 inquire into
the truth OF these horrible stories
and discovered his fair aud hOnored
relative, her fair chin prOpped by her
exquisite hand, calmly watching the
death agOnics Of three gir.s, while
her attendants were tllling a bath
with the life blood that was to pre-.
serve ner beauty.
The Countess herself was too great
a parsonage to incur capital punish.
ment, but for 20 years she was shut
up In solitary confinement In the
Castle OF Cseibhe, In Hungary, where
she nnally starved herself to death.
As for her accUmplices, they had
their hands cut oil and were subsc.
quent,y burned at the stake, US being
common people, there was no reason
for spariEg their lives 1t Is said
that this fair dame sacrificed 600
girls to her radiance of SIX n.
Facing a Lion.
Mr.. SclOus was riding alone ut
night through an African forest, and
after about three hours stopped In q
favorable place to give his horse q
rest. To make the breathing spell
rs eirectiv, as possible he removed
the saddle, hobbled the horse, aud
left IL to Craze Then he retired tn
the shelter Of u thorn bush
and str tched himself Hat on his
back, with his hands under his head
and his hat over his face to keep the
moon out OF his Q, es
Suddenly he noticed that the
sound made by the horse In cropping
the heritage had ceased. That wa:
strange, and he rolled over quickly
upon his stomach and looked Out
from under the hush to see wha,
coud be the matter. The horse stood
perfectly still, with his ears prlcked
forward, gazing toward the road.
Mr.. Sclous looked in the same d.
rection. There, not Thirty yards
away. right In the open, was lion
ess, large and white In the brilliant
moonlight. coming up ut u quick and
stealthy pace, and In a halfcrouch'
ny attitude.
The man Jumped to his feet on the
instant, and the lioness In the same
instant crouched Hat on the ground.
The saddle and the rite lay out In
the moonlight right between the
man aud the lioness.
There was no time to hesitate. lie
must get tho rite, or the liOneSs
would get the horse, and he would
have to carry the saddle all that dis.
tance back through the woods. Hle
walked quickly out into the light to.
ward the ddle.
II confess" he says, II did not
like advancing unarmed toward the
liOness, for ! knew we'll what hun.
cry lions are capable Of" However,
there was nothing else to do. and
luckily the lioness never stirred Til
he stopped to pic, up the rifle. Then
she sprang up with u low, purring
gr0wl, and made oil. He fired aud
missed, but thought himself pretty
we'll out OF the adventure
Tho Gold Fever.
~ was u resident Of San Francisco
In ls+s when the gold fever strucI
that Dal Z of tho country" said Mat