The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-09-25
RIVALS THE BORGIAS
PROFESSOR BEAURIGARD. WHO
SLEW HIS GUESTS WITH BACnLLI.
Had Cholera Germs Frozen I'm lee
ON the W. of His Conviction.
New York Herald.

the medium of private letters from Buenos
Ayres, of one of the most remarkable muir
der cases the history of criminal procedure
contains. 1t created much excitement in
the Argentine Republic, and is still a lively
topic of conversation. Tn papers of the
United States have evidently not learned of
it, for no reference has been seen in them
concerning its occurrence. The man guilty
OF the crimes. the unparalleled ingenuity he
displayed and all the surroundings of the
incident would have made ii a cause celebre
If 1t had taken place in any North Ameri-
can or European city.
The accused was g. man Of unusual at
tainments. scholarly and courtly, thorough
ly in touch with all the requirements of po-
lite society, a finished linguist and an adj
mirable entertainer. He had long been re-
garded as one of the most capable and
brilliant of experimentalists; his work in
the laboratory was widely famous in its
marvellous results, and his lectures on path
illogical subjects were the popular feature
of the Ecole de Medicin of Buenos Ayres.
He was far in advance of Koch in mis- bac-
terial explanation of disease, and his dem
onstrations. carried on in the presence of
the class, were of the most interesting, as
well as the most convincing description.
But all that was now in the past. Prof.
Beaurigard stood in the dock accused of
multitudinous mu-rders-murders SO mys-
terious as to give no clew whatsoever TO
the prosecution, and yet the circumstances
were such as not only to warrant suspicion
but arrest. The trial had been set down
for several definite dates, but upon their
recurrence a postponement had been grant
ed on the application Of the prosecution.
with the assurance that it was not yet
ready to proceed, as Its evidence had not
been entirely secured. Finally, the counsel
for the prisoner insisted upon a hearing.
and as public clamor had been aroused the
judge indicated a final date and insisted
that the state should then be prepared to
proceed or the action discontinued.
THE CASE OPENED.
The day for the trial was reached, and
the capital was on tiptoe, the court room
was crowded and those of the curious who
were unable to gain an entrance stood
about the corridors Of the Palais and even
out into the courtyard discussing the prob
able outcome and gathering such scraps of
information as was possible from those
who had worked their way into the crowd
ed room and escaped from il again.
In opening the case the prosecuting attor-
nsy eio9uently presented his version of the
AFFAIR, detailed the incidents so far as the
government had been able to discover any
and made the best possible argument from
very meager material; His story. shorll
or the legal verbiage that confused the de-
tails OF the Indictment and given merely
as the jury heard 1T, told of the Professors
extraordinary mental gifts. his high stand
Ing, his long service in the cause of educa-
ton, ana then plunged into an attempt
to attach TO the prisoner responsibility for
the unaccoGntable deaths of some fifteen
individuals.
The only chain that appeared to link the
prisoner with the crimes was the fact that
ne mad enjoyed personal acquaintance with
the deceased, had been on what might be
called ntimat relations with them, and a
social entertainment. taking the form of
a savory participation, had, in each in
stance. preceded the deaths by about twen-
ty-four hours.
The Professor was famous for his dinners
never invited more than three guests, and
the quartet, he maintained, made just the
suitable number. There was not TO be had
finer cooking in Paris than the host laid
before his friends upon these occasions. His
chef and his butler were experts, and 1T
was a gastronomic success from the inn
ported oysters to the trapped creme de
menthe.
These dinners were now figuring in an
uninviting light. From the peaceful offer
ing of one friend to another they had be-
come. by the process of reasoning in the
prosecuting attorneys mind. the instru-
ment of removal of these fifteen missing
people And yet the cause Of death as
testified TO by the physicians conducting
the autopsy, on the bodies was variously
NafOW v " Jill OlilcI IcCOk-
nized disease that certainly could not be
employed or be brought about at the
caprice OF one murderously inclined to act
The prosecuting attorney was forced to
admit that the autopsy had shown no
poison. but on the contrary had clearly
shown an active disease that could not
prevail with the violence indicated and
have any other than a fatal result. Nor
good why the death of these particular
persons should have been desired, and
what advantage the professor derived from
the crime.
PROSECUTION PUZZLED.
1t was apparent to the audience that the
prosecution was laundering about hoping
to discover something. but without any
well-defned ideas of what it might be. The
prisoner answered the questions Of the
court satisfactorily. and a witness was in
troduced who testified to certain remarks
on the part of the Professor made at
various times to the effect that all the
prisoners of the world from Borgia to the
De Medici were bunglers, amateurs, tyros;
that he could Kill a city -full of persons
and 1t would never be discovered.
| That was the nearest approach to GRIM
mating evidence p~ronuced and the con-
temptuous smile of the attorney for the
defense was reflected on the faces of the
given. A murmur went through the Grove
and the state rested ITS case.
AtIlIu d pIOlOufid SiiCilCt III uIlc "
the prisoner arose and moved for the dis
charge of his client on the ground that
nothing had been proved against him. The
| president evidently believed theoretically
In the guilt of the accused, but he could
find no reasonable excuse for denying the
motion to dismiss. He hesitated, glanced
al his notes, made a felnt Of referring to
some documents upon his desk, gave a
slight preliminary cough and had resigned
himself to the inevitable and resolved to
speak when a clerk from the prosecuting
attorney's office forced his way hurriedly
through the crowd and held an excited con.
versation in whispers with his chief.
ence was concluded, upon which The pros.
most uncomfortable excitement, requested
the indulgence OF the court for a few
moments, as he had just received some
startling Information which would require
immediate investigation, and to give hin
time to do this he asked a recess for fif-
teen minutes. The court granted the re
quest and the prosecuting attorney with
drew with his clerk.
Within the time specified the attorney
reappeared at the door of the judges room
accompanied by a little frightened Spaniard
who pointed eagerly toward the Professor
and then dived back into obscurity.
The Professors eyes met those of the new
actor in the tragedy, and as he did his face
paled. he trembled in his seat and woulC
have fallen had il not been for his counsel
who sprang to his support. Then anothel
murmur ran through the court room. bu
this time IL was one of surprise. IL wa
clear that the sympathies OF the audience
a few moments before with the prisoner
were now wavering, for the audience could
not comprehend what was going on.
GUILT On HIS FACE.