Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-10-23
ART OF POISONING.
Women Experts in This Kind OF
Work.
POISON MAIDENs OF THE HIND00S.
One Hundred and Seventy Women
Poisoned Their Husbands In year.
Water of Divorce.

In the recent arrest of Mrs. Fleming,
who is charged with having poisoned
her mother, Mrs. Bliss. with antimony,
there is another reminder of the many
interesting cases in which women have
adopted this subtitle method of murder.
The art of poisoning seems to have pos
sessed from the earliest times charm
for mankind. and history confirms the
statement that this way of taking
human life has had a peculiar fasclna-
ton for women. Much more fire.
ouently have women committed this
crime than men. and always with
GOODNESS that is astonishing. Hus-
bands, lovers, parents, children and
feminine rivals have been sent to their
graves by women possessed OF talent,
beauty, charm, learning. grace and
eentleness of manner, whose dainty
hands had always been only associated
with affectionate ministrations. The
ancient Hindoo race possessed the
knowledge of poisons to a remarkable
degree Among the peculiar features
of their civilization were the Puellae
Veneficae, or Ioison. maidens-young
women who had been injured from
their birth to the digestion of poison.
Beautiful to look upon, graceful and
beguiling IN their charms, they had
power to kill any one who came in con-
tact with them; and kiss from their
scarlet lips was as deadly as cobra's
fang. Whether vegetable. animal or
mineral poisons were used to produce
the result is not known.
The old Roman fortune-teller, Spara,
sold an infallible draught, which grew
so popular that it continued in use for
two centuries under the name of Mamma
of st. Nicola. clear as crystal and taste
less. In later times it was called
Aqua di Perugia. One of its ingre.
dients was said to have been the saliva
of a human being rendered mad by
tickling the soles of his feet, and the
foam from a rabid dogs tongue. Six
or seven hundred persons lost their
lives by it in the first decades of it's in
vention.
Happy had it been for the Imperial
City if the women had stopped at sui
eide, but brought up with the idea
that suicide was proper when they
wished to dispense with the burden of
life. thefair daughters of Rome began to
seek relief in a more satisfactory man.
ner-by murder. During the consulates
of Marcellus and Valerius virulent dis
temper made its appearance in Rome,
which, battling every precaution, car
ried off number of its prominent citi-
zens in manner singularly mysteri-
GUS. While the city was overwhelmed
with CONSERVATION maid-servant pre-
scented herself before the Aedile and
offered, if secured from the vengeance
of those she would have to denounce,
to disclose the cause of the mortality.
The public faith being pledged for her
protection, she asserted that all who
had died so mysteriously were the vic
Tins of poison, and, through her means,
a number of women, including twenty
respectable matrons and two of high
patrician rank-Cornelia and Sergia-
were detected in the very act of CON-
pounding drugs for the deadly purpose.
They were instantly conveyed to the
Forum. On their examination they
insisted that the drugs were whole
some, upon which the Senate urged
them to demonstrate this fact by par
taking of the preparation. They de-
and agreed to do so. Immediately upon
quaffing the poisoned draught they
expired on the spot. Further inquir-
les being instituted. the guilty practice
was traced to 40 matrons Of the best
families in Rome, who all suffered the
ignominious death of public execution.
The evil was not eIadicated, and the
art of poisoning extended its influence
and became fashionable study. Ju-
venal warns the parents of Rome that
"their daughters will speedily be pre-
sented with the death-oup, or perhaps
strangled in the night, if their hus-
bands. who are bound to them by such
slender ties, are to gain legacy at their
decease. He admonishes the "hus-
band to be careful how he paItakes Of
the meats dressed by his wife; the son
to refrain, if possible. from the dain-
ties prepared by his mother" The
removal of stepsons by poison was an
every day occurrence, and Pontia, the
wife of Drymis. deliberately poisoned
her own children, and then committed
suicide. The Empress Cesonia admin
istered deadly potion to her uncle,
and successfully poisoned all who in
Cured her enmity. including many
Senators and knights. The crime per-
vaded every rank from the crowned
head to the slave, and neither palace
nor howell was safe.
The famous affair of the Bacchanals
is another instance of the poisoning
tendency of Roman society at that
time. Even in city accustomed to
scandal and vice the following piece Of
news relating to it must have been
startling: "Seven thousand persons of
both sexes, the highest aristocracy,
mixed with the vilest of the populace,
forming a vast utilization devoted to
murder and internal debauohery, exists.