The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-10

Nine. Joniaux's elder brother. Alfred
Ablay, the only scamp In the family. He
mad been kicked out Of the Belgian army
for drunkenness. He had rambIed all
over the world, carrousing, getting into
trouble, and living by his wits. which
grew duiler every day. At last, desper-
ate and at the end OF his resources. he
wrote his sister from Paris. To his joy
and amazement, she wrote him the
friendliest letter In the world, asking
him 20 come and visit her.
He arrived early in February and Nine.
JoniauX at once insured his life in her
favor with the Gresham Company Of
London, for S2a001. Soon thereafter he
fell sick, and before any decision had been
reached in the suit he had brought against
his son for support he died at Nine.
JonlauX 3 house. Everybody in Antwerp
was telling how devoted Nine. Joniaux
had been to this Maynard brother and
how misfortune had dashed her re-
signed and beautiful soul, when the
agents OF the Gresham Company ap-
peared and fell TO prying about Some
people began 10 whisper and then TO talk
openly. Ana at last, on April Is Of last
year, Nine. Joniaux was arrested.
But she never finchsd from the first
They dug Up the three bodies, but they
found traces Of poison only In the last
buried, that Of Alfred Ablay. Nine
JoniauX was so confident, so resigned
anu N4lL<A III LliaL UuDAAE opinion was
suspended. When they came to see her
they found her the lady born and bred.
courteous, calm, with clear. gray eyes.
looking honestly from a face in which
hfty-three years had left many traces
of trial and suffering. Then came the
trial, and altogether no witness ever
made a better showing her guilt was
soon made clear
The whole horrible story Of the woman's
struggles and crimes was laid bare
The money-lenders came and told how
they had threatend to close in upon
her just before each death and how she
had fought with them for time trem-
bling, sobbing, cursing and at last prom
lslng 70 have the money in a few days.
Police officers and proprietors of gam
bling resorts in the various watering
places of Europe told how she had
gambled there, how, in private games
she had been caught cheating, and had
not been exposed because of her high
social position. She had run up and
down Europe gambling, making acquaint-
ances and borrowing money.
Inc servants in her own household
told how she had wheeled them into
lending her their savings. Callers at her
house, members of Antwerp's high So
ciety, told of the curious pretexts on
which she got loans. She had written
letters to every one she knew and, for
one reason and another. had got gifts
or loans from everybody. The servants
and the friends also told of the splendor
and the extravaganza of her domestic
establishment. The tradespeople helped
to fill out the details of this part of the
story with their accounts of the huge
bills she had run, ana also completed the
picture of her harassments with their ac-
counts of how they had wrestled with her
In vain for settlements.
Then came the story OF the poisonings.
of the buying Of morphine and aterpine,
Of the sudden deaths and the payment Of
insurance money. The connection was TOO
close, the inference was inevitable. They
put the woman herself on the stand and
accused her and cross-examined her. She
had an answer for every point. She was
shrewd and apparently frank. and never
contradicted herself She wept when tears
were necessary. she stormed when storm
Ing would be effective, she was the quiet
self-contained, consciously innocent
woman of high birth and high position
when there was need of that attitude.
But all her adroitness and all the elo-
duence of her lawyers were useless
There could be but one verdict, and that
verdict came in the early hours of yester-
day morning. She received the verdict
and the death sentence which followed
with perfect calmness. She wore the msak
of innocence TO the last.
Under the Belgian law this sentence
of death must be comm uted to a sentence
Of life Imprisonment But this life i'm
prisonment is of such a hideous form that
death must follow. They will put her in
a cell, into which daylight cannot pene-
trate. She will never see a human being,
never hear a human voice again. They
will push her food in through a slit in tho
wall of her cell. She will go mad at the
end of few months if death does not
come first. Even the stupid and degraded
] fla1 70
burial within Two years.