The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-28
A BEAUTIFUL CONVICT.
Que, Of Thorwaldsen's Models Dead
After 81 Years Of Prison Life.

oNSs ~ "NASSCH ss~AOuSAS "C""
After 81 Years of Prison Life.
In the county of Bottnaryd. n1sSwe-
den, there died recently woman %
years old whose life history is such that
| beside it the tales Of ronlancers appear
| ordinary and believable. 1t is also 4
| vivid illustration of the extreme rigidity
| of the criminal laws OF Europe.
When she was girl of IS the name
| "Murderess Stafoa" was given her. She
was the daughter of Il notorious peasant,
whose Whole life had been spent in vio-
! lence rnd evil deeds. 1t was said that
his only legacy to his daughter was the
to those of his calling was doubtless an
excellent suggestion. That Stafoa heed
cd his warning is shown by the story
| which is told Of her.
| BY Il strange freak of nlture. the girl
grew up to be remarka BILE beauty. Her
hair was of the sunniest golden, and she
had Il complexion like the bloom Of white
and pink carnations, a fgure.hke that of
Diana, and superb eyes that seldom
showed the wickedness that lurked in
her soul. Artists raved sover her. and
! her fame as Il beauty spread over nil
of Europe. Stafoas beautiful face md
perfect figure are still to be fonnd IN the
continental art n lleries. She posed for
| Ihorwaldsen's splendid statue of Venus,
she was favorite model Of Fogelbers,
and it was she who sat for his "Freyn> =
| The elder Dubufe declared that she was
woman Of the most perfect features
and outline.
BUT Stafoa's fame as beauty was
rudely interrupted, for one day in 1920.
she aud another woman were arrested for
muruerlng a peddler,. Il poor feminine
creature who was wandering about the
country! selling tritles and knfck- kna cks.
| he Witnesses GtflD
and. except for the evidences, given by
| them, there was no iiedis Of: convfsffifns
| the accused. Stafoa's acconlDlice con
fesSed, p'aclns the blame on the artist s
model. and escaped. with two years in
prison. Stafoa absolutely denied having
taken any part whatever in the robbery
| ana murder, and stuck pluckily to this till
the day she died. Acc&rsling to Swedish
custom She was placed in prison '.pehd-
ing confesSion,' and there she STAYED for
seventeen years, at which time the chill
lren had grown up and had .become:i Ia N
full witnesses. At the:: second triad the
accused steadily affirmed her Innocence.
Nevertheless she was sentenced to death,
| but i'll view of the fact that she steadily
refused. to admit her. guilt the r.Kinx
changed the sentence: to life: imlafipal-
ment. ..: ....:: -.
house Of correction at :St1vkhplhh: :: SpS-
| eral times she managed to eschpe, Tut
was always captured: The officials final
ly placed her in the;: irison ut Xarlpr.,,
where only the vilest a1ll most dangerous
criminals are kept. ~.
Here the chaplain besame infatuated
with her beauty. just as he was aborit
! to aid her to escape their schemes we're
discovered. and the chaplain was not only
punished but expelled from the church.
Stafoa was then returned to Stockholm.
But her beauty continued to sway fRns
minds and hearts and One of the guards
fell desperately in love with her. BY his
aid she again managed to escape, but
was aguin captured! The rest of her
prison life was filled with these adven-
lures, the like Of which are found in
Dumas novels, but seldom in real life.
Finally, 1854. after she had remained in
prison fortyseven years as Il convicted
| prisoner. and seventeen years as pris-
! Oner for confession, or sfxty-four years
| III all. the woman was pardoned. She
opened little milk store in Stockholm,
but after two years she returned to her
native. home where she died this year at
the age of 81 years.
1t is said that although almost her en-
tire life had been spent inside prison
walls. she still retained much of her beau
ty of face and form. TO the day of her
death she continued to affirm that she
was innocent of the dreadful deed of
which she had been accused. and that
the name ''NIurdcress Stafoa' had been
an injustice.