The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

her secret. but Saint Croix was harder to
deal with He had letters of hers in his
possession. he had the ''recette de CHASER;
he held written promises of hers to pay him
large sums of money, the price of his CO.
operation in her mOnstrous schemes and
over these papers they had many quar-
rel.
She threatened TO poison herself, but
found the pains of arsenic troublesome. and
saved herself through drinking great guam
titles Of hot milk Consoling herself with
other lovers, and especially with Brian
court a member of her household whom
she sought TO bring also into her crimes.
she nevertheless continued to see Saint
Croix Before she had time to poison him
he died a natural DEATH the casket CON
tanning the discriminating papers fell into
the hands of the authorities, and present
ly al! The fat was in the fire.
The marquise fled after strenuous eff
forts to obtain the papers, but after many
wanderings she was arrested at Liege.
where she had taken refuge in convent.
The history of her journey to Paris-dur-
ing the course of which She formed heroic
plans for escape-of her trial. confession.
and death is told by NJ Funck- Brentano
in manner at once scholarly. precise and
thrilling. At first she preserved her proud
demeanor. When Briancourt wept over
his testimony she flung scOrn upon his
tears.
In hard and naughty voice she denied
everything. Her advocate Nivelle, de-
Tended her with ardor and skill. But
there were too many proofs, and it only
needed the influence of Prot. the priest
who accompanied her from the court to
prison, to break down her obstinacy. She
behaved with wonderful reasonableness
under his eXhortation, and when brought
again before her judges made confession
TO which torture cou'i cause her to add
nothing essential. They forced enormous
quantities of water down her throat. In
her agony she returned to her former
mode of reckless and infatuated speech,
but her spirit was broken. and she went to
her execution a woman resigned. and,
nominally at least. changed.
Executed at the Place de Greves.
An immense crowd followed her to the
Place de Greves. Nine. De Sevigne, who
witnessed the execution. wrote that she
had never seen Paris so full, so attentive.
or so moved, Prot made two volumes out
OF his notes on the last day of the con-
demned and the Marquise de Brinvilliers,
in the reaction OF public feeling. was in
fair way 10 be ranked as a martyr. But
the Brinyilliers episode was only the be
shudder of horror throughout Europe.
She was executed in 1876 Three years
later mysterious deaths. rumors of poison
ing arrests and Investigations. led to the
stupefaction of the King at the secret
crimes which were evidently being com
mitted within his realm, and TO his es-
of the "chambre ardente,' in
which the whole question of poisoning was
to be threshed out The chamber met for
III frs la,
meetings were suspended from october 1.
1880 to May 10. 1851. for reasons which
will appear below. and on July 81 1852. its
doors were permanently fclosed Thus 1t
will be seen that its labors were limited,
bur in explaining the causes NJ. Funch-
Brentano covers a wide field.
He shows us society saturated al once
in superstition and corruption. Paris
sheltered numerous seekers after the phil
osopher's stone whose transactions were
often in one way or another connected
with those of men and women who frank
" devoted themselves to sorcery in its
most infamous branches.
The Crimes of La Voisin.
La yoisn is the salient figure in this
Internal company, a creature of the low
est type but among the "magicians" there
were men OF birth. and among the clients
not only The ignorant common people. bug
half the great persnnages around the
throne OF France Ladies of the court
came TO La NOisin for charms TO win back
the hearts of their recalcitrant lovers;
they came for pOisons with which to re-
move rivals and husbands, and for other
things as hideoBs La Noisin was the rage
among a horde Of charlatan5 and poison
ers. She boosted after her arrest of hav
ba- in, hpT
garden the bones of more than $500 in
fants many of them sacrificed for the per-
Torrance Of the ''meSse nOire. La Rey-
ME the magistrate under whose hands
the investigation passed, found crimes
more and more terrible as he prObed deep
er into the situation. He found things
which caused the King peremptOrily TO
suspend the activities Of the "charbrc
ardente."
It was all very well TO convict a popular
sCTceress CT poisoning. or some other name
less crime. and. after torturing her, 10
have her executed and burned. II was an
other thing to reveal the great names be
hind these miserable wretches. ana pro-
coed inexorabIy with The law against ever5'l
one involved. La Reyuie shivered as he
realized The responsibility that had fallen
upon his shouldera He was an honest
man. and able. He would have had the
I
lite. if lie had had his way.
Bd, even La Reyuie. since he, too held
the name Of his kiEg and country in
honor must have breathed = sigh OF re-
lief when Louis took the documents that
proved the guilt of Nine. De M0ltespau
and burned them on his hearthstonc The
King thought he had buried forever the
secrets that LEFT q trail of poison across his
encourage. But La Rcyuie had made notes
of his investigations. and from these and
other sources VI. Funek- BrentaHo has re-
constructed the story of Nine De Monte
spans relations with the poisoLers.
Revenge of 1t Kings Mistress
The Kings mistress WIS a. jealous a.
she was charming and proud When she
felt her empire slipping she turned in
the spirit of her time. 10 the dens in which
the powers Of Satan were invoked by his
dcvotees TO La Voisin, to la messe ncire' 4
Thrice she played the leading role in that
incredible ceremony. thing which would
seem incredible II the evidence were not
crushing. Ia the letters of Nine. he Sc
ygne We read OF her anger wncn the ale
giGIcC Of the King waycred. The ap-
p'ar5ucc Of Mile. De Fontauges on the
scene, ANA Louis XIV's evident delight in
that radiant girl" beautiful as all angel
Princess Palatirc-gavc the last drop TO
her cup Of misery, the last flip to her res
outiuu. la meSse u0ire.' cOnjurations.
love powders. and all the rest were plainly
useless.