The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-11-11
French Women
Deal Death
by Poison.

Paris has had many notorious female
prisoners who have made game OF high
personages. One OF the most noted OF
these malevolent women was the Mar
quise de Brinvilliers. who aourished IN
the latter part of the Seventeenth Gene
tury Her criminal career had peculiar
origin. Among her husbands friends was
a Captain st. Croix. whom the marquis
invited to live at his home. Inc Nls
protested, but the husband insisted. some
time afterward the marquis died, and as
death by poisoning lad become common
the captain and the nlarquise were sus-
pected OF having put the husband out
OF the way.
ST. Croix was sent to the Bastile ana
put In the same cell with Exlil. an ltal-
ian who mad become notorious as Il pro-
fesslonal poisoner. The captain learned
from the italian the art of preparing and
administering poison, and IT Is believed
he communicated the information 20 the
Marquise de Brinviliers. At any rate,
ne died suddenly and box he had ad-
dressed to the marquise Was found to
contain several kinds OF poison lue
woman escaped 10 a convent al blese,
which the police authorities were not
neTmitted 10 GntET. however q uNNNN-
live disguised as monk gained entrance
made love TO her and persuaded her ia
meet him on the outside, when she was
arrested. She made a confession OF many
OF her crimes. admitting that she hac
poisoned her father and brother because
they opposed her Intimacy with st. Croix
II was asserted she had also furnished
poison to number OF high parsonage
connected with the court, and her geh
eral record was that OF a professional
and wholesale poisoner. According U
one account she became nurse In IN
hospital Hotel Dieu OF Paris and kille
q number OF patients while making ek
periments With her poisons.
Paris suffered from another epidemic
poisoning about 1878, when 'successlo
powders" came into play The era
crime was lnsttgated by two woms
known as Lavlgovcux and Lavoisln, wh
posed as midwiyes and fortune teller
One OF their fayorite practices was TO foI'
tell tho death OF husbands and OF rio
relatives. They were careful to sell "p'
tIons' TO make their predictions con
true, and they often used servants as a
compaiees. When finally apprehendt
holes were bored through their hands VII
red-hot Irons. Then their hands were c
of and the unfortunate criminals we
burned to death at the stake. They h'
llst giving the names OF their customer
among whom WeFSf stNei"t PotSSAo
prominence. As result OF the in7eStig
lions OF the authorities more than 100 pc
cons were executed as posoners, ~
among these were at least atty women.
But italy probably holds the record
female prisoners. The career OF Lucrei
Borgia hes been told so often II IS tamili
and need not be repeated Less noiorio
but not less Wicked was woman call
Tofana or Toffanna, who had career OF
aQ a n0tgOQCr ana deal
n poisons. beginning about 1850. 5
confessed that she and her customers .
killed no fewer than 800 persons )
lived at Palermo. Naples and other piac
moved her residence frequently q
ADOPTED many DISCUSSES. After thirty ys'
In this horrible business she tooN REV
IN 4 convent, whose controllers refused
surrepder her. and she continued
snty yssrs. y r asserted 70 sell