The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-14
Strange Stories from the French Courts
BY r. H. sHERARD.


that the courts OF no other civilized coun-
try-a pity that the word civilized" should
be used in this connection-afford such in
stances of depravity in the conception OF
crime and of horrid ingenuity in carrying
IL out.
The annals of many countries have been
stained with the records OF diabolical pois-
oners. and Italy has not yet outlived the
evil reputation which in this respect she
got in the middle ages. But here also
France holds a shameful supremacy. Nor
IS reference intended to the exploits OF the
notorious Marquise de Brinyilliers, Tor IL
is now fairly we'll established that that
wretched woman was insane and altogether
irresponsible. But even IL, as her judges
at the time decided. she had been entirely
rational. and her actions had been delib-
crate and willful. what comparison could
be established between her guilt and the
internal wickedness of DR.. Couty de la
Pommerais, who was executed In 1867, In
spite of the fact that the Empress Eugene,
moved by the applications OF his young
wife, implored Napoleon III to reprieve
him?
THE KING OF PRISONERS.
The only parallel that one can find to la
Pommerais is that English doctor, Palmer
known as the Rugeley murderer. In both
cases love of lucre was the ignoble incent-
I've; in both cases the hellish design upon a
confiding victim was carried out with the
most cynical and unrelenting composure,
but in point Of ingenuity, as well as IN
point of cruelty, the French criminal far
exceeded his fellow-murderer William
Palmer almost inspires sympathy when one
contrasts him with Couty de la Pommerais.
Palmer used strychnine. which. IL 1t tor
lures, kills fast; La Pommerals, more cum
ming, used digitaline, which tortured also,
but kills so slowly that suspicion of poison
is hardly aroused This la Pommerals
may be described as the king OF prisoners.
He took a delight in the sense
Of power which the possession OF
lethal drugs gave him. When, after
his arrest, his consulting room In
the Rue des Saints-Peres, Paris. was
searched by the police no less than thirty
seven bottles of poison were discovered In
a secret cupboard. OF digitaline alone
quantity was found, sufficient TO Kill
thousand people. The number of his VIC
tins was never known, nor indeed closely
inquired into The actual murder for which
he paid the forfeit under the knife of the
guillotine was abundantly proved. Hav-
ing insured the life of wretched woman,
a Madame PAW, for 10000, he paid one
premium on this sum, and then began to
doctor her with digitaline, a poison never
used before by criminals. 1t produces the
SYMPTOMS of acute heart disease, and his
calculation was that her death would be
attributed to this. He had taken all his
precautions, but in his cunning over
reached himself A batch of letters written
by Madame Pauw, in which she described
her malady and in which she thanked him
patheticaIly for his benevolent attendance
on her were proved to have been dictated
by him to his victim. He had relied on
these letters to prove his good faith. They
were the worst charge against him. There
were twenty letters but he could not pro-
duce a single envelope to show that they
had passed through the post. To save
few pence in postage he had carried home
each letter as 1t was written. In playing
for stake of 10000 he had refused to
.isk a half-crown, and so lost the fortune
aid his life with 1t. A peculiar interest
attaches to the story of his execution, for
IL villiers de Lisle-Adam's narratives is
correct an attempt was made. with his CO.
operation, to solve the question which has
often puzzled scientists: Does the brain
retain it's faculties for any time after the
head has been cut of by the gu;llotine?"
1t was agreed between the convict and an
other doctor that Immediately after the
knife had fallen, he should, If he could,
wink thrice in obedience to an order. The
experiment was tried and failed. The lids
closed once and opened. but not again.
CRIMES COMMITTED BY WOMEN.
If La Pommerais may be styled the King
of Prisoners. the title of Queen may well
be given to the Breton woman, Helene Je-
gado, who was tried at the Assize Court of
Rennes and executed in that town. She
was a cook by profession, and killed for
the sheer love of killing, mixing arsenic in
the dishes which she served to her vari-
Gus employers. She went from situation
to situation, leaving trail of desolation
and death behind her. Some forty murders
were charged upon her.
In those days women were still executed
In France Nowadays sentimentality reigns
supreme, and women are hardly ever SEN
fenced to death, however atrocious their
crimes may be. One may except from this
charge of sentimentality the Versailles jury
which Is dreaded for its severity. or this
severity a woman now in prison had the
experience last year under curious circum-
stances Her name is Madame Gruitzinger
who murdered her husband by shooting him
while he slept. She was tried in Paris
and, being found guilty on a minor charge
only. the verdict being further mitigate6
by an admission of 'extenuating circum.
stances" she was sentenced but to five
years solitary confinement. She considered
this sentence much too severe, and ap
pealed. The case was retired at Versailles
The jury here very properly convicted hel
on the capital charge. finding no extenuat
ing circumstances whatever, for indeed
none existed. On this verdict she was sen
fenced to death. President Loubet how
ever. reprieved her. and fixed her sentence
at the penalty inflicted by the judges Of
the Paris court. Appeal In criminal case.
is two-edged sword, a fact which senti
mentalists in England seem to forget. How
ever, 1 do not suppose that Madame Gruit
ginger was ever In terror Of death, for it Il
now nearly sixteen years since convicte,
murderess was put TO death. This execu
ton took place at Romorantin. when three
prisoners suffered. They were three peas
ants, woman. her husband and hi
brother. They had been tried at Blot
ashes for the murder of the woman
mother. She had made over all her prop
erty TO her children. and they were tire,
of feeding her. So one day they threw he