The sun., 1903-12-13
The TRIAL OF A NOBLEWOMAN
STORY or TIE ALLEGED PLOT
TO PALM OFF AN HEIR.
Sensational Accusation Against countess
yesierski Kwilccki and Her Acqulttai
in Berlin--Niaie Child Was Needed
To Preserve the Family Fortune.

Berlin Despatch 10 The London 1imes'
The most sensational trial which has oc-
cupied Berlin court for very many years was
concluded on Now %, after having lasted
twenty-one days Countess Vesicrski XVII
lecki was charged before jury with having
falsely represented that she had given birth
TO a male child in Berlin on Jan. ~. 1897
Her husband, Count Neserski kwilecki.
was accused of having conspired with her TO
represent Il supposititious child purchased
from poor woman in Cracow as their son
and heir with view to preventing their
entailed estate of Vroblevo from passing out
OF their branch Of the family to another line
of Kwilecki.
In the dock with the Count and Countess
were the midwife, Katharine Ososka: Josepha
Knoska, an aged female servant; and her
daughter, also servant of the Countess
These three women were charged with being
accessories to the crime, The Count and
Countess and the two female servants pleaded
not guilty the midwife Ososka pleaded
guilty. Ososka was not employed dt the
alleged accouchement, but testified Mt pre-
liminary examination that having massaged
the Countess some months before the date
of the supposed birth she had observed All
the signs of pregnancy.
The case has attracted an extraordinary
amount of attention in Berlin, and indeed
throughout Germany. The accused Count
and Countess and the kindred family of the
kwilecki. on whose initiative the Public
Prosecutor took action. occupya high position
among the Polish nobility. and the estate or
Vroblevo. the succession u which was IN
question has n rentroll of 20 600 marks.
In the year 1906 Countess Vesicrski kwilecki
was so years of age. She had three daughters.
the youngest of whom was born in 1870.
and no son. The absence of direct male
heir had involved the Count and Countess in
some serious Inconvenience at Vroblevo.
la,. bad hoo li,,i,, ytrnN "A
their credit was exhausted. The estate was
already heavily mortgaged. and it was difficult
to obtain further personal loans. seeing
that in all human probability the estate
would pass on the Counts death to the other
line of Kwilecki. while the Countess and her
daughters would then enjoy only very small
jointures.
The financial position of the Count and
Countess was well known to their neighbors
In the province of Posen When. therefore.
In May, 1890. it was rumored in the district
that the Countess was cncionte there was
good deal of scepticism. The case was
complicated by the fact that the Countess
had all her life manifested the strongest
aversion to a medical examination; yet the
family physician Or. Rosinski could testify
on this occasion. like many other witnesses.
to all the outward symptoms OF pregnancy.
The representatives. of the rival line OF
kwlleck, were not so rdS,ly sa,ioiisdi thSS ,S
srcentrc Countess had declared her intention
pr going to Italy for heraccouchement and the
that the expected event should take place
within the German, Empire. The Countess
determined to arcede to- this rean1sst H. ana dolq N
physician. DR. Rosinski. that she was going
to Berlin for the accouchement and that she
N>inted upon him to come when she should
tand for him.
The scene is now transferred to Kqiscrin
Augusta StrasSe. in the west end of Berlin,
Il n fhn handed
in at the Berlin district registry that The Count
ess Nesierski Kwiscki had given birth to
the services OF a somewhat aged midwife
named DWELL, who had been BROUGHT from
the Countess SSH had telegraphod to her family
doctor at home but the telegram must have
remained At the local teGgraph oGG T. over
stating that 0"o The Countess @ had % given brth to
Dr.. Rosinski took the first train to Berlin
and arrived at the lodgings in the kaiserin
,af nfus.a ssrasse seo al ort@T fonrs
after the alleged birth of the child, Accord
ing to the evidence which he gave in Court
of having 'bss bsen lately DELIVERED. but as usual
she objected to an actual medical examinm-
and there was every prospect Of speedy
recovery. friend Of the Countess, Nine
DE- Mos7Szevska ady hoo Of position told the
but it was rot undressed in his presence he
docs not appear to haye expressed at the
time any doubts regarding the ,authenticity
Of the birth. and only declared that the child
was strong and remnrsn6Sy M saS nH one md
position, DR.. Won Jazdzevski, Roman Catho-
lic priest, and member of the Reichstag,
had visited the Countess both before and fter
her ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and had not the slightest
doubt as e the eenuineness OF the ShtId, ill.,,
ness to the Countess became every, day more
apparent The representatives Of the rival
e s"snieions tnf' Count 'N Sie"isav + Kwiccki went
so far AS TO propose to Count Nesiersk Xviii
scki that if the Inter would privately own to
crime had been secured by lapse of time.
eee wond hny @
r son Kwsss SwaSs Count ec!1 Gstted
ing the public recognition of the legitimacy
Of their son, This action was tried at posen
IN court, and the, resemblance was recognized.
After the trial had been adjourned the de;
the, case was decided against them by de-
The rival branch did not conform to. the
snpposititons An amateur detective named
were far from unexceptionabe His chief
witness was n girl named Jadviga Andrus-
sSs bad mfd q" s9E and
dismissed Her evidence was to the effect
that her mother who had meantime died.
hod in January. 1897 gone to Cracow and had
obtained by purchase an infant then over
month old. which she had brought to Berlin
and delivered to the Countess Kwecki at
her lodgings on Jan 81 The child had been
bought near Cracow from poor girl who had
given birth to il on Dec %. 1895.
This woman appeared in court and gave
her evidence to the effect that two ladies,
apparently of rank; had visited her in Jan
uary, 1897, and had taken away her bow in
exchange for 100 gulden She had subse-
auenty rcpentcd and had tried to find the
ladies at hotel in Cracow, but they were
gone She had another child. who was
brought into court dressed in n suit exactly
like that of the young Count and heir of the
Ewileckis. but it was difficult for the public
at least TO trace any resemblance between
them
The woman made every demonstration Of
distress over the loss of her alleged younger
BOY, but it was too much for the jury to be-
Hcve that she had first recognized her long
lost child from n Photograph, seeing that
her story was that she had parted with him
when he was only month old The re-
ee:nb,ance Of the younger child to the
Countess was again generally recognized
There WAS tt vast amount of other evidence.
largely collected by llcchclski The son OF
the midwif" Ovell gave damaging evidence
against Il"chelski. who, it appeared, had
spoken to him of considerable sum of money