The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-27
COUNTESS IS ON
TRIAL FOR FRAUD
Charged With Pretending to
Have Borne a Son and Pre-
scented Him as an Heir.

BERLIN, Oct 26.-The trial of
Countess Isabella Wesiers41a kwlleckl'
belonging to a rich and ariStocratic
Polish family, on the charge of pre-
tending to have borne a son over six
years ago and presenting him as the
heir to an estate in the province OF
Posen, consisting of 10000 acres. and
having a yearly rental roll totaling
$4,000, began here today. Count
Kwilecl1i appears in the trial, charged
with being an accessory. The countess
was arrested Jan. % and the count
was taken into custody Aug. 5. One
midwife and two women servants were
also placed in the box as accessories.
The morning train from Posen
brought about $50 witnesses, mostly
Polish peasants. Countess Kwileck is
defended by seven leading Polish law
yers. Very great interest is manifest
ed in the case here, as the accused
countess and count are well known in
the highed aristocratic- circles of Ber-
lin. She was born in March, s1S46, mar
ried the count in 1864 and bore him
three children, the last in 1879.
Then, the count and countess claim,
the latter gave birth to the son who is
the cause of the present proceedings.
This son is said to have been born
Jan. q, 1897. The prosecution claims
that the latter is the son of a peasant
girl of Parcze, in Austrian Silesia,
who is present as a witness and as a
claimant for the child.
The session of the court today was
wholly occupied with taking the testi-
mony of the countess, who is of aristo-
cratic appearance. She stood erect,
holding a lorgnette in her right hand
and gesticulating excitedly with her
left hand while answering questions
put to her by the presiding judge. The
countess pleaded mot guilty." and
sweepingly denied all completely in any
criminal act. But the countess was
frequently cornered by the judge. She
was unable to given satisfactory expla-
nations of many suspicious circum-
stances, and some damaging facts
were brought out, including that when
the countess came to Berlin to await
her ACCOMPLISHMENT, she said she did so
because she could get better medical
attention here, but she did not call in
a physician and employed an obscure
midwife. The countess, it was also
shown by the testimony, intended going
abroad for the ACCOMPLISHMENT and de-
sisted from so doing only upon repre-
sensations being made to her that the
collateral heirs of the estate would
suspect her.
Another point brought out was that
the countess refused to see the family
physician WIlen he came from HOSen
to Berlin in order 10 attend her.
Count Kwilecl1i, a member of the
Prussian house of lords, and his son.
Counte Hector Kwilecki, a member of
the reichstag, contested, as next of
kin, the legitimacy of the countess
son two years previous to her arrest,
but after a sensational trial at Posen
she was acquitted and the countess and
the count, her husband, continued to
live the Polish estate Snpndincr tho
winter in fashionable society. The
prosecuting attorney. however, contin-
ued his Investigations, and, it is said,
obtained fresh testimony through
police examination of a woman who
bore child at the time the son of the
Countess Kwilecki is said to have been
born, and the rearrest of the countess
followed. 1t is alleged that the countess
had women of high rank as accom-
plices. These, whose names have not
been disclosed. are said to have pro-
cured the illegitimate son of the daugh-
ter of a railroad Waterman in Austria
and brought the baby to the countess
apartments in Berlin.