The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-19


When in conversation abroad the gloomy
subject of criminal poisoning is touched
upon, the name OF the notorious Marquise
de Brinvilliers is certain to be introduced.
For centuries she has figured as the very
prototype OF the profession OF poisoner'
pitiless, cunning. replete with infamy Wen,
Of late. whenever the name Of the unhappy
little Warehouses has been mentioned
some one. armed with the latest scientific
facts. has been sure to take up her defense,
to rehabilitate her memory, and by we'll
substantiated arguments to enshroud once
more In the deepest mystery the multiple
tragedies for which the eighteenth century
society found a rough and ready explana-
ton. and in the hideous scenes before Notre
Dame Cathedral ard on the Place de Greve
a satisfactory denouement Recent scien-
tific discoveries, then. have entirely modi-
ned the theories Of criminal PSYCHOLOGISTS
with reference to mineral poisons in gen.
eral, and TO poisoning by arsenic In par
ticular An immediate result OF these OBJ
servations has been the release and par
don of a chemist named Danval, who. twen-
ty-five years ago, was sentenced TO death
Cor poisoning his wife with arsenic, and
who since his reprieve has been detained
as a convict in the penal settlement of New
Caledonia The scientists have established
that the human body contains arsenic as
a constituent part just as it contains iron
and other minerals. This fact has, OF
course. been known very long while to
certain savants. but 1t was not until quite
recently that it could be proved to the sat
isfaction of the skeptical race of judges,
juries and prosecuting counsel. Thus, when
towards the beginning of the last century
the woman Marie Lafarge. lady Of high
position and great wealth, was tried for
her life for poisoning her husband with
arsenic and this argument was brought for
ward in her favor by that eminent chemist,
Raspail. ii awaited her nothing; indeed was
met with general derision.
"You have found arsenic in the victims
body" cried Raspan at do not deny it.
But what does that prove? There is
arsenic everywhere; in living bodies (or
which have liyed) well as in dead sub
stances and inorganic matter, and 1 readily
undertake. for my part. TO extract an APP
preciable quantity Of this poison from the
armchair on which the august person of the
presiding judge of assizes is seated
Since the silly laughter which this declar-
alton provoked died out. its absolute verac-
the thyroid gland is, in it's way, as rich in
arsenic any Cornish mine. More than
this. arsenic has been found. by the new
tests. in healthy human brain. in human
skin. and In the very hairs of our heads.
So. where poisoning by arsenic is sus-
pected. the mystery must remain. more I'M
fashionable than ever. and the responsible
~ OF judges and juries become weightier
NJ n n an of~. he
whatever that hundreds of men and women
have beer, sent to shameful death who were
quite innocent of the crime-poisoning by
arsenic-of which they were convicted.
SOME ARSENIC PRISONERS.
No such doubts, however, can exist in
the case Of Helen Jegado. who was executed
at Rennes. in Brittany. towards the middle
of the last century. Her name is still a
terror In Breton households for her guilt
made as clear as day by her own con-
fession. A terrible confession it was. She
killed with arsenic. for the sheer pleasure
Of killing. 1T gave me sense OF power, "
she said, (which enjoyed" More than a
dozen murders were proved against her;
she was suspected Of many more. She was
a cook and moved from situation to stua-
ton. leaving a trail of corpses behind her.
That she was able to carry on her abomin-
able practices for so many years surprises
one less when one remembers that in
France coroners do not exist and inquests
are not held She was not thief. either
so that, in the absence of all apparent
motive. she was not suspected even wher
the deaths Of her victims appeared suspi
cious and aroused inquiry. Her bloodthirsti
ness developed all passions do. and hel
downfall was comprised by the fact thai
solitary victims no longer Cutting her lust
she aimed at wholesale murder. After
wedding feast which had been prepared by
her. all those who had partaken of hel
cookery were taken i'll. Inquiry natural,
followed. and I'm the end her arrest wa.
ordered. large quantity of rat poison
(arsenic) was found In her trunk, and wher
this fact had been made public, people be
gan to talk. 1t was thus brought to tn,
knowledge OF the authorities that Helen
had never been In a situation where deatl
had not occurred. She gave the investigat
ing magistrate little trouble. for she con
fessed almost Immediately and seemed I,
glory In relating her crimes. She was
homicidsl maniac of the stamp of Gett
Gretchen. whose infamous notoriety still
fingers in Germany, where she was be
headed-it was at Breslau-some years be
fore Jegado was brought to the scaffold
Gretchen was a cook. also. and killed 70
the sake OF killing, Such monsters are unfor
tunately not rare. At the moment of writ
Ing there Is In the prison of ST. Lazare ;
nursemaid Of fourteen years of age VIII
amused herself by administering tincture o
iodine to a poor little baby. two months old
Prisoners, however, as a rule, practice TO
lucre. like your Palmer or your La Pom
meraye. although in the case OF womel
prisoners the motive OF the crime has al
most always been traced to guilty pas
sion. The Roman jurists had saying I
this effect or the subject of the venefica
Marie Lafarge is in France the type of tn
venefca OF this class. There is, by tn
way. living I'm Paris at this moment
woman who. in intention at least, is worth
60 rank with Marie Lafarge In infamy. She
too. wished 20 destroy her husband, an
literally dosei him with the white powder
with which her accomplice supplied her
The accomplice. however. had no wish I
quality for the guillotine. and the poison
he provided was the healthful bicarbonat
OF soda The police found out what wa
going on by accident A man who receive
letters addressed under initials at a certai