Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-05


VIENNA. September 20. 1907.
RIO more sensational story has ever
N been told in fiction or acted in melo-
drama than that which has been I'M
raveled by the Vienna police in solving
the mystery OF the murder OF Count Kama
rovsky at Venice few days ago. Although
some details Of the crime have doubt eSs
been cabled to America, the story In its
entirety Is of such dramatic interest that
1t is we'll worth telling in full.
1t is the story of a beautiful she-devil
and the demoniacal power which her Won
drous beauty and powers of fascination
enabled her to exercise over men who fell
victims to her charms. For the real author
OF the murder OF Count Kamarovsky is the
Countess Maria Nikoy effna TarnoySki. who
for some time has been dazzling Vienna
with her lovely face and magnificent dress
es. The other characters in the tragedy
were her puppets-men whom love OF her
had made her plant slaves, willing for the
chance of winning her to risk the gaIlows
In this world and damnation In the next.
The countess is one of those seductive
sirens Turing men to destruction that you
read about sometimes in novels and then
doubt If their counterpart in real life ever
exists She is not yet thirty and time
has merely ripened her beauty Her face
gives the lie to physiognomy with her deep,
soulful eyes she looks angelic. Her beauty,
perhaps, Is a heritage from her Irish an
cestry, for she is descended from gal
liant Irishman named o Rourke. who SCI
tied in Russia a hundred years ago.
She was not eighteen when she mar
Red Count Tarnovski, a Russian nobleman
Of ancient lineage and possessed of large
estates. After few years she tired OF
her husband and soaced herself with a
lover. firing of him. too. she denounced
him In an anonymous letter to the count.
The result was the count challenged MIN
and killed him in a duel
The death Of one lover left her 1reer 10
ensnare others But Count Tarnovskfs
eyes were opened at last, and instead OF
issuing more challenges to fight dueis ne
procured a divorce. The countess was LAD
enough to be released from her matrimonial
letters. The process brought her another
victim. In the divorce proceedings she EN-
ployed a Moscow lawyer. M. Priiukon AT
that time Prilukof was making something
like $50 600 year, enjoyed an unolenl. slie u
reputation and was happy In his domestic
relations Prilukoff succumbed TO the 1as-
cinations Of his client. The result was that
his law practice went all to pieces. his Wfe
Russia with $25 900 with which he had been
intrusted by clients before he was en-
shared In the tolls Of the countess frlu-
koff tagged after her about Europe
BEFORE leaving Russia for gayer European
fields the countess cast her evil but be-
Prince Naumoff. Princes are rather plenti-
suI in Russia and are not necessarily In
cluded among the top-notchers of the Rus
sian aristocracy. But the prince had money,
and that was what counted most with the
countess. He tagged after her. too. almost
as persstently as P-ilukoff. for he was most
madly in love with her. His infatuation
has cost him 5000; his wife is suing him
for q divorce and that he Will be hanged
hardly admits Of question. for he was the
man who actually killed Count Kamarovsky
In the course Of her travels the countess
CHANGED to meet Count Kamarovsky. an
old acquaintance whom she had lost track
of for some time, because the count, as
captain of the Cossack guards. had gone
to the front in the war against Japan and
had there been severely wounded The
count had lots Of money and the countess
wanted money badly. for Prince Naumon
had about exhausted his immediate re-
sources on her account, and Prilukon had
been dead broke for two years or more.
With the countess. Of course, the first
preliminary to getting hold of a mans
money was to make him fall In love with
her She was an adept at that. Count
Kamarovsky proved an easy conquest He
had wife at the time She brought a
suit. for divorce against the, count, but be-
fore the case came up for trial she simpli-
fled matters by dying. Then Count Kama
rovsky and the Countess Tarnovsh be-
came formally engaged.
But marriage with him formed no part
of her plans. 1t was his wealth she coveted