Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1907-12-11
A DARING COUNTESS
AND HER BOLD LOVERS
CHARGED WITH THE MURDER OF
HER BETRoTHED AT VENICE.
CASE SENSATIONAL AND
ROMANTIC.
An Unhappy Marriage
Was the Starting of Career Which
Placed the Countess Maria
NicolaeVna Tarnowska Be-
hind Prison Bars-She
Needed the Money.
specIal to the Herald.

Special to the Herald.
Rome, Dec. 11.-Great public inter
est is displayed in the trial now in
progress. at Venice. of Countess Ma
ria Nicolaevna Tarnowska, who. with
two Of her lovers. is charged with
the murder of her betrothed. The
case lacks none of the sensational
and romantic elements usually found
in the modern novel.
The Countess is of Irish descent
and was born in Kieff in 1879, a
daughter of Count ORurik, whose
family emigrated to Russia from Ire.
land. AS a schoolgirl of seventeen
she eloped with Count Tarnowska,
but quarrels soon followed
Quarreling with her husband, she
carried on an intrigue with one of
his friends, and. desiring to torture
the Count. kissed her lover in his
presence and before a company of
guests. The Count shot his betrayer
dead on the spot The scandal in
Kieff was immense. but no punish
ment fell upon the Count
Divorce proceedings followed. and
the Countess's lawyer. Prilukoff. a
married man, and one of the mos
eminent men of his profession in the
city, became violently infatuated
with his client On her divorce in
1902 he abandoned his wife and his
career and fled with the Countess
Together they visited London, Paris,
and other cities.
On their travels the Countess met
Count Kamarowski, a former admir-
er. who had been serving in the Jap
anese war. He proposed marriage
and was accepted.
Meanwhile young man named
Naumoff, a Russian aristocrat and
son of a prominent Russian official,
had met the Countess and come un-
der her spell. She gave him encour-
agement, and he followed her from
place TO place 7 F'rfrffuStfs5- rFr.esifs JiesR
Gus both Of the Count and Of Nau-
moff. was with difficulty kept in con-
troll by the Countess's wiles. All four
met in Vienna in August last. The
Countess and Prilukoff had adjoin-
ing rooms at a leading hotel. Count
Kamarowsk occupied rooms on an
other floor, and Naumoff. in despair
at being unable to see the Countess,
stayed at another hotel not far dis
tant
A plot for the murder of Count
KamarowsH was now evolved. He
was menaeed by Terrorists and had
insured his life for 100000 in favor
of the Countess.
The Countess decided to throw in
her lot with Prilukoff, and the insur-
ance of the Count suggested the pos
sibility of securing money for their
future happiness. The murder of
Count Kamarowsh was therefore de
cided on. They cast about for an as
sassin, and the Countess found one
ready to her hand in the jealous Nau-
moff.
Towards the end of August Count
Kamarowsh went to Venice. The
Countess summoned Naumoff, showed
him shameful letters purporting to
come from the Count, and played on
his jealousy until he swore to kill his
rival He went to Venice early in
September and fired five bullets from
revolver into the Count as the lat
ter lay in bed in his villa.
Prilukoff. with two private detec-
tives. had followed Naumoff. intend
ing to declare that he had been sent
by the Countess to guard her threat
ened fiance. But PrilukOfrs presence
in Venice at the time of the murder
was found suspicious and he was ar
rested on his return to Vienna He
accused the Countess and she was
also arrested.
Recently the prisoners were extra
dited from Vienna to Venice. where
their trial is now proceeding The
Countess has not lost a particle OF
her self-possession and good spirits,
and when not in court passes her
time smoking cigarettes and reading
novels.
To the People Of Palestine.