The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-11-27
sTElhHElL CASE MAKES THE
TOWN REEk WITH.
SCANDAL.
ARRESTS ARE MADE
Nine. steinhei', Wife Of the Murdered
Man, 10 in Jail-Personages High IN
the Councils Of France May be
Dragged Into the Affair-Paris 10
Wildly Excited Over the Case.


Ia a state of intense excitement today
over the developments that have
come thick and fast since last night
In the Steinheil murder case and the
sensation has made itself felt even
the chamber of deputies, where many
members declared they would raise
the question unless the government
probed the scandal to the bottom.
Nine. Steinheil made confession to
two newspaper men last night. She
declared that man named AIexan-
der Wolff was the murderer OF ner
husband. Wolff was arrested and ex-
amined by the authorities. He denied
all guilt and said he was ready to
prove an alibi. Nine. Steinheil then
weakened and said that If it was not
Wolf, the man who committed the
crime resembled him strongly.
Then suspicion turned upon Nine.
Steinheil herself and at s o'clock it
was announced that she would be
locked II the prison at st. Lasare un-
der warrant Of arrest.
No charge was specified.
Woln was also held, but not on a
warrant. One Of the surprises was the
fact that Nine. Japy, who was muir
dered at the same time as stelnheil
was not Nine. Steinheil's mother, as
had been supposed but her step
mother.
The end Of the day brought crop
OF sensational rumors.
1 It was said that Minister OF Justice
Bryand had ordered an Investigation
of the open charges that Nine. Stein
he'll had been the mistress of M. Ley
dett, the examining magistrate in the
case, and that M. Leydett had been
instrumental in sitting the investiga-
ton.
Chief of Detectives Samard was
credited with the statement that Wolff
had practically established an alibi
and that open suspicion had been cast
upon Nine. SteinheA. Coulliaud, the
man arrested a few days ago on sus.
picion, was released.
The local newspapers published ex-
tras throughout the day, giving under
daring headlines the details of the
woman's statement and her sulbse-
quent examination. Behind the inter-
est Of the crime, lie the more or less
thinly veiled intimations that France
is on the verge of scandal involving
high personages, and the failure Of the
police to clear up the mystery has
led to the open assertion that their
tack Of energy is dictated by pow
erful representations, dating back to
the death in Paris in 1899 of Felix
Faure, at one time president of the
republic. The public appetite for
sensation was whetted by M. Sam
ard, who announced at / o'clock that
the mystery was not yet cleared up
and that q great surprise might be ex.
pected at any moment. @
Inc crime IN question, was commit
ted the night Of May 81.
Nine. Japy was murdered at the
same time as steinheil. The latter
was q portrait painter and q grand
nephew Of Meissonier. The assassina-
tion Of the woman. however. is sup.
posed to have been incidental to the
killing Of steinheil. He was the man
It was desired to put out Of the way.
Steinheil, his wife and Mime. Japy
lived together. The wife was found
bound and gagged In bed, and at hrst
she declared that she had been thus
treated by three men and woman,
all unknown to her.
Alexander Wolff, accused today by
Nine. Steinheil, Is the son Of q wo-
man who was formerly employed in
the steinheil family as cook. He
and his mother, whose name Is Ma
riette, were at once arrested. It trans
pired, however, that Mime. steinheil,
was not the first person to accuse
Wolf.
A mechanic named Wagner told the