The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-11-27
Arrest of Madam Steinheil
Starts Big Scandal.
Charged With Abetting Murder
of Her Husband.
A FRIEND OF FAURE.
Mysterious Death of the French
President Recalled.
LibFe Parole Charges That She
Poisoned Him.
FRIEND OF FAURE.

PdrlS, NOV. 27.-The case of Madame
Ste nheil, after day of
sensational developments in the matter
of the murder of her husband and her
stepmother, Nine. Japy, in this city,
last May, was this morning taken out
of the hands of NJ. Leydett, the exam
lining magistrate who has been in
charge up to the present and turned
over to Magistrate Andre. Madame
Steinheil is still under arrest on the
charge of aiding and abetting in the
murder of her stepmother. Expert
physicians have declared that Nine
Steinheil is suffering from kind of
kysteria peculiar to a certain class of
neurasthenics. which manifests itself in
the invention of the widest accusa-
tions.
There is in full blast today a cam
paign by the nationaists and antisemi-
tic press, in an effort to prove that the
authorities have had an interest in
smothering the truth concerning these
murders.
Her Confession
The arrest of Nine. Steinheil follow
ing her confession that for months
since the murder of her painter-hus-
band and Mime. Japy, who were found
strangled in the home of the artist on
the morning of May 81, her attempt to
md the aSsassins was only a desperate
farce to conceal the real author of the
crime, whom she knew, affords Paris
the biggest sensation it has had for
years.
The minister of justice NJ BRAND.
who is astonished by the seriousness OF
the charges, is reported to have started
secret inquiry to determine the truth
of the allegation printed here that NJ.
Leydett. the examining magistrate, en-
terained relations with Nine. Steinheil
which induced him to stifie the case.
Political opponents of the govern
ment, like Henri Rochefort, have been
trying to make political capital of the
affair by seeking to force an exposure
of the scandal connected with the
mysterious death of Felix Faure, preSi-
dent of the republic in 1899 Although
hushed up at the time, it was common
knowledge among those behind the
scenes that Nine. Steinheil was with
NJ Faure in the Elysee palace when he
died. According to newspaper stories
NJ. Faure had met Nine. Steinheil in
the Swiss Alps at the maneuvers the
year previous to his death.
At Faure's Grave.
A person who attended thesfuneral of
NJ. Faure described how, after the cere-
mony at the cemetery, Nine. Steinhell
fell on her knees at the grave, took
from her bosom a bunch of violets and
threw 1t on the coffin. Then, he said,
she Frustrated herself, sobbing on the
ground, and kissed NJ Faure's portrait.
\ Immediately after this. according to
the same authority, NJ. Steinheil, who
had been complacent at the friendship
existing between F'aure and his wife
and had accepted the Legion of Honor
at the hands of President Faure, be-
gan proceedings for divorce, but
through the intervention of his family
this suit was withdrawn fortnight
afterwards.
After NJ. F'aure's death, Nine. Stein
he'll. who admitted that she detested
her husband. formed other alliances.
some of them with men of political
influence. She confessed before the
authorities that at the time of the
murder of her husband and Nine
Japy she had a sweetheart. This man
is believed to be a rich nobleman, now
absent from Paris.
The anti-Semite paper, Libre Pa
role, charges Nine. Steinheil with hav-
ing poisoned President Faure. The
newspaper recalls that the day of the
funeral a writer on the Libre Parole,
who had seen the body, said:
"'All the skill of the EN- balmers was
unable to preserve the body from the
dissolving action of the subtle poison"
The newspaper concludes by saying
that Faure was poisoned because he
was opposed to revision in the Dreyfus
case.