The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-04
Il AM THE man. !"

Continued from Page One.)
swayed the cynical audience of barris-
tiers and journalists in the assize court
room.
Cad in her widows black, d tragic
yea IRONING the prison pallor Of her
beautiful and strangely youthful face,
and not quite concealing the masses of
| her blonde hair she faced. the verbal
onslaught of the presiding judge with
paffhng changes of voice and pose and
manner, that ranged from perfect calm
to wild emotion, from open defiance to
pathetic pleading
At the close of the first days session
o. trial that has gripped the interest
OF all France as nothing has done since
the DreyfuS controversies, this wonder
full woman seemed to have won the lis
teners TO admiration and sympathy. But
she had not checked the deadly fire of
1.-The judges pitiless questioning. She
refused to mention the name Of the late
president of France. Felix Faure, the
mystery OF whose fatal attack of ILL
ness in her home. eight years ago, is
the feature OF international interest in
the present trial.
Il had one dear. good friend said
Mime. Steinheil softly. But 1 will not
mention his name
Tell his name! Tell all the names!''
fairly shouted the Viscount De Vale,
president of the court.
heIuSeS 10 (aiI Nantes.
mo, 1 shall not speak of the Dead
she answered, as calmly as before.
The judge refrained from directly
questioning the prisoner about the
tragedy of May 81, 1908, when shortly
after midnight Adolphe Steinheil, the
artist husband of the defendant, and
madame Japy, her stepmother. were
Hound choked to death in the Stein
| he'll home in Paris, and when Madame
Steinheil was found gagged and bound
in an adjoining room.
The judge struck rather at her de-
fenseIess past and questioned her
sharply as to why she had accused
| Srst the valet, Couillard, then in sue
cession. Wolff, son of an old servant,
and Birmingham, an American news
PAPER man, of having committed the
murders. Madame Steinheil made no
attempt to deny the record of her af-
fairs of the heart, which involved not
only the late president of the republic,
| but many others distinguished in the
political and social life of Paris. She
| met the fact that she had made false
accusations with the defense that the
| tragedy had brought her to such
state of hysteria that she did not
know what she was doing or saying.
/ She Is Still Beautiful.
Undoubtedly the woman is youth
| fully beautiful in spite of her thirty
nine years and her long Imprisonment.
| She is slender and was CARRIED with
|
cut low enough to admit glimpse Of
| the white throat
| The public prosecutor read the in
dictment. Nine. Steinheil listened at
tentively to the charge that she had
I planned and aidedfin the murder of
| her husband and her stepm other.
Then began the four hours of merci-
less interrogation9b y the judge.
| It was duel wonderfully dramatic.
| The president, with his harsh nasal
! ralx cd
| er the woman's entire life from her
| childhood to her arrest He accused
| her father of being a drunkard, her
self of reckless girlhood love affairs,
| her husband of many infamies.
| She defended her father and hus-
| band with courage and eloquence. At
| times she wept. zHer voice, of great
sweetness and power, caused the jul
rors to,lean forward and listen. Many
| in the room remarked that the world
had lost the greatest actress of the
generation when she turned to other
| things. Now and then her French We
I hemence carried her away and the
president silenced her bluntly.
| ST want you to discuss the charges
with some degree of order" he COM
manded, and she replied with sim
plicity and deep feeling that carried
| conviction:
Don't be vindictive, please, she
said ST am only woman. I do the
best can to defend myself. You have
| papers, Documents, nothing. I
have been a year in prison.
| Calendar of E'aure Scandal.
The following calendar gives the brief
history of the Faure scandal:
| February 10 1S99-Fehx Faure, presi-
i dent of the French republic, dies, pro-
badly by poison. in the residence of M.
and Nine. Adolphe Steinheil, the wo-
man, presumably, having poisoned him.
February IS, 1S99-President Faure
buried with solemn ceremonies, it hav-
ing been given out that he died of
apoplexy.
NJ. SteiEheil, artist and Mime. Japy, his
death.
June Z, 190S-Mme. Steinheil is arrest
ed She denies her guilt.
July ID, 190S-Mme. Steinheil accuses
one Wolff He is arrested.
| July IA, 190S-Wolff proves himself in
lnocent and is freed
| November %, 1908-FactS of President
Faure's death are published at last.
4 Public opinion demands that the entire
mystery be cleared up.
November OF. 1sOS-Magistrate Ley
is sent to Magistrate BOucard and then
to Examining Magistrate Andrew
December Is, 190S-Mme- Steinheil I'M
dergoes the ordeal of examination at
the hands of Judge Andrew, famed
throughout France the terrible
magistrate" she is held for trial.
November 3, 1909-The fair prisoner is
formally arraigned for trial upon in
dictments charging her with dual muir
der.
Of