Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-04
HELPEDK|LLSTE|NHE|l!
lefevre's Confession Con-
firms Story of Accused Widow
TELLS OF CRIME IN COURT
Strange Admission Attempt to De.
feat Justice, Bench Fears.
LETTER SPRUNG BY COUNSEL
Writer Faces Bar and Describes Ter
rible Deeds of Band Of
Cloaked Men.

PARIS, November "A new sensa
tion was added to the trial OF Nine.
Marguerite Steinheil late this afternoon
when NJ. Aubin. the prisoners attorney.
suddenly interrupted the proceedings to
present letter just received by him
signed Jean Lefevre.' i'm which the
writer stated that he wished to confess
Nine. Steinheil is accused
The writer. the attorney said, had
stated that he had been overcome by re-
morse
Lefevre Confesses in Court.
Immediately after reading the letter
the attorney suddenly and dramatically
introduced the writer, who i'm the mean
time, had made his way through the
crowd in the courtroom to a place be-
side NJ Aubin.
The newcomer proved to be a man OF
about twenty-one years. Amid the
greatest excitement he demanded a hear
ing
Refusing to reply to the preliminary
inquiries as to his profession and domi-
cile. the young man shouted that he had
| occh dCcOHpllce IN the ASSASSINATION
| of Adolphe Steinheil and Mime. Japy
As the audience hushed into silence in
their eagerness TO hear what he had to
say. Jean Lefevre said:
Il was an accomplice i'm the assassina-
tions at the home of Nine Steinheil
Filled with remorse L wish now to con-
fess my part in the crimes
II was disguised as a woman and wore
wig of red hair. My accomplices wore
long cloaks. We committed the murders
| and then escaped to the forest at Mount
Morency. where we burned our disguises."
One Of -Cuiprits Dead.
| The voluntary prisoner said that after
destroying the immediate evidences of
their crime he and his companions escap-
ed from the country. going abroad. One
of his friends had since died, he said.
Nine. Steinheil confronted Lefevre
She said she was unable to recognize him
as one of the murderers whom she had
described.
Judge de Wales ordered that Lefevre
be placed under arrest and that an In
veStigitiOn of his statement be made
At the same time the court warned the
jury that this dramatic episode might
prove to have been another attempt ~
battle justice.
Nine. Steinheil. whose examination on
the charge of having murdered her hus-
band Adolphe and her mother, Nine
Japy, was concluded i'm the assize court
today. made wonderful single handed
fight for her life. displaying as much
skill in confounding the judge as she had
in battling the police.
She presented dramatic figure in the
dock. her black mourning gown accent
uating the pallor of her face. When
caught in the meshwork of conflicting
stories previously told, she had recourse
| TO tears OF. with uplifted eyes and arms
extended, made fervent appeals TO the
jury.
Prisoner a Great Actress.
The most experienced court reporters
in France consider Mime. Steinheil the
most cOnsummate actress who has ever
appeared before the bar of Justice
Dramatic critics believe that she might
have been a world-famous tragedienne.
The procedure OF the criminal courts OF
France. which makes the judge prose-
cutting attorney. naturally awakens SYM
pathy for the prisoner. Public conviction
is strong already that while Nine. Stein
he'll may be guilty, she will not be con-
victed.
The intense public interest i'm the case
is shown by the fact that the newspapers
printed extras containing the testimony
every half hour.
The old scandal. which grew out of the
fatal illness at the prisoners home of
Felix Faure, the late President of France.
and which a section of the press Is anx-
ious to revive, has not as yet been men
toned at the trial. although Judge De
Wales announded that IL was not in
tended TO shield any one.
At one point in her testimony, how
ever, the accused woman referred sig
nificantly to "a high political parsonage
who had been my friend" but added
that she did not desire to involve I'm this
affair one who had been kind to her.