The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-07
Testimony Of Witnesses Is More
Favorable to Defense
ACTING is INCOMPATIBLE
Madame SteinheiI Uses Her Powers as
an Actress With Great Effect In
Carrying Out Her Plan
of Defense.
BY VANCE THOMPSON.

BY VANCE THOMPSON.
Paris. November Especial. >-waving
an ivory paper knife as though directing
F, an orchestra, the president of the assizes
+, opened court today and summoned the
chief witnesses of the prosecution of
| Madame Steinheil. The widow, broken
by the strain of three days fighting, was
unable to stand and was permitted seat
in the dock She was extremely pale and
] perpetually trembling, her lips showing
the effect of the ordeal
| The first witness was Remy Couillard,
former valet at the Steinheil house in
the Impasse Ronsin. He is a weasel
faced lad, was buttoned up In the undress
! uniform of the French dragons and had
close clipped hair. With furtive eyes he
watched his former mistress in the dock
! with evident satisfaction. Led on by
| the president he related the events OF
the morning of the crime. He said he
came down between and and after
that he heard Nine. Steinheil cry:
'Remyi'' in strangled but distinct voice
He told how he found the corpses of
his master and Nine. Japy. Nine. Stein
he'll lay covered with a chemise to her
ankles. her hands bound on her breast
! her feet tied. Es said he unbound ali
| the cords.
Remy's Deposition.
Maitre Tubin here rose, soft spoken.
/ fat and gentle and re-read Remy's depo-
sition made shortly after the crime IN
+ complete contradiction he then said he
Cfntp hall de
round her body and the bed and her
! hands tied up over her head to the bed
posts Remy insisted the last statement
was true. At one juncture Nine. Stein
he'll stood up and exclaimed: Tell the
truth, all the truth"
Remy replied: ITO be sure"
! Then came one of those scenes of pa
thetic pleading of this Incompatible act
ress.
II want to ask your pardon, Remy. for
the wrong I did you. 1 am sorry. For
give me- she appealed.
Remy turned pompousIy to the jury
saying, 1T Is not a question of pardon.
This woman belongs to justice and her
country
The witness left an uncertainty as to
just which Of his two stories Is false.
His testimony In the sworn statement
that Lecoq, the engineer, now of the
United States and former neighbor of
the Steinheils, cleared up the matter He
swore that Remy told him on the morn
ing of the crime that the woman was
found nude and tightly tied When he
arrived on the scene her feet were still
bound and he himself unfastened them.
He not only confuted Remy's latest evil
| dence, but was otherwise favorable to
! the defense, showing the serious condi-
| tion of the woman.
Testimony of Witnesses.
Two witnesses for the prosecution fol-
lowed and were an evident surprise to the
president as they gave evidence on the
prisoners side She listened ntently and
for the first time in the day her tragic
face frightened with hope, Godfrey,
the guardian at Impasse Ronsin, a son-in-
law OF her old servant. Mariette Wolff.
swore that at midnight or Is minutes
later he was awakened by q noise at the
gate Of the Impasse. He ran out and
discovered villainous looking man with
a slouch hat and long black coat who
fed and escaped. Geofrrey went back
to the lodge. woke his wife and told her
Of the happening. Next morning when
she heard Of the crime he said:
HE was the one who did it."
Geoffreys wife testified in exact cor
roboration, and added:
"It was impossible for Nine. Steinheil
to have been Stimulating illness. l took
care of her and If had seen anything
suspicious I would have notified tho po-
lice. She was In a frightful state"
Defense strengthened.
Questioned as to Nine. Steinheils tenn
perature, Mime. Geoffrey said it was i'm
possible for Mme Steinheil to have tricked
a professional nurse and herself, who
both took her temperature. So far the
states witnesses have only strengthened
the case of the defense The court buxzed
with comment.
Came then an italian model who once
heard Mime. Steinheil say she wanted a
divorce. He gave place to the most SEN
sational witness of the day, Bonnaud,
the painter, brother-in-law of the MUIR
dered man, strange type of man, tall.
lean, with hollow. beardless face and red
haired Indeed, this is a red-haired case.
1t is remarkable that the chief actors
and witnesses and supposed murderess
all have the same color OF hair.
Bonnaud took the stand, bustling with
hostility and said when he married Mon
sieur steinheil's sister the family received
him kindly, but when he heard Of Mime.
Steinheil's conduct with men he and his
wife cut her and had not spoken to her
for 10 years.
.Her husband adored her." testified
Bonnaud, but he was very sad. Once
when he was seriously Ill she did not
attend or nurse him."
Nine. SteinheiPs Retort.
Madame Eteinheil interrupted disdain-
fully: What do you know of that? DR.,
Acheray, the family physician. will come
and tell you tended him hand and foot
and gave medicine and watched him. That
Is the reason he adored me. In spite of
my wrongs toward him."
Bonnaud sneered ana she cried: You
may shrug your shoulders. I'll settle
with you yet"
! Bonnaud said he arrived early on the
morning of the crime and examined the
two corpses. He testified tho body of