The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-11-24

ty years ago by Mr.. Baring-Gould, u
is by the world forgot. Count Goer-
litz, was, in 1S47, a man OF forty-slX.
He had married, at nineteen (lS2o)'
a very d~isagreeable heiress, Who
"kept him short" and insulted his
poverty, but who had made a will IN
his favor. On Sunday, June Ii, 1S4i,
the Count drove in his carriage, at
8 p. M, to dine with the Grand Duke
of Hesse. In a manner rather
Homeric than modern he took some
sweets from the dessert for his wife
and drove home to his house at nall
past s. The footman, Stauf, reported
that the lady was at home. Inc
Count went upstairs, found a glass
door leading to her anteroom locked
(they had separate suites OF rooms)'
and retired to his own room till nall
past 7, when he took a walk till $40.
Returning, he asked Stauf to bid the
Countess join him at supper, but was
told that she had gone out. He did
not believe it, but looked for his vile
in her dressing room and bedroom,
but had no key to the locked ante
room and drawing room. The rest
of the house he drew blank, but IN
place of forcing the glass door OF the
anteroom he sent. out to make in
auiries, to no avail.
After some difficulty he found a
locksmith's apprentice, who could not
open the anteroom, but (about 10
D. m, it seems) did notice a smell OF
burning. At 1890 they broke the
glass Of the anteroom door 1.-THE
Counts valet did that), and smoke
from a stove rushed out. The Count
did not force the door; he sent n
servant for a doctor and another for
a chimney sweep! Time passed, the
door laughed at locksmiths, but at
last the aprentice-of his W mo-
tion-burst it open with a hammer,
for the Count would do nothing so
violent. Much black smoke rushed
out. The bold apprentice, climbing
to the anteroom window by a ladder,
broke it and pulled down the burning
curtains. They now burst open the
drawing room door, found the room
on fire and the Countess lying dead
before her burning bureau. On n
of her feet was a shoe; the other was
later found in an adjoining boudoir.
The sofa was more or less burned,
the bell rope had been pulled down,
but nobody ever asked II the bell a
been heard. A corner seat In the
bureau had been burned; the fire was
very local" The keys Of the locked
doors were never found.
There were three explanatory hy-
potheses. /. The Counsess had
caught fire at her bureau, perhaps
while sealing a letter. If so, she had
sought repose on the burned sofa and
corner seat. 2 (medical). 1t was a
case of spontaneous combustion! 3:
1t was a murder. The magistrates
preferred accidental burning; the
public fixed OH the Count as the muir
derer; they always do. He had mo-
tives, opportunity and he had delayed
the researches. He demanded new in
quiries, but little came of them till in
August, 1S4S, the corpse was ex-
humed end examined. 1t was found
that the lady's skull had been frac-
tured, and that she had also been
.strangled. She had been murdered,
had been burned, and the chairs and
sofa had the marks of her blood
burned out Of them. She had then
been placed near her bureau and that
had been set on fire, Black smoke
had been seer rushing from the Chin
ney at s on the fatal evening. Now,
the Count had left his house at half
past 7, and did not return till about
8; there was evidence for these facts.
Consequently, if he did fracture his
wife's skull and strangle her before
half-past Z, he certainly did not burn
h.r at S.05-S.25, when the smoke
was seen issuing black and dense
from the chimney-that is, unless he
entered his house, unseen, about 8,
and later went out and returned
again. 1t was improbable that he
would delegate the fire to an accom-
plice, so the Counts case was per-
ceptibly brighter.
Now. who was in the house when
the Count was absent, from half-past
7 to a quarter to 9 that Sunday
night? The magistrates, true to their
theory of accidental death, had ap-
pacently made no inquiries in June,
1847. But the Counts demands for
an inquiry in November, 1S47, had
led to something-indeed, had very
nearly led to the death of this noble
man. On November 3, 1S47, there
was to be an official inquiry by his
request, at his house, and among his
domestics. At 3 o'clock on Novem-
Der 2, the cook was busy in her
kitchen when Stauff anne in and
asked her to light fires in the upper
rooms. She declined, and went on
with her work. Stauff suggested to
her that a plate needed washing, and
while she washed it he stirred the
sauce in a pan. She turned her head,
and observed Stauff pouring drops
from a phial into the sauce. She
questioned him, he denied the charge,
and she pretended to be satisfied.
When he left the kitchen she tasted
the sauce and did not like it; more
over, it was of a strange color. She
sent for the family doctor who, on
analysis, detected fifteen and one-half
grains of verdigris, enough to poison
A-a G+n,,Eq I1-ac than innn rnAratnd