The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-05
Intense Interest in Case of WO-
man Accused of a Double
Murder.
CRAZY. INNOCENT MAN
C0NFESSES AS ACC0MPLICE
Later Admits That His Act Was
TO Save Woman He Be-
IieyeS Innocent.

followed fast one upon another Ill court
today, where the trial Of Nine. Mar
gucrite Steinbeil, accused OF having
murdered her husband aud her step
mother, Nine. Japy, was continued.
As on the opening day OF the sensa-
tional case, all Paris was wrought 10 a
high tension over the promised disclos.
ures.
Nine. Steinhcl was again on the
stand, dressed III a mourning gown, a
dramatic, though pathetic figure, fight
ing hard for life,
And in the midst OF her inqulsltlon
by the presiding judge, her attorney,
NJ. Aubin, with melodramatlc effect,
suddenly pushed TO the forefront a
man who, he said, wished to confess
ne had taken part in the murders of
which Nine Stcuheil was charged,
Confession Is Given.
NJ Aubin read "A letter sgucd,
jean Lcfcvre,' asking that be be
permitted to confess and then he point
ed at the man, and said:
Nine. Stcinheil sazcd at him wcarily,
and after he had made a rambling
statement In which he said that. dis
guised rs woman and wearing a wig
of red hair, he had helped commit the
murders, she declared she could not
identify him a. one OF the murdcrcTs
whom she had previously described.
The presiding Judge promptly ordered
Lefevrc's arrest and investigation of
his statcmtnt. 4 search of the man
disclosed two photographs, one OF Nine.
aud the other of the place where the
CRIME was committed, bcteNre was
locked MP as a vagabond
The police thus far arc inclined to
believe the mans self-accusatiou be-
longs in The category Of incidents well
known TO criminologists, where an iu
dividual, half demcnted by reading of
the ease and possibly faDcyiug himself
in love with the prisoner, has resolved
10 sacrifice himself for fascinating
woman. BcfeNre $ description OF the
crime coiucidcd with the original vcr-
sion upon which Nine. SteinbciI now
insists.
Was Faure Involved9
As proceedings were closing the first
direct mention of the late Felix Fame.
a former president of France, was
heard. Much interest in the case lies
in the friendship that existed between
Nine. Stcinhcil and the late president
and several times the prisoner made
vague reference TO 'high political
parsonage. who had been my friend -
The direct reference to the president
was made IN connection aith discus
Siou on the incident of finding an invi-
tatlon TO AN exhibition ut the Stoinhcil
home, together with pieces of q visiting
card of Nine. Nasclinc, with the name
OF customer written thereon. which
Nine. Stcinhci1 asserts was dropped bv
heeIng assassins.
Responding to a question as TO
whether it was at the home Of Nine.
Mlselne at Hayre she met President
Felix Faure. the prisoner replied
% No, 1t was during trip to the Alps. -
The ludgc did not pursue this line
of inquiry further.
Of the day and the fatigue which the
prisoner showed, her LAWYER asked for
an early adjournment aud the hearing
was brought 10 Il close by the Judge
referring to the accusation against
Frederick Harrison Burlingham, an
American newspaper man, but the priS-
oner persisted that she had never def.
nitcly accused him. but had only said
he rcscmbIcd one Of the assassins.
OeIcuudllJ OpSGQS f1r0l.
\ summary of the evidence shows
that the judgc failed to shake Mime.
Stcnhcil s original version Of the
crime. She admitted intrigue. bat
hcHrcdIy denied she SEM her mother 10
solicit money from her lovers and she
insisted her husband had never prntitcd
hy her own immoral life. Admitting
doing wrong she hcsecchrd the lnry
TO pardon her faults. She defended
herself 10y saying that since she did
not live with her husband az his wife.
she ]onged for sympathy and love.
When confronted with Inconsistencies
saving she had lost her head when
harrasscd by journalists and detectives
and had thus been led to believe that
those whom she had accused were per.
baTs guilty
Judge Is Severe.
The Judge led her again aud again
over tho story of the crime aud after
suggesting She had probably worked
out i fantastic plot, iu which she in
troduccd red.heHrdcd men and rcd
haired woman, takcu from books or
adopted from some similar crime of
which she bad read IN her yourh. con
trontcd her with The charges of hay
irg dycd her dressing gowns after tho
murder 10 got rid Of II t"ll-ialc ink
stain aud Of having changed some of
her stcpmother bedding. He also
pointed out that the gag when taken
from Nine. Steinhcil $ mouth WIS not
moistcncd by saliva aud declared there
fore tho gaCeing was u farce and the
whole story trumpcd up.
Nine Stcinhcil indignantly denied
these charges and bodly declared that
if the gag did no, show saliva IL was
because the doctors had examined The
wrong gag. She asserted she had no
motive I'm dycina her gowos.
On further examination before u
ma gis:ratc. Lcfeyrc said his name WAS
Rene gollard aud that be is an actor.
He admitted tha, lie had moi the slight
est connection with the crime and had
merely acted on 4 chiyalrous impulse
49, In 90. H..