Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-11-05
MOCK HEROES
IN STE|NHE|L
MURDER CASE
FRENZIED FRENCHMAN
ACCUSES SELF OF CRIME
Demented Actor Sought to
Shoulder GhaStIy Crime to
Save Fair Defendant, is The
ory of Paris Police.

!IBy Morning journal Speciat Leased Wire
Paris, Nov. 4.-Dramatic situations
followed fast, one upon another, in
court today where the trial of Mrs.
Marguerite Steinheil, accused of hav-
ing murdered her husband and step
mother, Nine. Japy, was continued.
As on the opening day OF this SEN
sational case, all Paris was wrought
to high tension.
Nine. Steinheil was again on the
stand dressed in a mourning gown, a
dramatic though pathetic figure
| fighting hard for life. In the midst
of her inquisition by the presiding
| Judge, her attorney, NJ Aubin, with
melodramatic effect, suddenly pushed
to the forefront, man. whom he
said wished to confess he had taken
part in the murders of which Nine.
Steinheil was charged.
NJ. Aubin read letter signed
"Jean Lefevre," asking that he be
permitted to confess and then he
pointed out the man and said:
This is Jean Lefevre."
Nine Steinheil gazed at him
| wearily and after he had made a
rambling statement, in which he said
that, disguised as a woman and wear
ing a wig of red hair. he had helped
! to commit the murders, she declared
she could not identify him as one of
the murderers whom she had previ-
| ously described.
The presiding judge promptly or
dered LIteVre's arrest and investiga-
| ton of his statement. A search OF
| the man disclosed two photographs,
one of Nine. Steinheil and the other
of the house where the crime was
committed. Lefevre was locked up
| as a Vagabond.
The police thus far are inclined to
| believe the mans self accusation be-
| longs in the category of incidents well
known to Criminologists, where an in
dividual, half demented by the read
ing of the case and possibly fancying
himself in love with the prisoner has
resolved TO sacrifice himself for fas-
cinating woman. Lefevre's descrip-
tion of the crime conceded with the
original version upon which Nine.
Stcinncil now insists.
As the proceedings were closing,
the first direct mention of the late
Felix Faure, a former president of
France, was heard. Much of the in
terest in the case lies in the friend
ship that existed between Nine. Stein
he'll and the late president and sew
eral times the prisoner made vague
reference to "a high political per-
sonage, who had been my friend"
The direct reference to the presi
dent was made in connection with a
discussion of the incident of finding
an invitation to an exhibition at the
Steinhel home tigether with pieces of
visiting card of Nine. Maseline,
with the name of a customer written
in which Nine. Steinheil asserts was
dropped by the fleeing assassins.
Responding to a question as to
whether it was at the home of Nine.
Maseline at Havre she met President
Felix Faure, the prisoner replied, mo,
lit was during a trip in the Alps"
The judge did not pursue this line
of inquiry further owing to the
many trying ordeals of the day and
the fatigue which the prisoner
showed. her lawyer asked for an
early adjournment, and the hearing
was brought to a close by the judge
referring to the accusation against
Frederick Harrison, an American
newspaper man, but the prisoner per-
sisted tnat she had never definitely
accused him, but had only said he re-
sembled one of the assassins.
A summary of the days evidence
shows that the judge failed to shake
Nine. Steinheil's original version Of
the crime She admitted intrigue, but
heatedly denied she sent her mother
to solicit money from lovers and she
insisted her husband had never pro-
fitted by her own immoral life. Ad-
hitting willingly, she beseeched the
judge to pardon her faults. She de-
Tended herself by saying that. since
she did not live with her husband as
his wife, she longed for sympathy and
love.
Wlfen confronted with the incon-
sistencies in her stories. she justified
them by saying she had lost her heao
when harrassed by journalists and
detectives. and had thus been led TO
believe that those whom she had ac-
cused were probably guilty.
The judge led her again and again
over the story OF the crime. ana alter
suggesting she had probably worked
out a fantastic plot, in which she in
troduced red bearded men and red
haired woman, taken from books or
adopted from some similar crime of
which she had read in her youth.
confronted her with the charges of
having dyed her dressing gowns after
the murder to get rid Of tell-talc ink
stains and of having changed some of
her stepmother's bedding. He also
pointed out that the gag. when taken
from Nine. Steinheirs mouth was not
moistened by saliva and declared.
therefore. the gagging was a farce
and the whole story trumped up.
Nine. Steinheil Indignantly denied
these charges. boldly declaring IL the
eas, did not show saliva IL was be-