The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-05
NINE. STEINHE|L
ON TRIAL FOR LIFE
Dramatic Scenes In Famous
Murder Hearing
CONFESS 'l0N BY STRANGER
Fascinating French Woman Is on Trial
for the Murder of Her Husband
and Her Stepmother At
Paris.

Paris. November 4-Dramatic situations
followed fast one upon another in the
assize court today where the trial of
Nine. Marguerite Stienheil. accused OF
having murdered her husband and her
stepmother, Mime. Japy. was continued.
As on the opening day, all Paris was
wrought to high tension over the prom
ised disclosures and although it was
known that but few could pass within
the precinct of the court, hundreds re-
manned just outside while the trial pro
crossed.
Nine. Steinhei was again on the stand,
dressed in a mourning gown, a dramatic
though pathetic figure, fighting hard for
life And in the midst of her inquisition
by the presiding judge her attorney NJ
Aubin with melodramatic effect sudden
ly pushed to the forefront man who.
he said, wished to confess that he had
taken part in the murders of which Nine.
Stienheil was charged.
NJ. Aubin read a letter signed Jean
Lefevre,' asking that he be permitted
to confess, and then he. pointed at the
man and said:
This is Jean Lefevre."
Jean Lefevre.
Nine Steinheil gazed at him YEARLY
and after he had made a rambling state
ment in which he said that, disguised
as a woman and wearing wig of red
hair, he helped to commit the murders,
she declared that she could not identify
him as one of the murderers whom she
had previously described
The presiding judge promptly ordered
Lefevre's arrest and an investigation OF
his statement and warned the jury that
this might prove to be another attempt
to baffle justice. A search of the man
disclosed two photographs, one of Nine.
Steinheil and the other of the house
where the crime was committed. Le-
fevre was locked up as vagabond.
The police thus far are inclined to be-
ieve that the mans self accusation be-
longs in the category of indictments we'll
known to criminologists where an In
dividual half demented by the reading
of the case and possibly fancyng him
self in love with the prisoner, has re-
solved to sacrifice himself for a fascinat-
Ing woman Lefevres description of the
crime conceded with the original YER
sion on which Nine. Steinheil now per-
sists.
Faure Reference.
Just before the close of the day came
the first direct mention of the late Felix
Faure, former President of France. Much
of the interest in the present case lies
in the friendship that is known existed
between Nine Steinheil and the late
President of the republic, and several
times the prisoner made vague refernce
to "a high political parsonage who had
been my friend"
The direct reference to the President
was made in connection with discus
sion of the incident of finding in the
subway an invitation to an exhibition at
the Steinheil home, together with pieces
of a visiting card of Nine. Maseline, with
the name of customer written in. which
Nine. Steinheil asserts was dropped by
the fleeing assassns Responding to
question as to whether it was at the
home of Nine Maseline at Havre, she
met President Felix Faure, the prisoner
replied:
mo; it was during a trip in the Alps. >
The Judge did not pursue this line OF
inquiry further. Owing TO the many try
ing ordeals of the day and the fatigue
which the prisoner showed, her lawyer
asked for an early adjournment, and the
hearing was brought to close by the
Judge making reference to the accusation
against Frederick Harrison Birmingham
an American newspaper man, but the
prisoner persisted that she had never
definitely accused him, but had only said
that he resembled 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
that she sent her mother TO solicit money
from her lovers, and she insisted that her
husband had never prof1ted by her own
immoral life Admitting that she had
done wrong. In a fearful voice she be-
seeched the jury to pardon her faults. She
defended herself by saying that since
she did not live with her husband as his
wife, she longed for sympathy AID love.
When confronted with the inconsistent
cies in her stories she justified them by
saying that she had lost her head when
harassed by journalists and detectives
and had thus been led to believe that
those whom she had accused were per-
haps guilty The judge led the woman
again and again over the story of the
crime itself. and after suggesting that she
had probably worked out a fantastic plot,
in which she introduced red-bearded men
and red-haired woman, taken from
books or adapted from some similar crime
of which she had read in her youth, con-
fronted her with the charges of having
dyed her dressing gowns after the muir
der to get rid of tell-tale ink stains and of
having exchanged some of her stepmoth-
er's bedding He also pointed out that the
gag when taken from Nine Steinheil 8
mouth was not moistened by saliva and
declared that therefore the gagging was a
farce and the whole story trumped up.
Nine. Steinhe vehemently denied these
charges and boldly declared that IL the
gag did not show saliva it was because
the doctors had examined the wrong gag.
| She declared she had no motive in dyeing
| her gowns. On further examination be-
fore a magistrate. Lefevre said that his
name is Rene Colard and that he is an
Cd A. 4 49,
slightest connection with the crime and
had merely acted on a chivalrous impulse
to save Nine. Steinheil. of whose inno-
cence he was convinced He was ordered