The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-11-05
Would SAVE THE WOMAN
Lerevrc Tells Court That He killed
Artist and His Mother and Fled
Abroad-Police are Banled
ny Rambling
Tales.

followed fast one upon another in the
assize court today where the trial of
Nine. Marguerite Steinheil, accused OF
having murdered her husband and her
step mother. Mime. Japy. was con-
/ tinued.
As on the opening day. all Paris was
wrought to a high tension over the
promised disclosures and although IL
was known that but few could pass
within the precincts of the court. hun
dreds remained just outside while the
trial progressed.
i Nine Steinheil was again on the
stand. dressed in mourning gown.
dramatic though pathetic figure. fight
| ing hard for life. And In the midst
OF her inquisition by the, presiding
Judge, her attorney, M. Aubin. with
melodramatic effect, suddenly pushed
| to the forefront man who, he said.
wished to confess that he had taken
part In the murders Of which Mime.
| Steinheil was charged.
| M. Aubin read letter signed Jean
| Lefevre" asking that he be permitted
| to confess. and then he pointed at the
man and said:
This is Jean Lefevre."
Cannot Identffy Man.
| Nine Steinheil gazed at him YEARLY
| ana after he had made a rambling
| statement In which he said that. DIS
| guised 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 MUIR
derers whom she had previously
described
The presiding judge promptly order
ed Lefevre's arrest and an tnvestiga-
ton OF his statement and warned the
| Jury that this might prove to be an
i other attempt to BATTLE justice. A
search of the man disclosed two photo
| graphs, one OF Nine. Steinheil and the.
kother Of the house where the crime.
tup as a vagabond.
THE police THUS Tar are inclined to
believe that the mans seif-accusation
belongs In the category OF incidents
well known to eriminologists. where,
{ an Individual, half demented by the
| reading of the case and possibly fancy
ing himself in love with the prisoner.
| has resolved to sacrifice himself for
| a fascinating woman. Lefevres de-
scription OF the crime coincided with
the original version in which Nine.
Steinheil now persists.
| 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 to have existed between
Nine. Steinheil and the late president
of the republic and several times the
prisoner made vague reference to "a
high political parsonage who had been
my friend"
| talk of Tell Tale Cards.
! The direct reference to the presi-
dent was made in connection with "A
discussion of the incident of finding
in the subway an invitation to an
exhibition at the Steinheil home, to-
| gether with pieces OF visiting card
| to Nine. Maseline, with the name of
a customer written in. which Mime.
Steinheil asserts was dropped by the
/ fleeing assassins. Responding to a
| question as to whether 1t was at the
home of Nine. Maseline at Havre, she
met President Felix Faure, the prison
er replied: mo, 1t was during g 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 adjourn
ment 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 per-
|
cused him, but had only said that he
resembled one of the assassins.
! summary of the days evidence.
/ shows that the Judge failed to shake
Steinheirs version of the crime. She
admitted intrigue, but heatedly denied
that she sent her mother to solicit
money from her lovers and she Insist
ed that her husband had never profit
ed by her own immoral life. Admit
l hA had IN
fearful voice. she beseeched 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 and love.
Loses Her Head.
When confronted with the incon-
sistencles 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 ac-
cused were perhaps 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 a red-bearded man and
red-haired woman, taken from
books or adapted 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
tale ink stains and of having ex-
changed some OF her step-mother's
bedding. He also pointed out that the
gag when taken from Nine. Japy's
mouth was not moistened by saliva
ana declared that therefore the gag
ging was a farce and the whole story
trumped up.
Nine steinheil Indignantly 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 asserted that she
had no motive In dying her gowns.
On further examination before a
magistrate, Lefevre said that his name
IS Rene Collard and that he Is an
actor. He admitted that he had not
the slightest connection with the crime
and had merely acted on chivalrous
impulse 10 save Nine. Steinheil. of
whose innocence he WIS convinced.
He was ordered detained. pending
81 - L.