The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-02-11
ADMITS HE KILLED FORTY.
Dr. PantchenkO Got $25O,OOO Fee For
Single Poisoning.

Count Vassalli Bourlin, for whose mur-
der both he and the Counts brother
ic-law, Count O'Brien de Lassy, are
on trial, was the star witness today at
| The proceedings
He was called upon to plead
second time to the charge, and again
pleaded guilty. His counsel, who has
been trying to prevent Pantchenko
from wavering from his confession,
asked him on the witness stand Wheth-
er De Lassy had offered him $4,000
to poison Count Bouturln, SIS, 900 to
poison Gen. Bourlin, and $250,000 to
poison the Generals second wife. To
all three questions Pantchenko ans
wcred in the affirmative.
| His answers caused a sensation in
the court room, where for the last
;wo days the spectators have been AL
most surfeited with exciting incidents.
The widow Of the murdered Count
detailed in her testimony the circum-
stances Of his death. She and her
husband had been spending Easter at
the Generals estate in wilma Province.
Her husband was then in perfect
health. Later he left for st. Peters.
burg, and on May % she received an
urgent telegram calling her to his
edside.
When she arrived she found he had
been subjected to sperm injections and
that it was too late to save him. She
had never hidden her suspicious that
De Lassy and Pantchenko were re-
sponsible for her husbands death.
The witness broke down. and wept
when Count Bouturlin's letters were
read in court
DR.. Cogan, who had attended Count
Bouturlin after Pantchenko's injec-
tions, said that he was informed of
the widows suspicious. He found evil
dences Of blood poisoning, but was
of the opinion that this was due TO
carelessness. In his earlier testimony
Pantchenko had said that he was
not In the habit of sterilizing his hy-
podermic needles.
The Count is acused Of having en-
ployed the Doctor to murder his
brother-in-law, Count Bouturlin, the
heir to estates of an estimated value
Of $3,500,000, in order that the prop
erty might be inherited by Countess
de Lassy.
Pantchenko in confessing his guilt,
set up the dcSensc that he committed
the crime while under the hypnotic
influence of the Conrt.
Asked whether he had admins. red
"otson 70 his victim. Partch,rAo de-
INJURED, saying that he would answer
that question after the data OF the
medical experts, who had made the
post mortem, had been presented in
court. He explained that he did not
sterilize his hypodermic syringe after
he had sent some on the way to the
grave, because the sperm preparation
diminished in effectiveness when the
syringe was sterilized.
The whole empire is interested in
the case because of the wholesale con-
fession made by Pantchenko. Every
mysterious death of recent years is
recalled and there are rumors that the
poisoner may have been engaged to
cause the death Of members of the
royal family. He has admitted that
he made business Of killing for hire,
heirs, rivals in love, insstent creditors
and, in fact any undesirable person
whose enemy was prepared TO pay
literally for the sudden taking off.
The poison doctor, according to the
police, has admitted some 40 deaths.
his fees running as high as $3.50, 900
for a single assassination. His meth
od was to inoculate the patient with
cholera bacilli after he had been call
ed to the bedside in his professional
capacity.
Ordinarily, it was necessary that
the proposed victim should be caught
while indisposed and some ruse ad-
opted to bring Pantchenko's attend
ance. He is now credited by some
with having originated the cholera
epidemic Of a few years ago.
The Doctor is 20 years old and ap-
pears to have had some standing in
society," despite his dual profession.
Count de Lassy is young man Of
Irish descent.
The woman in the case is Nine.
Muravieff, with whom Pantchenko
lodged and to whom he says he turn
ed over his earnings She figures in