New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-24

most delicate OF hints. Their autopsies
invariably showed natural causes" or
at least their reports were so discreetlI
worded as TO be susceptible Of more than
one Interpretation. Moreover, their sci
ence was still in its infancy. Alchemsts
fourished, and were even encouraged by
the state, Colbert. for instance, estab-
fishing government laboratories for their
use, in the expectation that their expert
ments would add new resources TO the
national industries. Fashionable pau
pers peddled poisons secretly, as to-day
they occasionally sell wines, cigars and
other luxuries on commission A certain
preparation OF arsenic was currently
known as the powder Of succession.
The French literature Of the period
contains many references to this way OF
removing husbands and wives, incon-
venient princes and rich relatives. OF
course, the trade in antidotes, In nos
trums that insured immunity, fiourished.
Men Of rank took an antidote every
morning as a regular part Of the DAY
routine. The poison most IN use was
.'yenin de crapaud." II consisted OF the
ptomaines Of animels-toads by pref
erence-that had been killed with subj
mated arsenic, vitriol being added TO
make assurance doubly sure. France
foremost chemist. an honored scientist
CHRISTOPHER Chaser, undoubtedly as
sisted Nine. de Brinvilliers in poisoning
her relations.
Assassination by poison had been per
fected in the Italy Of the Borgias and
the Medici. Catherine de Medici intro
duced it into France Marie de Medici
EMPLOYED 1t constantly as a means TO
her ends. How subtle these poisons
really were is an open question. Mr..
Stokes holds that the seventeenth CEN
fury knew many drafts and powders
whose secret has been lost. 1t is more
likely, however, that the gross feeding
and drinking Of those days, combined
with the small knowledge Of diagnosis
of the medical profession, enabled the
poisoners TO employ crude mixtures that
nowadays would be detected at once by
their symptoms 1t is likely, also, that
the current custom Of ascribing every
sudden death of a prominent parsonage
10 this agency exaggerated the true state
Of affairs. Still, il none the less points TO
the prevalence of the habit while the
investigation begun by order Of Louis
XIV, three years after Nine. de Brin-
vjlliers's execution, revealed the exist
ence Of a state Of affairs that was truly
appalling. The sinister heroine Of these
revelations was the notorious woman
Voisin.
The Marquise de Brinvilliers was con-
victed in 1876 of having, with her lovers
aid. poisoned her father and her two
brothers. The motive for the first crime
was revenge, the father having obtained
O. "lettre de cachet" for the lover when
the scandal became too great. 1t was
in the Bastille that the man, an ad-
venturer who called himself Sainte-
Croix, became the pupil Of fellow pr's-
oner. the Italian poisoner Exili. Nine.
de Brinvilliers's father had been rich
man; the fortunes of her two brothers
suspicious, moved into the country and
saw carefully TO her cuisine. Saintc-
Croix died suddenly, killed, according
TO tradition, by the fumes Of his ex-
periments with still subtler poisons.
Among his effects was found box Of
liquids and powders. with directions that
It should be given to Nine. de Brinvn-
liers or burned unopened. The pCisons
Il contained led TO the woman's arrest.
The case had many ramifications. and
Indirectly involved others OF eminent
standing, but the woman kept their Sc
cret 10 the last.
Mr.. Stokes follows the trial step by