davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The bee., 1913-12-16

was his last Madonna, although he
painted others prior TO this time. The
Madonna was the favorite theme Of
painters in the renaissance era In Italy.
starting with FRA Angelica. Fra Bar
tolommeo and others Of the Arst paint
ers in this period and reaching its
height with the completion Of the
Sistine Madonna by Raphael
This Madonna was painted as an altar
piece for the church Of San Sisto at
PiacenEa. In 1854 It was purchased BY
the elector Augustus III. frOm the
Benedictine monastery and IL now the
property of the Royal gallery at Dres-
den.
Raphael, the artist died OF fever at
Rome when but thirty-seYen years old.
He was the SON Of an artist and studied
at one time under PeruginO. In 1904
Raphael went to live In Florence, where
most Of his MadonnAs were painted.
Bus fame rapidly spread until he was
called to Rome to decorate the Vatican.
Toward the end of hls hfe. about the
time the Eistine Madonna was COM
pleted. the artist developed his own
style and ala bis greatest work. Aalde
from his ability to paint Raphael waA
talented architect
The bee., 1913-12-16

ems, descending from clouds
Which are themselves composed OF
thousands OF eherubs, Raphaers Ma
donna al San Sisto, mere commonly
known a. the Sistine Madonna, ranks.
By universal consent as the greatest
painting IN the world
In the Virgins arms there is the
Christ Child. whose thoughtful eyes
make II appear that be IL fully con-
Sci0us Of his destiny as Saviour Of the
world On either side St. sixtus IL
0Go St Catherine kneel In adOra-
dgn Of the queen Of the heavens and
ne Chrigt Child. st Catherine Il
IoCking down at the two eherubs, which
form me Dase OF the picture ana which
4SN familiar IN popular reproductions.
eixtus II. was bishop Of Rome from
2b7 b 1bs A. ID. and was martyred IN
6ef valsrfan.
Raphael sanzio OF Santi was born
IN il8D. and this picture. his master
piece was completed two years before
HIS death In 1890 Thus the artist was
mirty-nve years old when the greatest
picture Of all times was completed. 1t
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01

Turning from antiquity to the middle
ages, we read that the art OF poison has
thriven like Rappacini's daughter herself
in the midst Of her poisoned garden, that
the work Of professional prisoners has
become so extensive that a morbid and
superstitious terror has arisen In regard
10 the simplest processes Of the Internal
art II is now that we begin 10 hear OF
poisoned rings and roses. deadly missal
books and candles. fatal gloves and
poison placed on the lips OF a beautiful
girl to kill her lover by kiss.
The Borgias were the most prominent
fends OF those early days. and the Wild
est tales are told concerning the manu-
facture Of the terrible poisons that they
were known To have employed ruthlessy.
One tale that is cited by Dumas runs TO
the effect that one Of the poisons was
prepared by giving to a captive boar Il
large quantity OF white arsenic. When
the unlucky beast was smitten he was
suspended by the heels and the poisonous
froth that issued from his mouth col
lected on silver platters, distilled and
later used for furthering the work Of Sc
curing the estates of wealthy Roman
noblemen and prelates.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01
DEADLY BRAZILIAN POISON.

This poison. which paralyzes the ner-
Nous system and causes death by asphyxi-
alton. Is made. according 10 .Ir. LANCE.
from the gray corteX of a tropical vine
and the root OF plant that Is probably
the Strophantum Hispidum. These are
mixed together and quantity OF the
crushed bodies OF very poisonous black
ant is added 10 the mixture The whole IS
put on a slow fire. where IL SINNERS for
hours while the scum that collects on the
top is SKINNED off with leaf. When the
poison has become a dark brown syrup Il
is decanted into another vessel and set
aside for use. In a fight between the
tribe OF Mangeromas and band Of Peru
vian halfbreeds, Or. LANCE declares he
saw eleven men killed outright by being
hit with arrows dipped I'm this deadly
fluid All Of them were dead he said, in
from twelve TO fifteen minutes of the
time that they received their wounds.
Another strange poison of modern times
is said by John Hardy to have been EN-
ployed by the gypses. II consisted OF
the spores of a certain fungus admins
tered in the form OF fine powder. The
spores would attach themselves to the
mucous membrane Of the throat. causing
death in two or three weeks. After death
the spores themselves would die and leave
no trace by which they could be recog-
nized
No article on the subject OF deadly poi
sons would be complete without a word
concerning the monsters who made chief
use OF them during the Middle Ages. and
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01

A. Winter Blyth, NJ. r. c. s., from whose
writings part of the present material has
been gathered, have traced the history
of strange poisons back to the primitive
races. who considered the wisdom Of the
serpent and dipped their weapons in ven
ON. Long before the Christian era, DR..
Wainwright declares, the ancients knew
of poison which, according TO Theo-
phrastus. could In its use ne so mod
Grated as to affect the victim in two or
three months or even at the end of one
or two years. the death the more linger-
ing il was the more miserable" This
poison is said to have been made from
aconite, the active agent in deadly VOLTS
bane, which from time immemorial has
been a source of destruction and death
in the hands of Hindu prisoners. The
Hindus have gained in its use an un-
canny skill and with aconite as well az
"Dhatoora" and atropine have learned the
art of inlcting insanity through poison
as well as killing outright.
1t remained for Sejanus. Agrippina and
Nero, however. to add to the lustre OF
their names by one of the earliest re-
corded uses Of the professional poisoner
"Agrippina, the mother of Nero DR..
Wainwright tells us, being DESTROYS or
disposing of Claudius for political rea-
sons. caused a poison 10 be prepared by
an expert polsoner, Locusta. who had al
ready been condemned to death for her
Infamous practices, but saved that her
nefarious art might be employed. THIS
same Locusta prepared the poison with
which Nero dispatched Brtannicus, the
son of Agrippina. and his half brother
whom his father, Claudius. desired to
succeed him as Emperor. This poison
we are told. caused the death Of Brit
tanicus as soon as taken. For this SER
vice the Emperor pardoned Locusta. re-
warded her literally and gave her pupils
TO instruct in her art in order that IT
might not be lost"
1t is said that this poison was known
TO the Carthaginians and that 1t prob
ably consisted as did most Of the ancient
toxins. Of such plants as aconite. hem
lock and poppy. Poisons also are said to
have been prepared from the bodies OF
shellfsh particularly violet colored
liquid from the juices of mollusk. that
caused swift and certain death.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01
POISONING Of RODRIGO AND CAESAR BORGIA BY
POISON INTENDED BY THIN FOR OTIITRS
Copyright 1895 BY George bsrr.c.

with less success. but equal malevolence,
up to the present day.
Charles IN and Catherine de- Medici
already have been mentioned together
with the Borgias. and to follow up the
custom Of naming royal prisoners first,
King John OF Merry England won some
claim to consideration having often made
use of poison, notably. II is claimed. in
the case of Maud Fitzwalter the Fair
whom he shut in high tower when she
disdaned his love suit and sent To her
a poisoned egg, Of which she ate and
died.
In 1918 man named John of Rugubo
came before the Council of Ten in Venice
and volunteered to remove all persons
that displeased them in consideration of a
salary of 1850 ducats every year, with a
subsequent inci ease after his first efforts
had proved successful. The Venetian
Council seriously considered the oppor
tunity that was thus laid open to them
and even went so far as to commission
John to try out his art on victims that
they named
La Toffana, already spoken of as the
inventor of the poison that bears her
name. was a worthy disciple of Hierony-
ma Spara, a bag who Is said to have
been at the head OF a society formed by
unhappy married women for the swift
and safe disposal of their husbands La
Sparas poisons were largely the same as
those of Toffana, and she practised their
use beth in Italy and France. The exist
ence of la Spara's secret society was
revealed to the Roman clergy by the
statements OF young widows under seal
OF the confessional So many of these
confessions were made that the clergy
Informed the Pope; the society was dis
covered as a result Of this, and La Spara,
with thirteen of her confederatcs, met a
well merited death on the gallows
In the latter half OF the sixteenth GEN.
fury there arose the group of Partisan
prisoners OF which the beautiful Marquise
de Brinvillers was the chief figure This
woman, who is said to have possessed
the countenance of an angel and the
figure Of a sylph. was initiated into the
art OF poisoning by her lover. Ste. Croix
who learned his use of drugs. as has been
said. from the Italian poisoner. Exili.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01
"ACQUETTA DI PERRUGIA."

Somewhat the same method is said to
have been employed in the manufacture
of "acquetta di perrugia." in which fresh
pork was sailed with arsenic and the
Juice from the meat collected. This juice
was claimed to be infinitely more deadly
than the usual solutions of arsenic. and
IL is recorded that modern experiments
with organic compounds Of this poison
seem TO bear out the assertion OF the
medieval posoner in regard to 1t.
Aqua Toffana was famous medieval
compound made in the seventeenth CEN
tury by Neapolitan woman, La Toffana.
said TO have been responsible for the de-
cease OF at least six hundred persons
through administering this potion, four
drops OF which would cause death. II is
stated that in all probability this poison
was IAN aqueous solution of white
arsenic" but the drug was the subject OF
much superstitious speculation. and
stories are told concerning its connection
that are too horrible for description.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01
DUMAS ADDS A LAST CHAPTER.

Dumas, who has given complete his
early part of the nineteenth century a
cabinet was discovered that in all proba-
bility contained some OF her poisons, but
that either through fear or indifference
on the part of the discoveries the walls
containing them were promptly destroyed
The cabinet was found in one of the
towers Of the chateau where the mar
quise poisoned her father; 1t was fitted up
as a laboratory and was provided with
furnaces. TIE Walls were Theoretically
sealed and held an unknown fluid. and
there were also discovered four packets
OF different colored powders. They were
unfortunately destroyed before their COM
position was learned.
II was at about this time that there
came upon the stage the two professional
female prisoners, La Nosn and La
Vigoreux. who dispensed their poisons to
whoever chose to purchase them. The
number of deaths for which these two
women were responsible can only be
Guessed at. Men and women. courtiers
soldiers and priests, sought them out to
buy their horrible compounds. Among
many OF their patrons each had the name
OF sorceress, and IL is known that many
OF the medieval sorcerers who we're tried
nothing else than poisoners.
Perhaps the most famous example OF
poetic justice in the case Of a poisoner
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01
THE POPE'S WINE.

The wine. says Dumas. was given 10
attendants by Alexander. with word that
Il was for the Pope's USE and was to
be kept separate from the rest. Alex
ander was thirsty before the banquet AMI
called for wine. The servant seeing some
wine apart from the rest and knowing
that II was for the Pope, served It 10
Alexander and Cesar. both OF whom fell
to the floor in agony. Alexander was
carried 10 his apartments, where he
speedily died. Caesar recovered. probably
through the use of some unknown anti
dote
While the present knowledge Of poisons
is infinitely greater than ever before the
knowledge OF antidotes has kept pace
with il. and there are relatively few
drugs to-day that cannot be counteracted
in case the physician recognizes them in
time. The danger lies in the possibility
that they may not be known until thei
have been given an opportunity 10 get
their deathly grip upon the human SIS
TEN. While the era Of the professional
poisoner is over. the age Of accidental
poisoning is very much alive. and poisons
should be treated with greater respee,
than Is customary on the part of the
average prescription taker.
The day of the professional poisoner is
over for good and all. While there are
many to-day who could probably rival
the art OF the most famous medeya!
prisoners. there could never again he
the safety from detection of the old days
when they lived and fiourished Poison
in almost every instance can now oe
traced to its home source and woe e
him who tries to cheat the law and n
play on his own part the role Of profes'
sional poisoner
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01
THE nARQUISE de BRINVILkIERS
KILLING HER FATHER THE VI SCOUHT
d'AUBRAY BY q BOWL OF POISONED
Soup
copyr,9ht 1895 by George Barrie.

Another medieval poison known 10 have
existed. but whose composition is fnys-
/ terry. is said TO have taken years 10 COM
plete us fatal course. acting like SLOW IRE
ar ma2icians curse upon the human
body "Thc victim became toothless. bald
and dcsiccated. expiring after an agony
relentless and prolonged
Still another drug Is referred To as "a
poison in the shape Of balls, killing By its
odor alone when thrown into the fire"
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01

Viscount d Aubray, the marquise iathei
was angered by her love for Ste CroiN anu
became her first victim in consequence
Afterward she poisoned her two brothers
and attempted the life of her sister. She
experimented with posons on the mem
bcrs If her household and kept her ser
wants i'm deadly terror. one day she
would poison them with some slow drug
aud the next hour repent and supply
them with an antidote. When nobody
hammered TO be in her immediate path
she experimented with her drugs on ami
male. and would even boast TO certain
chosen friends OF her exploits IN TINS
direction.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01
Recent Cases of Accidental or Deliberate Adj
mnistration of Death Dealing Drugs Re-
call the Poison Lore Of History with
Its List of Names of In
famous Memory.

almost fashionable for the sixteenth CEN
fury Italians and Parisians skilfully to
make away with announcement persons by
the use Of deadly poisons. particularly
arsenical preparations. They ought to
have been skilful. TO be sure, for con-
stantly increasing number of strange
poisons had been handed down 10 them
since the days of the remotest antiquity
when the Egyptians referred in their
records TO tine penalty of the peach.
Prussic acid is easily brewed from
peaches and il is said by reliable author
tiles that this statement of the Egyptians
could refer to nothing else than prussic
acid poisoning.
Or. j. W. Wainwright. Of this city, AMI
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01
PROFlTEO BY DEFEATS.

The gradually increasing expenses %
rowing caused the smaller colleges "
drop the sport. SO that of the teld tha'
began in the 7O's only Columbia. Corhe"
Pennsylvania, Yale AMI Harvard e
mained when the present era OF mou.'"
rowing dawned. after the estabhshhs -
the Poughkeepsie regattas. Only v"
first named three stuck by the nv"
course, Harvard and Yale preterrihs "
remain true to tradition and have tne"
annual race at New London. Georse'o"
took up rowing and entered the foue"
keepsie races. and SO did Wisconsin auo',
1900. Syracuse. another newcomer aoo,S
rowing To its list of sports ana came
Poughkeepse in 1902. 4,
Perhaps the most interesting ted'N Ia,
the preparation of the crews ioi "
years regattas is the experiment -
tried at Yale of reintroducing snpV
pure English stroke, with Allister MI
and Harcourt Gold the two coacnes W."
have produced winning crews TOT oN
I'm the last few years, at the hei"' n
Grill Hartman, son of the late
Hartman, the head coach OF the 80
oarsmen. invited the two Englsh eAfs a.,
TO teach Yale how TO row. ana "
will go the credit II the experiment
success. The professional coaches "a
looking on askance. They feel ina. -"
American stroke is the best adap'eu sIy
American youths. and they VIII proV@ iii
not shake the conviction. Only tlh'e 'ch
tell whether inexperienced oa~smen .r
as We have here at the beginning OIL '' ~.
careers are capable of masterine .,;ss
smashing English stroke. the bne ~.
coaches think that they WILL anu .dsr
Blue flashes across the finish nne o" ,ns
the old drawbrdge at New London ~ ,s.d
van they say they will have been 'u'
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01
Making a Varsity Grew
Continued from fifth page.

newed interest in the sport, and in the
early 70's one finds regattas with crews
representing Yale. Harvard, Brown, Co.
lumbia. Cornell. Princeton, Pennsylvania
Wesleyan and Amherst.
Coumbias victory i'm the Henley re-
gatta Of ISIS. when the New York crew
won the Visitors Cup was an impetus
for the sport. and in the early sos the
first well organized regattas with eight
Dared crews were held. In those days
Harvard. Yale and Columbia roWed AZ
New London, with occasionally oos'
coming down from Cornell, and at aoou'
the same time Columbia, Pennsyvan"
and Princeton were rowing for the Chllds
Cup on the Schuylkill.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01
STE. cRoIx AND THE MARoUIsE.

one Of them shows that famous
medieval poison consisted OF certain pro-
portions of corrosive sublimate, white ar
senic. arsenic trisulphide and arsenic tri-
chloride-a concoction that would seem
sufficiently powerful TO blast the heart
of Joss of adamant. The In
famous Ste Croix was taught the
use of corrosive sublimate with other
poisons when imprisoned in the same
cell with the notorious Italian. EXili,
and ste. Croix. who was later killed
in one of his own noxious experiments,
taught his art TO the terrible Mar9uise de
Brinvi!lers, a Frenchwoman of radiant
beauty. who slew her father and two
brothers, attempted the life OF her sister.
and sent to the lower world some scores
OF people for the simple love of poisoning
them for some trivial slight. either real
or fancied Opium. antimony. arsenic
and corrosive sublimate were among the
secrets of her trade.
But turning from the mercurial field.
what wealth Of poison lore" is to be
found in the other poisons of the Middle
Ages! The criminal arsenic school of the
sixteenth century has been compared by
Blyth to the criminal dynamite school OF
the present day. and 1t was considered
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01
The Professional Poisoners Of Days Long Gone
Were Recognized Employees in Many
Cases Of Noble or Even Royal
Persons-How the Borgias Got
Rid of Their Enemies.

was the death of Roderiso Borgis, Pop.
Alexander the Sixth. by the very drug
with which he had intended to dispatch
three OF his cardinals with a view to
attaching their estates.
Alexander. with his son. Cesar Borgia,
had put the poison. which was known a,
"cantarella." in some bottles Of wine.
which were to be served to the cardinals
at a banquet.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01

In the mean time. SAYS Dumas. Ste.
Croix had not been idle and had kept up
a secret laboratory in Paris, where he
manufactured his devilish concoctions.
One day when he was working over some
fearfully powerful compound the mask
that he was IN the habit Of wearing fell
from his face and was broken. allowing
the posoner 10 nhae some OF the fumes
OF his own poisons. lie was found later.
stone dead.
Ste. CroiX had seen 1T to make will
in which he bcqueathed his posons and
researches TO the Marquise dc Brinvil-
liers This attention on his part resulted
in her trial and torture. She was then
publicly beheaded, her body was burned
and her ashes scattered TO the winds.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01
MERCURY USED BY AssAssINs.

But the accidental deaths. and even the
suicides. by means of this fearful drug
pale when compared with the fate OF the
unfortunates who have succumbed to 1t IN
the hands of the wilful poisoner. No an
tidote being known. it has ever been pop
rlar with those gentry, although gentry
perhaps, is the wrong word, when II Is
taken into consideration that by far the
greater number of the worlds most
famous poisoners were women.
When Charles TX heard that an anti
dote TO corrosive sublimate had been dis
covered in a substance known as oezoar'
he sent for a certain cook who had COM
nnItted a slight theft He resolved TO put
the matter TO the test without further
delay, and fed the cook corrosive subh-
mate with the generosity for which MS
kingly hand was famous. afterward CIV
ing him bezoar in similar quantities. The
cook was promptly racked with agony
and died with obliging swiftness The
sntidote was discredited, and the King
breathed freely in the knowledge that
his most reliable poison was yet irwin
chile.
The same drug. according TO Witthaus
worked with engaging speed in the case
of Sir Thomas Overbury when confined IN
the Tower Of London in 1913. The Earl OF
Somerset and his wife resolved 10 poison
the imprisoned nobeman, who resisted
all their efforts until they gave him cor
rosive sublimate, which settled their diff
nculties and his at one and the same
time
II is written that three recipes for the
preparation Of sure poison are preserved
I'm the "secreta secretissima' in the Nene-
,,a,, arcbiyee for the wears l5f0-'44.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-01
CATHERINE DE MEOICl, EXPERT.

Many stories are told of the poisoned
gloves and garments that were supposedly
employed by famous historical prisoners
To rid themselves Of obnoxious friends or
inconven!cnt relatives. one Of the most
famous Of these concerns the Queen OF
Navarro. who died after wearing pair
OF porfumed gloves supposedly given by
Catherine De Mcdicl. Catherine employed
a pcrfumer named REM. an Italian
poisoncr. whose fashionable and sweet
q, smelling lotions could cause death by
! their scent alone. II has been suggested
| that some Of these inhalant poisons were
! organizations Of cyanidCs. but little ~
/ known about them and still less believed
! To-day We have list Of death dealing
posons that would have set the medieval
sorcercr and poisoner agape with delight
and amazement Many OF these poisous
are used for manufacturing purposes and
are vended by the carload. Many others
are i'm the average home Of the average
citizen, ranged upon medicine shelves
with romance far afeld. but with all their
old danger remaining.
The straneeSt Of all modern pOisons,
I however according To the statement OF
Algot LANCE in THE Scientific Ameri-
4 can" still has about ii something of the
aura Of terror and mystery that sur
rounded the medieval product. II Is the
Brazilian Wourahli poison that causes
death in three and one-quartcr minutes.
that has no known antidote. and that
will XII nv the scratch of an arrow head
that allows the drug To make its way
/ into the veins. IL is used by the alb
origncs Of the Amazon Valley largely for
| hunting purposes. as il leaves the flesh
perfectly sweet and wholesome.