The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-03-06
A Persistent
Prisoner
BY LOUISE B. CUMMINGS

The use OF the poisoned needle Is not
new. In the early part of the seven
teenth century a man named Tebaldo
in Venice invented an instrument In
the form of a key from which he shot
wished to kill.
In Rome during the period when the
use Of pOisons was an art in Italy there
occurred a similar case to that of this
Venetian. One Lorenzo Luchese went
from Florence to Rome. taking with
him a more minute knowledge Of poi
sons and poison methods than existed
anywhere except in the city on the
Arno. There was something uncanny
about him that soon turned the Ro-
mans against him. A certain yOunG,
lady. Blanca RanZine. attracted the at
tention of the stranger. and he was oh.
served to cast longing eyes upon her.
But she was betrothed to a noble Vene-
tinn. RicordO Mantel. and it was as
sumed that Luchese's love was hope
less. But one day Signorina Ranzine's
lover after having mingled with a
crowd witnessing a race on the Corso
was seized with a sharp pain and died
within a few hours. 1t was supposed
he died of heart disease.
Not long after this Luchese proposed
to SignOr Ranzine for the hand of his
daughter. The application was declin-
ed on the ground that the lady's heart
was buried with the lover she had lost
and chn yvnrr1s1 r,nvnr marry J1chncn
said that he would not give up hope
and took every means to ingratiate
himself with %Signorina Ranzine. But
| she took a dislike to him and would
have nothing to do with him.
After awhile the young lady met a
! man named Francesca Demetrio. a
handsome and in other ways a charm
! ing man. who fell desperately in love
with her and won her from her in
| tended celibacy. They became en-
gagged, and Bianca's friends ~rejoiced
| that the heart Of one SO young would
| not after all be buried. Demetrio had
| heard something from Florence about
| Luchese that put him on his guard
| against the
Every one knew that Luchese had cast
| longing eyes on Blanca RanZine before
the death of her betrothed and that
he had proposed for her hand soon
after his death. Moreover, poisoning
being much in vogue at that time.
| there were those who believed that
Ricordo Mantel had not died of heart
disease, but had been secretly poisoned.
Demetrio after hearing the reports
from Florence about Luchese strongly
suspected not only that ,Mantel had
been poisoned. but that Luchese had
been the poisoner.
However, he kept his W counsel
and at the anne time q strict watch on
Luchese. If Demetrio was in any room
where Luchese was present he would
Immediately leave. On several occa-
sions he noticed that the Florenrine
tried to get near him. but he had al
ways prevented his doing so by NOV
ing away. One day Deretrio was talk
ing with a friend on a street on a fete
day when a procession Of the church
was passing and suddenly felt a sharp
pain in his arm. Turning, he saw Lu-
cheese pushing his way from him
among the crowd.
"Seize that man, DemetriO said to
his friend. HE has punctured my arm
and doubtless poisoned me-"
The friend gave chase and caught
| Luchese. As soon as he laid hands on
! him he felt a sharp pain in his hand.
There happened to be a doctor in the
crowd, who, learning what had oc-
Cured. asked Demetrio to show him
where he had been pricked. So small
was the wound that it could scarcely
he discovered, but the doctor whipped
out a lancet and cut away a piece Of
the flesh. Demetrio's friend. having
turned Luchese yer to al officer,
came Keeling back, and the doctor.
learning that he, too, had been prick.
ed, treated his hand as he had treated
Demetrio's arm.
The doctor took both pieces of flesh
to his house, and on cutting them into
bits found in each a small needle not
half an inch long. Whether there had
been poison in either of them he could
1 not tell. UuC Tic cElUcUCc WAS SCrOuS
enough against Luchese to insure his
conviction. He was searched as soon
as arrested. but nothing discriminating
was found on him.. His house was
searched. and in it were found a variety
Of poisOns and a little box containing
needles similar to those that had been
put into Demetrio and his friend.
The instrument with which he had
shot the needle into the flesh was pick.
ed up on the street near where the at
tack had been made. 1t was simply
q small brass tube with q spring in it.
which could be loosened by a pressure
Of the thumb.
Luchese was tried and executed.
Demetrio suffered but little from the
effects Of the puncture, but his friend
was III a long while.
The fact that Mantel had doubtless
been poisoned by the man who wish
ed Blanca for himself was kept from
her. Indeed. she was not informed