Norwich bulletin., 1914-06-03
FAMOUS TRIALS
TRIAL OF THE MARcHioNEss DE
 TRAVELLERS.

The marchieness de BrinvillieFs was one of the greatest female criminals in the history of the world. Occasionally in history we find persons who seem to have been born for life of crime. This French woman Is a most con spieuous example. She seems to have been abnormal from childhood. AL though married to marquis of Nor mandy, she forsook her husband to associate with St. Croix and Exili, two prisoners who were hardened crimi- nals.
 The trio seem to have formed a partnership to see how many lives they could destroy by means of the poison which they manufactured and for no apparent reason other than to see how it would work. In the year 1870 the father, sister and two broth CTS of the marchioness were destroyed by poison. It was strange chance In the work of distilling of poisons St. Croix was obliged to wear glass mask so that he should not inhale the dreadful fumes.
 One day the mask dropped to the floor and the man had a full breath of the vapors that instantly killed him. The government confiscated his ef- fleets and made the stupendous dis coverv of various packages of poison, each bearing description of the effect it would produce before death re- suited. as well as many other evil dences of crime.
 The marehieness of Brinvilliers, realizing what the discovery meant. escaped to England. but, hearing that the authorities had traces of her, she took refuge in iiege. but she was found there and taken to Paris. She was brought to the Conciergerie at Paris, where she was incaycerafed. In her examination that Followed she claimed to be entirely innocent.
 M. Niveile, celebrated advocate, drew a brief in her defense; and therein treated the question. Whether confession written by a person &C., cused and ordered to be revealed to a confessor, can be brought in evil dence agaiIit him." He claimed that 1t was St. Croix and not the march ioness who had done the poisoning, and that he had formed a design to make himself master of all the Brin-
 villiers riches. NJ. Nivelle laid a spec
 ial stress upon the dying words of La Chausse, another of the confederates, who declared that St tCroix had said
 to him that the marchioness was a
 stranger to their criminal practices.
 At her confessional she had accused herself to her priest of having pois- oned her father, her two brothers and
 had attempted to poison her sister This confession. M. Nivelle affirmed should have no weight in a court oi justice, because the law, which ;m- poses inviolable secrecy, as well on the confessor himself as others who may accidentally come to the knowl- edge of a confession, whether deliv- cred by voice or in writing. rendered 1t entirely uneless to all the purposes of civil life.
 In spite of this the court judged that there was sufficient evidence foI ! condemning the acused, even abstract cd from her confession, The chiei reason why they so decided was that the marchioness knew that she would inherit the estates of her father, he1 brother and her sister. and St. Croix , reclloned upon the disposal of the ln-
 hcritance of a woman who was aband- oned to him by a blind passion sufficient evidence had been pro- duced at this trial to effect her con dcmnation. Accordingly sentence was passed upon her to the following ef- feet.
 Whereas the court has found the Marehioness BrinviiEers duly attainted