The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1916-10-28


said to him: you'll be the next vic
tim II you let that woman stay In your
house." This angered Rumf. Madam
Gottfried had been an angel to his fam
lily. The dead woman's last smile had
been for that patient watcher at her
bedside.
Then the hired nurse who had been
in attendance, and who hadn't yet left
the house, fell sick, and also a servant
maid; three apprentices who had their
meals at the Rumf home began to suf-
fer from the same mysterious malady.
The nurse and servant girl left the
house and soon recovered. The doctor
wore path to the house, and the
undertaken looked In that direction
constantly. Rumf's friends begged him
to open his eyes before 1t was too late.
but their appeals merely aggravated
him. He thought there was. con-
spiracy to defame and insult that mag
nificent but unfortunate woman.
And then he found himself too i'll
to leave the house. The disease which
had taken his wife from him had at
tackled him. For weeks he suffered,
now feeling better, and again worse,
and In little while he was mere
wreck of the stalwart, healthy wheel
wright Of other days. And Madam
Gottfried waited on him like daugh-
ter, giving him his medicine, cooking
his food for him. reading her religious
books to him. One day when he was
alone in the house he felt a sudden
yearning for something to eat. He
hobbled down to the kitchen and there
he found pork chop. ready for fry
ing. A pork chop was just what he
wanted. He lifted 1t from the dish,
and found that 1t was covered with a
white powder. At last the suspicious
of this credulous man were aroused.
There was no reason why pork chop
should be covered with a white pow
der. So he wrapped it up in a sheet
of paper and sent 1t to doctor, and
the doctor sent back word that the
powder was arsenic.
An examining magistrate visited the
ton was that Madame Gottfried went
to jail. Then curious thing hap
pened. This plump and handsome wom-
an suddenly became repulsive bag.
The enameled complexion came Off,
revealing yellow skin. Most Of her
beautiful hair was false, and her
own hair was dyed. Her attractive
form had been carefully built up, and
thirteen corsets were removed from
her.
There were many examinations, and
months elapsed before the truth was
known. At first the madam denied
everything, but the constant examlna-
tons and questionings finally overcame
her composure. and she confessed a
list of crimes that has made her
name unpleasantly immortal in her
own country. She had poisoned her
first husband because he was a drunk
ard and failed to support her, and this
was achieved so easily, and gave her
such sense Of power, that poisoning
became mania with her. Later she
wished to marry Gottfried, and her
parents objected. 1t was dangerous to
object in the presence Of this woman.
She removed them, as she had removed
her husband, and mourned them so
sincerely that she was pitied rather
than suspected, The parents removed
Gottfried was unwilling to marry her
because of her children, so she ex'
plunged the children with her trusty
| arsenic. People began to talk, then
but after an autopsy was held on one
Of the victims, without any preju
dicial discovery, the talk died away.
| Gottfried was the next victim. He
was reluctant to m,rry her. and she
began feeding him arsenic. He real
| lied that he was doomed unless h,
married her, SO the ceremony tool
place, but he was doomed anyhow
He couldn't rally from the poison h
had taken. She confessed to havin,
murdered Madam Rumf, and had in
tended to kill the husband because h,
had bought her home. She had mis-,
poisoned the nurse, the servant ant
the apprentices, and could assign n
reason for ii.
She was sentenced to death an
went to the scaffold as calmly as ever
Nothing disturbed her. She was sleep
ing sweetly when the chaplain wen
to her cell to tell her that the hour hat
arrived. She spent all the time al
lowed her at her toilet, insisted upol
having a daintier pair of shoes thai
the ones provided, and to the last mo
ment was smirking and smiling, evl
IDENTIFY enjoying the attention she wa
receiving. The Ak fell and put an en-
to one Of the wickedest and most nh
lpormol craoturns that over trod th