Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-10-27

When Rumf went back to his work after
the funeral, he met Herr Kaufman, who
said to him: you'll be the next vic
tim if 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 a 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
nifcent 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 a little while he was a mere
wreck of the stalwart, healthy wheel
wright Of other days. And Madam
| Gottfried waited on him like a 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 sudden
yearning for something to eat. He
hobbled down to the kitchen and there
he found a pork chop, ready for fry
| ing. A pork chop was just what he
wanted. He lifted it from the dish,
and found that it was covered with
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 sheet
Of paper and sent it to a doctor, and
| the doctor sent back word that the
powder was arsenic.
An examining magistrate visited the
| house, and the result of his investiga-.
ton was that Madame Gottfried went
to Jail. Then a curious thing hap
pened. This plump and handsome wom-
an suddenly became a repulsive bag.
The enameled complexion came off,
revealing a 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 eXamina-
tons and questionings finally overcame
her composure, and she confessed
list Of crimes that has made her
name unpleasantly immortal in her
own country. She had poisoned her
first husband because he was drunk
ard and failed to support her, and this
was achieved so easily and gave her
such sense of power, that poisoning
became a 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 marry her, and she
began feeding him arsenic. He real
lied that he was doomed unless he
married her, so the ceremony took
place, but he was doomed anyhow.
He couldn't rally from the poison he
had taken. She confessed to having
murdered Madam Rumf, and had in
tended to kill the husband because he
had bought her home. She had also
poisoned the nurse, the servant and
the apprentices, and could assign nc
reason for it. ..
She was sentenced to death and
went to the scaffold as calmly as ever
Nothing disturbed her. She was sleep.
} ing sweetly when the chaplain went
} to her cell to tell her that the hour had
arrived. She spent all the time al
lowed her at her toilet, insisted upon
: having daintier pair Of shoes thar
the ones provided, and to the last mo-
ment was Sinking and smiling, evil
| IDENTIFY enjoying the attention she was
receiving. The AK fell and put an enc
to one Of the wickedest and most alb
normal creatures that ever trod the