Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-10
THE MYSTERY On
THE RED wIDoe
Her Connection With ~.
den Death of President p r., Sa'
of France Has New. sue
Been Explained
BY JOHN ELFRETH wsrvr..

| o'SS' dIlS, on tha ~.
February 1e, 1899. Attaches o.' sa'
went hurriedly. 1t had boon s'ne = s
announced that Francois Fan. 'uua'si
President Of the Republic. haa 'ses
dead Of apoplexy at 1O15 NJ ~. u,OlSs
President Faure had been @
great nervous strain. The Dteytn.
day had harassed him CREATE
passed the half-century mlestor.
had been noted of late that bo
worn and haggard. So at FIRE, :, -
cial announcement of the cau..
death aroused no skepticism -.
cynical Paris. Later, howev.r
gradually leaked out rumors ,ho, ~. ~
not died from the causes statsd
During those times there dv..
comfortable apartment in Paris
Of wonderful magnetism, who
sessed voluptuous beauty tha, ~.
to her feet many men high IN ~.
circles. She lived in apparent h..-
with her husband, Adolphe staIrh.n
artist; her daughter Martha, a ~
full child of nine, and an elderly vo.,s
Madame Japy, whom Madame s,,,,.
introduced in later years as her p,,,.s +
Madame Steinhell had proved "A .N-
tive to men high in affairs Of Cow
ment that she readily made bsr,,v
political power. In fact, Il was ~
that she became an official spy and A.
one of her commissions from IN. 4.
ernment had been to fascinate the n, {
of Cambodia during that dusky n.'
arch's visit to Paris, and hold him I.
her clutches until he signed a ,,..
granting France valuable concessIo,,
Nine years after the death OF Pr
dent Faure, or in May, 1908, Paris N E
shocked by the news of a horrible ~ +
der in Madame ISteinheil's apartnrs
| The dead bodies of her Husband N
Madame Japy were found bound, M
in another room Madame Steinhel M
discovered gagged and strapped to am
post. According to Madame Steinha
story, told in straightforward fass, F
| to the. police, she had awakened 10 N E
several figures wearing masks and guvs E
entering her room the night before, u F
| a search proved that nearly everynr
of value had been taken from the us s
| ises. After recovering from her b
| juries this remarkable woman, bearinsu
of the external marks of grief, zeaout E
aided the authorities in hunting domA f
murderers. She was an object Of PUN &
pity Suspicion fell upon one Rs-
Couillaud. He was arrested and charl
with the double murder, but shortly atp E
ward was acquitted. and Paris was Dun 5
founded to learn that Madame Stelria
herself had been arrested for the I'D
crime.
Under the ordeal of the third degs
she is alleged to have made draEas
confession that she knew the ideHi1
of the slayer of her husband and
Madame Japy. 1t was then discoyH
that the latter was not her own moihs
but only her stepmother, and thus sua
the belief that she had claimed the e'4
relationship the better to avert suspEd
that she herself had killed the old AZ
To account for her confession, alisaA
declared that Madame Steinheil had ka
suffering from a recognized form OF
terra which commonly manifests itssk
extravagant statements OF selflnrn
mating character.
Her trial was one Of the most ssiA
tional hearings ever held in Paris
cause of her penchant for wearing y
back in the gay days before her noun
ing, she became known in the annah
the news as "The Red Widow" are
weeks of suspense. so cruelty Trying
her charming daughter, now y0H
belle of IS, "The Red Widow" was
quilted.
Meanwhile, the close scrutiny Oh
Red Widows" past life, entailed W
Investigations connected with hef v,
uncovered certain rumors connecuns
with a tragedy even more serious u''
the murder of her husband ana
mother. According TO a story aiiesa
have been told in confidence by soms =
in the innermost circle OF the LIZ
Palace, President Faure had had Al
portant engagement at the palace W
afternoon of February TO- lSss.
nonappearance caused palace atiaens
institute a careful search, and AAa.-.
Faure became alarmed by their lAl1,
TO find him. Certain suspicious ne'--
for some time been ranking in heF ~,
Madame Faure. becoming despera~
ceeded to Madame Steinheils apnu-.
and. entering suddenly, found her
band dead in a chair, his hanus -
ing Madame Steinheil's hair
covering from the horrible shock aa--
Faure collected her wits and WIN
presence of mind, resolved to cove
the stain upon her husbands honO',
summoning some trusted serVAn3
the palace. she had the Presidents 0"F
covered so as to avert suspicion
after darkness had fallen had II
gled into the Elysee Palace ana
i'm a chair where il might be uises -
by those who later gave the a's
cording to some Paris papers lhs {,
ponement of the Red Widows w.
the murders at her apartment nsa -
carefully arranged by the hish
OF the Government until the $50 A.
limitations had prevented the poSs.,. -.
OF an official inquiry into -
Faure's death. After the Red -
acquittal. her connection with 'ns es
dents murder became graaua ~
gotten, ana the world viii prooapS b