The Washington times., 1920-09-06


he discovered that his wife had very
extravagant tastes and an inherited
tendency for gambling.
Coming to him with a very com
Portable fortune, she soon dissipated
II in gambling and costly dresses and
extravagant entertainment of her
friends. Frequently he pleaded with
her to change her mode OF life, but
always in vain. When she had spent
her entire fortune she sought to OBJ
tain large sums from him in order TO
continue her extravagant form OF liv-
ing.
She. however. found him obduratc.
Undue extravaganza he barred rigidly
and frequent quarrels arose between
them. and their domestic life became
very unhappy.
The rest OF the story is related by
Mime. Bessarabo herself in her con-
fession. Both she and her daughter
by her first husband are under arrest
in the st. Lazare prison.
81 was determined to kill my hus-
band" she said. Il had planned
everything out in my mind, and 1 did
not anticipate any hitch occurring.
Had IT not been that he had become
suspicious and told his chauffeur to
approach the police in certain event
ualities I am quite sure l should never
have been discovered. My daughter
not only had no part in the affair. but
she did not even know her stepfather
was dead until she was arrested with
me as an -accomplice.
REVOLVER UNDER PILLOW.
Always I slept at night with a re.
,N,1 L q
some day / should have to use ii.
Ny husband came to me that night
as planned. and as he walked UP to
my bedside l smiled at him He lay
down on the bed beside me, and as
he shut his eyes ! CROPPED for the
revolver and held it firmly in my
hand. Then / put II close to his head
without touching him and fired.
''The report alarmed me lest IL
should have been heard outside. But
everything was quiet after this.
saw I had killed my husband, and
felt rather glad it was all over. AS
| lay there the blood soaked into the
bed clothes and knew should have
to do my next task. That was to get
rid OF the body.
81 rang the bell. and when the
maid answered 1t asked her to send
my daughter to me. When my daugh-
ter arrived asked her to bring me a
large trunk, which she did. She
handed IL to me at the door Of the
bed room, and went away immedi
ately. She supposed I needed the
trunk to pack UP some clothes, as ]
had told her we were going away the
next day.
After she had gone away I drew
my husbands body of the bed, and
with a piece of rope which had
secreted in the room, bound him
up in such a manner that could
place the body in the trunk.
PERFECTLY CALM.
"After I had done that I felt per-
fectly calm, and lay down on the bed
again and went to sleep. silent
quite undisturbed. In the morning ]
packed another trunk with some
clothes and with my daughter I drove
away from the house with the two
trunks, the one containing my hus-
bands dead body and the other some
necessary clothes.
"The trunk containing my husband
I sent on to Nancy, intending to dis
pose of IL later. l had the other
trunk sent to my country villa.
still had to dispose of the revolver.
30 returned TO farls, ana later
took my daughter out for a row on
the river. While I was in the boat /
dropped the revolver over the side SO
that 1t sank into the mud. That over.
I had no fear OF any damaging clues
I had previously destroyed the blood
soaked bed-clothes. 1 then felt quite
contented that everything was safe
from the prying eyes OF the police.
"I should have. indeed, been safe II
II had not been for the suspicious OF
my husband. which I had never count
ed upon, because I had never guessed
that they had existed"
Since her arrest the police recall
the mysterious circumstances under
which the woman's first husband met
his death. and the inquiry into these
circumstances which Is now proceed
ing are expected to lead to sensational
discoveries
Already the police have unearthed
some striking Condolences Both
men. Il is pointed out. were shot with
reyolvers, and both were shot in the