Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1921-01-27
Frozen Death
%. 1870. BY The Wheeler syndicate.


Look back over the city's death
records for the past six months and
then ask Dr. Albert Beaurigard why
IL Is that fifteen prominent citizens
have died from cholera and yellow
fever when there has been no cpl
demic. ASK him why these men died
within few days after dining at his
house"
This was the anonymous letter that
led the chief of police of Buenos Aires
TO assign Manuel Porteras, one of his
best men, to the case which was
destined to become unique in criminal
annals.
It was true that number of men
who were prominent in the life of the
city-bankers and lawyers and doc
tOrs--had died within the period men
toned in the unsigned communica-
ton. But in every case the attending
death from natural causes. In fact,
as PorteraS pointed out to his chief,
there had been autOpsies on three Of
the bodies, but even these post-mor-
tenn examinations disclosed nothing
out of the ordinary.
Il know all that retorted the chief
Of police, "but the charges made in
this letter are too grave TO overlook
If only for the sake of Doctor Beauri-
CARDS reputation. 1t Is unthinkable
- sE-.t . IL, a =.
member of the Ec0le de Medicine, a
man who Is mentioned as the logical
successor to Koch, should be con
nected with these deaths. Besides,
what would be his motiveT
professional iealousy?" hazarded
POrteraS.
Possibly but that's hardly prob
able"
Before tackliHs the question of the
letter itself Porferas dug back into
the history of the fifteen men who
had died of cholera and yellow fever.
In no case did he find any reason
which would explain their murder,
any motive for removing them.
What Porteras did find, however,
was a support for the allegation of
the anonymous writer. Each of the
dead men had been guest at the
Beaurigard home only few days be
fore their death. Less than twenty
four hours later they developed symp
toms of the dread diseased
Armed with this information, the
detective started his search for tn,
man who had written the note Dis
guised as a hook agent, PorteraS sue.
ceeded in securing samples of the
handwriting of a number of persons
who were known TO be friendly with
Doctor Beaurigard, but none of these
showed the distinct characteristics
which were apparent even in the al
tered penmanship of the letter to the
police. II was not until he came away
from the Beaurigard home with sam
pies of the servants handwriting that
he found what he had been looking
for.
The following morning Buenos
Aires was startled by the news of the
arrest of Dr. Albert Beaurigard, the
foremost physician in South Amer
lea, on a charge OF murder
During the days which preceded his
trial, the scientist preserved an air of
total nonchalauce appearing oblivious
Of the fact that he was about 10 be
tried for his life aud contenting him
Al,
that the whole matter was too ab-
Surd to he considered seriously" So
numerous were his friends and so
secure his position la the social life
Of the South American capital that
the majority nf the people claimed
that the affair was q plot on the part
of the police, an attempt 10 cover
their past failures hy a sensational
prosecution OF an Innocent man.
Il was not until the state had laid
the foundation for its case by intro
duclng the testimony of physicians
who had attended the dead men fol-
lowed by proof that each Of these men
had dined at the Beaurigard home
only few hours before they had
been taken ill. that porteraS played
his trump card Al his direction the
prosecuting attorney called Doctor
BeaurigardN butler to the stand and
for the first time the face of the ac-
cused showed the strain under which
he had been labOring
"All preparations for the dinners
We're left in ms hands testified the
butler. with the exception of the
preparation of single glass ur creme
De menthe. This Doctor Bpaurigard
Invariably fixed himself. placing 1t on
the tray in the midst Of the other
glasses"
What was the difference between
this glass ANA the nrherSF"
The liQueur was rhr same The
Ice came from e small test tube In
Doctor Bemrinrd'~ laboratory e.
Hardly had The butter finished this
sentence before the prisoner was on
his feet hi, left hnnd appraised 10 al.
tract the attention of the court
Yes" he exclaimed. "a am re-
sponSihle for their deaths but You'd
never have discovered ii N d hadn't
been for this pryiug servant I desired
70 make experiments with the cholera