The Warwickshire Herald. — 1885-05-02 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

WHOLESALE POISONING.  The horrible case of wholesale poisoning at Leyden has jut been before the Crinimal Court of the Hague. The prisoner is a woman of -16, named Van de Linden. She is marl ied and has several children. It appears that since 1869 she has attempted to poison no hos than 102 persons, and that she tried to poison i everybody who came n her way. It is proved that she killed 27 of her victims, and that 45 others became dangerously ill. Six times she endeavoured ti peison one of her sisters-in-law. The prisoner, however, was indicted for murdering three persons only. The Public Prosecutor maintained that the motive of the criminal was the obtaining money which insurance societies would have to pay in Case Of illness or death. Van de Linden, it is stated, made her intended victims members of these soci ties, sometimes without their knowing it, and in such cases paying their contributions. It is certain however, the woman poisoned seve, al people whose illness or death could be of no pecuniary benefit to her. The prisoner's sanity was certified by three eminent medical men. The events or. which the trial was based took place in 1881 and 1883, and it is said that during this time she ttied to kill 20 persons. The poison which she used was arsenic, which she mixed with the ford or drink ,4 her victims, and the drug was found in the bodies of some of them. The prisoner is a pale and ugly w, man. with no expression of intelligence. At the close of the evidence, I hough at first strenuously denying the crimes with which she was charged, she confessed the facts wh:ch form the subject of the pr,secution, but she denied that she had any pecuniary motive. Tile Public Prosecutor asked the President to pronounce a sentence of imprisonment for life. The prisoner's advocate, in ri-ply, contended that the case had not been legally proved, but admitted that the prisoner was S monster, suffering from moral insanity.—Sentruce was deferred for a week.  A young lily named Sl'Clona, residing at Shepherd's Bush, has poisoned herself with carbolic acid six weeks after marriage.  While some tone, weighing about six hundredweight, was being hoisted at the Greenock new municipal buildings, by means of a steam crate-, the shears with which the stone was held gave wa,.. The stone fell on to a man named Francis Gallagher, killing him instantaneously. His body was fearfully mangled.  Miss Betsy Wrigley has been sued for 22185. at the Warrington county caul t under peculiar circumstances. The young lady, it appears, had been engaved to be married to Mr. James Fellowen, and her lover !mei purchased for her a wedding dress and advanced to her a small sum of money. But within 24 hours of the time fixed for the wedding they quarrelled; and though the disagreement was subsequently removed they had now finally broken off their engagement, and Mr. Fellowes sought to recover his money out of pocket. But the judge regarded the suit as an attempt to try a breach of promise case by a aide action, and informed Mr. Fellowes that good consideration for his money had been given—namely, an "executed contract," and if he wished for damages he must sue for the breach of contract.