The Northern Guardian. — 1895-01-08 (Hartlepool, Cleveland, England)

THE ANTWERP POISONING MYSTERY.  The celebrated Belgian murder mystery, known as the Joniaux ease, came before the Assize Courts, at Antwerp, yesterday. The case has excited the keenest public interest all over the country. The accused is Madame Joniaux, a lady of 51, of good social position, who married first the well-known bibliophile and historian, M. Fredei ie Faber, and, secondly, a widower named M. Joniaux, chief engineer to the department of roads and bridges in Antwerp. Madame Joniaux is charged with the murder of Mdlle. Leonie Ablay, her sister; M. Jacques Van den Kerchove, her uncle ; and M. Alfred Ablay, her brother. All of the deceased were heavily insured, the premiums being paid by the accused, although she was heavily in debt. Two policies of 30,000 francs each were effected ou the life of Leonie Ablay with two Swiss and Dutch companies; and M. Alfred Ablay was insured with the Gresham Company for 100,0000 francs. Oa the initiative of the manager of the Gresham Company the authorities took the matter up. The three bodies were exhumed, and traces of poison were found in the intestines of M. Ablay. Madame Joniaux, it was known, had caused some morphine to be purchased the night before her brother died. When the Court assembled yesterday, under the presidency of DY. Holvoet, there was a crowded attendance. The reading of the indictment lasted an hour and a half, and during this proceeding the prisoner was deeply moved. The indictment recapitulated at the outset the manner in which the three relatives of the accused met their death, and stated the circumstances leading up to the arrest of Madame Joniaux. After mentioning the names of the accused's relatives, it dealt exhaustively with the financial position of M. and Madame Joniaux, pointing out that for many years she had been involved in a most complicated system of borrowing in order to live up to her position. Jt referred in this connection to anonymous letters received by various relatives of the accused threatening to bring about a scandal in connection with, among other matters, the drowning of Lionel, second son of M. Alfred Ablay, who was supposed to have committed suicide in October, 1890, unless certain same were paid as the price of silence. These letters were declared by experts to be in the handwriting of the accused. The indictment next dealt with the question of assurances, pointing out that Madame Joniaux was anxious to obtain a dowry for her daughter, and was engaged in effecting assurances in her favour at the very time she was borrowing the money on the representation that her daughter would when of age inherit a large fortune. The remainder of the indictment was largely devoted to the refutation of the theory that Alfred Ablay committed suicide. In reply to the opening interrogation of the President, Madame Joniaux said the charges were absolutely false. The President: M. Jacques Van der Kerchove was invited to dinner at your house in March, 1893. He died the following morning.—Prisoner: I beg pardon, he died the following day at mid-day. The President: Your sister Leonie Ablay died on the 25th of February ?—Prisoner: My sister came to attend the betrothal of my daughter and her marriage, which was to follow. She died on the 25th. The President: To what do you attribute your sister's death? The Prisoner: The doctor diagnosed her illness as influenza. The President: Were you present on the occasion of the doctor's visit ?--Prisoner : No ; but one of my servants, a trustworthy person, was present. It was she who attended my sister. At nine o'clock in the evening my sister had a sort of convulsive attack. I sent for Dr. Ruette, and it was he who ordered the application of vesicatories. The President: The medical expert who examined the remains found traces of morphine in the intestines.—The Prisoner: I know nothing about that. I had not yet begun to use morphine. Proceeding next to interrogate the prisoner with regard to the deathof her brother, M. Alfred .Ablay, the President pointed out that M. Ablay first called in Dr. Molitor, and that a few days later he went, together with the prisoner, to see Dr. Max at Brussels. He asked prisoner whether, at her brother's bedside, she had not inquired of Dr. Molitor what was the nature of M Ahlay's illness? —Prisoner: As anyone else would have done, I asked certainly what was the nature of my brother's illness. It was perfectly natural that I should be anxious. The President: The post-mortem examination showed that your brother's death was due to poisoning with morphia.—Prisoner: I believe my brother died a natural death after three weeks' illness. The President : You took out the assurance on your brother's life in your own interest. M. Jacques van Den Kerchove, again, was an uncle, whose property you expected to inherit—Prisoner: Not at all. I did not expect to inherit anything from that quarter. The prisoner was subjected to a long and searching examination in regard to her monetary difficulties, and she replied to the questions of the Judge with great coolness. Her first husband, she said, had left her debts to the amount of 200,000 francs. Her own tastes were modest, and she in no way helped her husband to spend that amount. M. Faber spent a great deal on his library and in travelling about, but she admitted that she had concealed from him the amount of her own debts at the time of her marriage. The trial was adjourned.