Year: 1862

In the little Dutch town of Braschal,
Baden, they have lately enjoyed first
class sensation" arising from the trial
cf the pretty Baroness Baumbache, who
was accused of attempting to steal away
the phlegmatic life of the fat little baron,


her husband. Singular to relate, her in
tended victim was not all her accuser-in
fact he was the leading witness in her be-
half. The person prefering the awful
charge was one of her household servants
named John Fritsch, who had told his
story in a vaugely spiteful manner. Ac-
cording to the narrative of this Mortified
individual, he found, about the first of
May, at the bottom of the beer-can from
which the baron took his daily "nip," two
small Jumps of some substance, of blue
ish yellow color. He had dreadful sus-
picions that they were poison, and conf
ded as much to Amelia Leist, another SER
want, who shared fondly in his horror


The pair took no steps in the matter, how
ever, until the twentieth of the month,
when they submitted the Jumps of sup
posed poison to DIR. Benchezzer, a chemist
of the village The doctor pronounced
the substance to be phosphorus, when his
visitors informed him that they had found
it in the baron's beer, just after her grace
the baroness had sweetened it with sugar.


Hardly knowing what to think of their
story, the doctor advised them to commu-
nicate with their family physician or pas
tor on the subject. To the physician the
man then went with the tale, and the
physician carried it to the police; so that
one bright spring day, the pretty baron
had a couple of gems d'armes among her
mornining callers, and was firmly but
courteously escorted to the presence of the
magistrate. On being informed of the
charge against her, she displayed not the
least discomposure, but denied its truth


with quiet dignity, at the same time dcs-
iring that the baron should be in
formed of her arrest. This last request
was promptly complied with, and very
soon the illustrious Baumbache was in
the courtroom protesting his wife's inno-
cence with divers three cornered Dutch
oaths, and overwhelming the virtous John
Fritsch with savage epithets. AS not
even the protestations of the intended
victim, however, were sufficient to clear
his wife of the heinous charge of season.
ing his lager with phosphorus, the baron
ess was arraigned at the bar, and the
trial proceeded. The maid-servant, Ame-
liza, deposed that it was her business, as
a general thing, to sweetcn the baron's
beer with pounded sugar candy and warm
the decoction over the fire. Just as it
commenced to boil on the day in question
the baroness entered the room and shook
it up, but was not seen to put anything
into it. After she had left the room,
however, the witness and John Fritsch
discovered that the beer tasted (?) strange
ly. The baroness took hearty swig of
the mixture when it was ready, as well as
the baron, and it was after both had
drank that John Fritsch discovered the
phosphorus in the bottom Of the can, and
told witness about it. The same evening
several pieces of toast spread with phos-
phorus were found on the floor; but as
they had been so prepared and placed by
order of the baron himself, to kill rats,
of course that fact went for nothing.


The baron being called upon to testify,
most Indignantly repelled the idea that
his wife had not intended, or even wished
to poison him, and INDUCED in the most
touching depletion of the unmitigated
bliss Of his married life. Being rather
hard up for the time being, the baroness
had given number Of the servants no.
tice that she could no longer pay their
wages, aud undoubtedly this accusation
Of John and Amelia was made by way Of