贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > she stands accused(她是被告) >

第39章

she stands accused(她是被告)-第39章

小说: she stands accused(她是被告) 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



Helene; was in the throes of the usual violent sickness; and died the day 

after Helene's departure。 

     Failing to secure another place in Auray; Helene went to Pontivy; and 

got a position as   cook in the household   of the Sieur Jouanno。                  She had 



                                               112 


… Page 113…

                                   SHE STANDS ACCUSED 



been there some few months when the son of the house; a boy of fourteen; 

died    after   a  sickness    of   five  days    that  was    marked     by   vomiting     and 

convulsions。       In this case an autopsy was immediately held。                  It revealed 

an inflamed condition of the stomach and some corrosion of the intestines。 

But the boy had been known to be a vinegar…drinker; and the pathological 

conditions discovered by the doctor were attributed by him to the habit。 

     Helene's      next   place    was    with   a  M。    Kerallic    in   Hennebont。       M。 

Kerallic was recovering from a fever。              After drinking a tisane prepared by 

Helene   he   had   a   relapse;   followed   by   repeated   and   fierce   vomiting   that 

destroyed   him  in   five   days。      This   was   in   1836。     After   that   the   trail   of 

death which had followed Helene's itineracy about the lower section of the 

Brittany peninsula was broken for three years。 

     In 1839 we hear of her again; in the house of the Dame Veron; where 

another death occurred; again with violent sickness。 

     Two years elapse。          In 1841 Helene was in Lorient; domestic servant 

to   a   middle…aged   couple   named   Dupuyde…Lome;   with   whom   lived   their 

daughter  and   her   husband;   a   M。  Breger。        First   the   little   daughter   of   the 

young   couple   died;   then   all   the   members   of   the   family   were   seized   by 

illness; its onset being on the day following the death of the child。                       No 

more   of   the   family   died;   but   M。   Dupuy   and   his   daughter   suffered   from 

bodily numbness for years afterwards; with partial paralysis and recurrent 

pains in the extremities。 

     Helene seems to have made Lorient too hot for herself; and had to go 

elsewhere。       Port Louis is her next scene of action。             A kinswoman of her 

master   in   this   town;   one   Duperron;   happened   to   miss   a   sheet   from   the 

household       stock。    Mlle     Leblanc     charged     Helene     with    the   theft;  and 

demanded   the   return   of   the   stolen   article。      It   is   recorded   that   Helene 

refused to give it up; and her answer is curious。 

     ‘‘I am going into retreat;'' she declared。              ‘‘God has forgiven me   my 

sins!'' 

     There   was   perhaps   something   prophetic   in   the   declaration。           By   the 

time   Helene   was   brought   to   trial;   in   1854;   her   sins   up   to   this   point   of 

record     were    covered     by   the   prescription     legale;   a   sort  of   statute   of 

limitations   in   French   law   covering   crime。       Between   1833   and   1841   the 



                                                 113 


… Page 114…

                                 SHE STANDS ACCUSED 



wanderings of Helene Jegado through those quiet Brittany towns had been 

marked by twenty…three deaths; six illnesses; and numerous thefts。 

     There is surcease to Helene's death…dealing between the years of 1841 

and 1849; but on the inquiries made after her arrest a myriad of accusers 

sprang up to tell of thefts during that time。             They were petty thefts; but 

towards the end of the period they begin to indicate a change in Helene's 

habits。    She   seems   to   have   taken   to   drink;   for   her   thefts   are   mostly   of 

wine and eau de vie。 

     In March 1848 Helene was in Rennes。                 On the 6th of November of 

the following year; having been dismissed from several houses for theft; 

she    became     sole   domestic    servant    to  a  married    couple    called   Rabot。 

Their son; Albert; who was already ill; died in the end of December。                    He 

had eaten a farina porridge cooked by Helene。               In the following February; 

having     discovered     Helene's    depredations     from    the   wine…cupboard;      M。 

Rabot gave her notice。         This was on the 3rd of the month。            (Helene was 

to   leave   on   the   13th。)  The   next   day   Mme   Rabot   and   Rabot   himself; 

having taken soup of Helene's making; became very ill。                  Rabot's mother… 

in…law    ate   a  panade    prepared    by   Helene。    She    too   fell  ill。 They     all 

recovered after Helene had departed; but Rabot; like M。 Dupuy…de…Lome; 

was partially paralysed for months afterwards。 

     In   Helene's   next   situation;   with   people   called   Ozanne;   her   way   of 

abstracting liquor again was noticed。            She was chided for stealing eau de 

vie。    Soon after that the Ozannes' little son died suddenly; very suddenly。 

The doctor called in thought it was from a croup fever。 

     On the day following the death of the little Ozanne Helene entered the 

service of M。 Roussell; proprietor of the Bout…du…Monde hotel in Rennes。 

Some   six   weeks   later   Roussell's   mother   suddenly   became   ill。       She   had 

had   occasion   to   reproach   Helene   for   sullen   ill…manners   or   something   of 

that sort。    She ate some potage which Helene had cooked。                    The illness 

that   ensued   lasted   a   long   time。 Eighteen   months   later   the   old lady  had 

hardly recovered。 

     In the hotel with Helene as fellow…servant there was a woman of thirty; 

Perrotte   Mace;   very   greatly   relied   upon   by   her   masters;   with   whom   she 

had been five years。        She was a strongly built woman who carried herself 



                                               114 


… Page 115…

                                  SHE STANDS ACCUSED 



finely。     Perrotte     openly    agreed     with   the   Veuve     Roussell     regarding 

Helene's behaviour。         This; with the confidence reposed in Perrotte by the 

Roussells; might have been enough to set Helene against her。                     But there 

was an additional cause for jealousy: Jean Andre; the hotel ostler; but also 

described      as   a  cabinet…maker;      though     friendly    enough     with   Helene; 

showed a marked preference for the younger; and comelier; Perrotte。                     The 

Veuve   Roussell   fell   ill   in   the   middle   of   June。 In   August   Perrotte   was 

seized by a similar malady; and; in spite of all her resistance; had to take to 

her bed。     Vomiting and purging marked the course of her illness; pains in 

the stomach and limbs; distension of the abdomen; and swelling of the feet。 

With   her   strong   constitution   she   put   up   a   hard   fight   for   her   life;  but 

succumbed on the 1st of September; 1850。                  The doctors called in; MM。 

Vincent and Guyot; were extremely puzzled by the course of the illness。 

At times the girl would seem to be on the mend; then there would come a 

sudden relapse。       After Perrotte's death they pressed for an autopsy; but the 

peasant relatives of the girl showed the usual repugnance of their class to 

the   idea。   Helene   was   taken   red…handed   in   the   theft   of   wine;   and   was 

dismissed。      Fifteen days later she took service with the Bidards。 

     These are the salient facts of Helene's progression from 1833 to 1851 

as   brought    out   by   the  investigations     made    by   and   for  the  Procureur… 

General     of   Rennes。     All   possible    channels    were    explored    to  discover 

where     Helene     had   procured    the   arsenic;   but  without     success。    Under 

examination by t

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 1 1

你可能喜欢的