she stands accused(她是被告)-第6章
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that poisoners have arrived at a sense of omnipotence。 But if Anna
Zwanziger （here I quote from Mr Philip Beaufroy Barry's essay on her in
his Twenty Human Monsters）； ‘‘a day or two before the execution； smiled
and said it was a fortunate thing for many people that she was to die； for
had she lived she would have continued to poison men and women
indiscriminately''； if； still according to the same writer； ‘‘when the arsenic
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was found on her person after the arrest； she seized the packet and gloated
over the powder； looking at it； the chronicler assures us； as a woman looks
at her lover''； and if； ‘‘when the attendants asked her how she could have
brought herself calmly to kill people with whom she was livingwhose
meals and amusements she sharedshe replied that their faces were so
stupidly healthy and happy that she desired to see them change into faces
of pain and despair；'' I will say this in no way goes to prove the woman
criminal to be more deadly than the male。 This ghoulish satisfaction；
with the conjectured feeling of omnipotence； is not peculiar to the woman
poisoner。 Neill Cream had it。 Armstrong had it。 Wainewright； with
his reason for poisoning Helen Abercrombie‘‘Upon my soul I don't
know； unless it was that her legs were too thick''is quite on a par with
Anna Zwanziger。 The supposed sense of power does not even belong
exclusively to the poisoner。 Jack the Ripper manifestly had something of
the same idea about his use of the knife。
As a monster in mass murder against Mary Ann Cotton I will set you
the Baron Gilles de Rais； with his forty flogged； outraged； obscenely
mutilated and slain children in one of his castles alonehis total of over
two hundred children thus foully done to death。 I will set you Gilles
against anything that can be brought forward as a monster in cruelty
among women。
Against the hypocrisy of Helene Jegado I will set you the
sanctimonious Dr Pritchard； with the nauseating entry in his diary （quoted
by Mr Roughead） recording the death of the wife he so cruelly murdered：
March 1865； 18； Saturday。 Died here at 1 A。M。 Mary Jane； my
own beloved wife； aged thirty…eight years。 No torment surrounded her
bedside ＇the foul liar！＇but like a calm peaceful lamb of God passed
Minnie away。 May God and Jesus； Holy Ghost； one in three； welcome
Minnie！ Prayer on prayer till mine be o'er； everlasting love。 Save us；
Lord； for Thy dear Son！
Against the mean murders of Flanagan and Higgins I will set you Mr
Seddon and Mr Smith of the ‘‘brides in the bath。''
％ IV
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I am conscious that in arguing against the ‘‘more deadly than the
male'' conception of the woman criminal I am perhaps doing my book no
great service。 It might work for its greater popularity if I argued the
other way； making out that the subjects I have chosen were monsters of
brutality； with arms up to the shoulders in blood； that they were prodigies
of iniquity and cunning； without bowels； steeped in hypocrisy； facinorous
to a degree never surpassed or even equalled by evil men。 It may seem
that； being concerned to strip female crime of the lurid preeminence so
commonly given it； I have contrived beforehand to rob the ensuing pages
of any richer savour they might have had。 But I don't； myself； think so。
If these women； some of them； are not greater monsters than their
male analogues； monsters they still remain。 If they are not； others of
them； greater rogues and cheats than males of like criminal persuasion；
cheats and rogues they are beyond cavil。 The truth of the matter is that I
loathe the use of superlatives in serious works on crime。 I will read； I
promise you； anything decently written in a fictional way about ‘master'
crooks； ‘master' killers； kings； queens； princes； and a whole peerage of
crime； knowing very well that never yet has a ‘master' criminal had any
cleverness but what a novelist gave him。 But in works on crime that
pretend to seriousness I would eschew； pace Mr Leonard R。 Gribble； all
‘queens' and other honorifics in application to the lost men and women
with whom such works must treat。 There is no romance in crime。
Romance is life gilded； life idealized。 Crime is never anything but a
sordid business； demonstrably poor in reward to its practitioners。
But； sordid or not； crime has its human interest。 Its practitioners are
still part of life； human beings； different from law…abiding humanity by
God…alone…knows…what freak of heredity or kink in brain convolution。 I
will not ask the reader； as an excuse for my book； to view the criminal
with the thought attributed to John Knox：
‘‘There； but for the Grace of God； goes '' Because the phrase
might as well be used in contemplation of John D。 Rockefeller or
Augustus John or Charlie Chaplin or a man with a wooden leg。 I do not
ask that you should pity these women with whom I have to deal； still less
that you should contemn them。 Something between the two will serve。
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I write the book because I am interested in crime myself； and in the hope
that you'll like the reading as much as I like the writing of it。
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II。 A FAIR NECK FOR THE
MAIDEN
In her long history there can have been few mornings upon which
Edinburgh had more to offer her burghers in the way of gossip and rumour
than on that of the 1st of July； 1600。 In this ‘gate' and that ‘gate；' as one
may imagine； the douce citizens must have clustered and broke and
clustered； like eddied foam on a spated burn。 By conjecture； as they have
always been a people apt to take to the streets upon small occasion as on
large； it is not unlikely that the news which was to drift into the city some
thirty…five days laternamely； that an attempt on the life of his Sacred
Majesty； the High and Mighty （and Rachitic） Prince； James the Sixth of
Scotland； had been made by the brothers Ruthven in their castle of
Gowrieit is not unlikely that the first buzz of the Gowrie affair caused no
more stir； for the time being at any rate； than the word which had come to
those Edinburgh folk that fine morning of the first day in July。 The
busier of the bodies would trot from knot to knot； anxious to learn and
retail the latest item of fact and fancy regarding the tidings which had set
tongues going since the
