REMARKABLE TRIAL FOR POISONING.

Southland Times, Issue 1021, 14 September 1868, Page 3

REMARKABLE TRIAL FOR POISONING.

The Berlin correspondent of the ' Daily News,' writing on the Ist inst., says: — " In a muses celebres just tried at Posen the prisoner's crimes almost eclipse those of the notorious Palmer. A master bookbinder, named Wittmann, was accused of having poisoned six persons in six years, namely,, his four wives and two children. WittmtmJ^ad. worked as journeyman for a bookbinder named Pirsch, of Wollin, where he made the acquaintance of Marie Gehm, Pirsch's housekeeper. Wittinan* was on a visit afc Wollin at the end of 1858 and begining" of 1859, on Ist January of which year Pirsch ~ died very suddenly, and Marie Gehm, according to a previous arrangement, came into possession of all his property. Soon after this Wittman commenced business in Wollin, and in February, 1869, married Marie Gehm, who, in addition to Pirsch's property, had also inherited some money through the sudden death of an aunt. Two sons, John and Paul, were the result of this marriage. Mrs Witmann died very suddenly, in 1862, leaving all her property to her husband and two children, of whom the eldest died in the same mysterious manner thi'ee months later. In June, 1863, Wittmann married his second wife, Charlotte Holm, who possessed some fortune. The latter made her will in the following December, leaving everything to her husband, and died a week afterwards. In April, 1864, Wittnmrin married his third wife, Augusta Kornotzky, who was richer than her predecessor. Her fate may be described iv almost the same words. She died in August, 1865, leaving her property between her husband and her mother. Only two months after her death Wittman married his fourth, and by far the richest wife, the widow Bose, who had one child by her first marriage. This child sickened immediately after its mother's wedding, and died in a day or two, by which the fourth Mrs Whittmann inherited its property. Wittmann then removed from Wollin to Posen. It is hardly necessary to add, that the fourth Mrs Wittmann's life was not of very long duration, as she died, in September, 1566, having made a will in favor of her hushand a month or two before. Under the pretext that she had died of cholera, Wittmann had made arrangements for burying her the day after her death. But the extraordinary mortality in the Wittman family had already excited attention. The police here took the matter up, and their first suspicions were strengthened when they found that Witfcmann had called in no medical advice. Wittmann was arrested just as the funeral procession was about to start, and the burial of the body was prohibited. On searching the house, a large lump of arsenic, sufficient to poison a hundred persons, was found locked up in a chest. All the "bodies of Wittmann's tormer wives, as also those of his two children, were then exhumed, and submitted to a chemical investigation. The result was the same in all six cases ; a large quantity of arsenic was detected, and there could not be the shadow of a doubt that Wittmann had poisoned his four wives and two children. He has been found guilty and sentenced to death. If we consider that the motive for these crimes was no higher passion than avarice, and then remember the relation in which he stood to his victims, and the deliberate perfidy with which he entered upon those relations, I doubt if the whole record of crime can show a blacker case. Indeed it is not improbable that he committed eight murders, as the very sudden death of Pirsch during Wittraann's visit, and also of his first wife's aunt, are extremely suspicious coincidences under the circumstances."