REMARKABLE TRIAL FOR POISONING.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 360, 25 September 1868, Page 2

REMARKABLE TRIAL FOR POISONING.

The Berlin correspondent of the "Daily News" writing on the Ist inst., says:—In a " cause celebre" recently 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.

Wittmann had worked as journeyman for a bookbinder named Prisch, of Wollin, where he made the acquaintance of Marie Gehm, Prisch's housekeeper. Wittmann was on a visit at Wollin, at the end of 1858 and beginning of 1859, on January 1 of which year Prisch died very suddenly, and Marie Gehm, according to a previous engagement, came into posssssion of all his property. Soon after this Wittmann commenced business in Wollin, and in February, 1860, 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 residt of this marriage. Mrs Wittmann 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 three months later. Iu June, 1363, Wittmann married his second wife, Charlotte Hohn, who possessed some fortune. The latter made her will in the following December, leaving everything to her husband, and died a few weeks afterwards.

Iu April, 1861', Wittman married hia third wife, Augusta Kornotzky, who was richer than her predecessor. Her fate may be described in almost the same words. She died in August, 18G5, 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 Wittman inherited its property. Wittman than 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, 1860, having made a will in favor of her husband a month or two before.

Under the pretext that she had died of cholera, Wittmann had made arrangements for burying her the day after death. But the extraordinary mortality in the Wittmaun family had already excited attention. The police here took the matter up, and their first suspicion was strengthened when they found that Wittmann 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 Wittman's former 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.