THE VEILED MURDERESS.

Waikato Times, Volume V, Issue 270, 3 February 1874, Page 2

THE VEILED MURDERESS.

Among- the prisoners iv most countries there must be stowed nwiy several reimu knble chnriictert. whose histories if they weie known would Rive valuable unntorinh to novelists. A. lady known as the ' veiled murderess,' at present serving * life ' sentence' in .the State prison at Sing Sing, in the United States, it a ciisc in point. No on* seems to know anything of the antecedents ot this woman except thnt she bore the name of Henrietta Robinson, and poisoned two persons by means of arsenic, at Trot- New York, in 1853. She had been more than onco ofi'ored her hborty on condition that she would reveal tho names of her friends, but fhe steadily retused to do so. During tho 18 yi ars she (msbeeu in prison site has. on account of her preufmr temper, been allowed a fow privileges, not accorded to the other convicts. One of tUac is the libeity to take her mtions to btr cell and eat the i there, and not to join her feilow prisoners at tho peneral table. Lately, Jiowavor, this privilege has been withj drawn, on tho ground tlmt it i^ dctremcnt&l to discipline, ! and the veiled tnurdrei* has been ordered to sit down to her I meals with the other prisoners. Thii order ahe refuses to | obe\, and conacqucntly si r has been confined to lior cell since the beginning of July. She acquired the proud title of the ' veiled murd rcss* owing iv> her having while awaiting her trial at Troy, arranged it lay uguro resembling herseli, which sho placed in a chair in the middle of the room when tho grand jn>*y were visiting tho prison. One of the jurymen, provoked at thu obstinacy of this dummy, which remained silent in its chair when addressed, lifted the reil that overed its face, when the deception wan discovored, and a low ehucklo of ill-*uppri3so<l mirth revealed the fact that the very playful creature- had concealed herself beneath her bod and was enjojing Iho discomfiture of her visitor*.