REMARKABLE TRIAL FOR POISONING.

Daily Southern Cross, 7 November 1868, Page 6

REMARKABLE TRIAL FOR POISONING.

Ths Berliu «orrespnndent of the Daily Newt, writ* ing oa the lit August, says :— «• In * cause c«!«bre just tried at Po*en the prisoner* orime* almost eclipse tuoie of the notorious Palmer. A master bookoinder, named Wittmann, was accused of having poisoned six persons in six years, namely, bis four wiv?s and two children. Wittma-m had worked as journeyman for a bookbinder named Pirach, of Wollin, where he m lie tbe acquaintance of Marie Gehm, Piroch'a hons keeper. Wittmann was on a visit at Wollin at the end of 1858 and beginning of 1859, on Ist January of which year Pirsch died' very suddenly, and Marie Gehm, according to a previous arrangement, came into p 'isession of all his pro* petty. Soon after this Wittmann commenced business in Wolliu, and in February, JB6O, married Alar.c Gehm who, in addition to finch's property, had also inherited some inouey thruugli the suaden death of an auut. Two sous, John and Paul, were tbe result of thin man i»ge. Mrs. Wittmanu died very xuddeniy, in . 86?, leaving all her property to her husband and two ohildreu, of whom the eldest died in the aamt- myt-tcious manner three months latvr. In June, 1863, Wittmann married h.s second wife, Charlotte Ut.nn, wio possessed some fortune. Ihe latter mad-.* her wil in the following December, leaving everything to her husband, aud died a welt afterwards. In April, 1864, Wittmann married his third wife, Augu-U Kornotzlcy, who was richer tua-i her predecessor. Htr fate may be described in almost the same words. She died in August, 1865, leaving hrr property between ht-r husband *»nd her mother. Ooly two months after her death Wntuiauu marri'd uisfouith, and by far tbe richest wife, the widow Boae, who had one child by her fir t manage. This child sickened immediately afW its mother* we >dmg, and died in a day or two, by which the fouith Mrs. Wittmann inherited iti property. Witttuvnn then removed from Wollin to fosen. It is ba-dJy necessary to add that the fourth Mrs. Wittinaun's life wan not of very long duration, as she died in September, 1860, having made a will in favour of her husband a m >nth or two before. Under the pretext that she had died of cholera, Witfcimn*) lud in.ule arrangements for burying her the day after her death. But the extraordinary mortality in the Wittnunn family hrtd already exeittd attention. The police here took tae matter up, aud their first suspicions wer« screnglheuel nhen they found that Wittmann h*d called in no medical advice. Wittmann was ai rested just as the funeral processiou was ab>ut to start, and the burial of the body was prohibited. On searching the house, a large limp of a.s^uic, sufficient to poison a bundled prison**, was found lockei up in a chest. All tn« bodies of Wittmann's former wive*, as also those of his two children, were taen exhumed, aud submitted to a chemical investigation. The result was the same in all six cases ; a large quantity of artenic 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 tbe motive for these crimes was no higher passion than avarice, and then remember the relation in which he stojd to his Victim*, and the deliberate perfidy with which he emered upon thoae relations, I doubt if the whole record of crime can show a blacker case. Indeed it is not imp obable that he committed eight murder?, as tbe tery sudden death of Pirsoh dm ing Wittmaun'a vi-.it, and also of his first wi'e's aunt, are extremely suspicious coincidenoci under the circumstancey."