A BRIDE'S UNTIMELY KATE.

Evening Star, Issue 10746, 5 October 1898, Page 4

A BRIDE'S UNTIMELY KATE.

A SUSPICIOUS DEATH. [From Our Special Correspondent.] London, August L’S. The sudden death of Mrs Poasel (nie Becket), who was recently discovered lifeless at the foot of Fontenelle ClilT-, near Florence, Italy, is exciting a good deal of attention both at home and abroad. The lady had been out driving with her newlymarried husband when the accident occurred. The pair were stopping in Florence at the time, and were not supposed to be on very good terms. Anyhow, the Italian police promptly arrested Mr Possel, though ho was released after inquiries. The deceased was, it transpires, the daughter of a Mrs Becket, who let lodgings in St. John’s Wood, London. There Poasel came as a “paying guest.” Ha represented himself as the Marquis Da Gondoyille, and stated that he was a French subject. The man is described as being very dark and passably good-looking, with regular features. Although he has slated his age to be twentythree, he looks older. As a result of his stay in the house at St. John’s Wood, Possel and Miss Becket became on very friendly terms. Circumstances occurred, however, which compelled him to leave, and by other members of the family it was thought that the friendship between the two had been definitely broken off. But it was not so Although Possel did not visit at Mrs Becket’a, it is known that he was living ia the neighborhood, and that he and Miss Becket used to meet frcqueotly. Later he became a visitor to the house again, and eventually, on March 30 last, the marriage took place at St. Augustine’s, Kilburn. But some strange circumstances preceded the marriage, which were narrated to Press representatives by Mrs Wood, the sister oi the deceased, who was also living at the time with her mother at St. John’s Wood. She said : Nellie never saw her husband before he came (<■ our house as a paying suest. He seemed to possess a peculiar fascination over her, and it was one of the strangest courtships one could possibly imagine. He had a v iolent temper and was very jealous, anil in eonseipieuee dreadful scenes occurred. One evening she ran to my bedroom, ami he came ami kicked the panels of the door b . All this took place, mind yon, before they were married. He id to fascinate my poor sist-r in some wav, because, notwithstanding his treat ment of her, -he allowed herself to become engaged to him. U'e kn.-w nothing about him I." yond what he told ns him-elf. He showed my mother certain pap rs. told l.erthat he was.losepb Possel, Maripiis I id bmdoviile, and tluthis father who was an aged min living in Paris, has pissed the title mi to him. Mv sister had a reversionary interest, which she sold before her marriage 1 i close on I'l. lilb. Tin’s looney she handed over to Posscll, who, in return, gave her what he called a bond for T0.01.0, payable on the death of hi; father. After the marriage they went on to the Continent, hut my sister was never allowed t ■ write to me. Mie used to write to my mother, however, ami the last letter, dated from Sorrento, was received on July -JJ, the day after her death. She always spoke kindly of her husband, an ! never said anything against him. The first new s we received that anything had happened to h- r was a telegram from the landlord of the hot. I where they had stayed. It was to the effect that in v sister had had a bad fall and that her life was in danger. The next telegram was to say that sbwas dead, and then a telegram came from her husband stating that she had fallen over a precipice, amt that he was starting for England. The version of the affair which he gave me when he came to England differed from that which ho told my mother. He told mo that they went for a drive, that something got wrong with the harness, and that while he was attending to it my sister got out of the trap and sat on a parapet. 'The next thing he heard was a cry, ami then two times on the rocks below. On looking up he found that my sister had fallen over. To my mother he said that my sister was tired cf sitting in the trap, and that they both got down to examine the scenery. Afterwards she sat on the parapet and fell over. With regard to tl. - Statement that her life was insured for £IO,OHO. all I can say is that just before her marriage my svster told me she intended to insure her lit-, that Joseph was going to insure his, and that it Was agreed the policies should be in favor of one another. Whether she did so or not 1 cannot no . but it is strange that within the past few days the representatives of two insurance companies, one English and the other French, have called at o. i house to make inquiries.

Since writing the foregoing the wretchf <1 huiband Possel coir mi ted suicide in th private room of a Paris restaurant. Madame Posael (writes the Paris correspondent of the ‘Daily News’) has beea allowed to return to Amiens. She is too broken-hearteef to undergo an examination, which, it appears, is being instituted on the demand of the Urbaine Insurance Company. If the murder of Eleonore Becket, or a very strong presumption that she was murdered, be not established, Posael’s heirs might claim the 2.Vi,of)ii francs premium. Gavrelle, the Oorno.bsiunvi of Police, who was called in to view the body at Durand’s, died on the 27th of heart disease. The doctors of Ht. Anne and Ville Evrard say th it Pceb'l was under restraint in bo’h asylums. Insanity broke out three years a«o, and he was judged irresponsible ami dangerous, though able to reason veil acutely. He certainly showed acuteness in hia marriage, which in French law was no 1 , binding, and the use to which he tried to turu the unfortunate woman who thought herself his wife. She came to Paris w. hj him to be in-ured by the Urbaine, after tinGresham refused to insure her life again-t accidental or natural death. He did m>’ offer to present her to his relmvci, ami refused to present her to ..i-i mother. A that I cannot wonder. F. i.eh feeling a against romantic miring'. and a gufi is looked down upon •* -:o mu: i s i. man who e father and moth r Mi-ol out against he -. Most French i.mimr; if Madame Posse i.* condition would, bitterly resent an ou’y eon marrying an .English theatrical figurante, unless indeed to legitiniatise children I) >rn beforo the marriage. In that ess ■ inuch might bo pardoue Nelly Deckel, my informant said, had a Jowly figuie an t a sweet face, with a complexion of roses and lilies, a certain staginess in throwing a dreamy expression into her (-yea. and a glorious head of blonde hair. Pusici, might 1m mad, but he was no fool, and bad received a good education. Ho probably was tired of Nelly from a very cariv stage of their married life. It bored him to death to hear her eay romantic things ia bad French. Like Posscl, she was extremely food of acyla and nice clothes, but she was rather lymphatic, and was apt to weep whenever there was a matrimonial brei /•. The lachrymose form of sentiment is hm-ful to the French. Their idea is that sen* intent should be called forth by strong aitue.tions. Possel had in his pocket book when he committed suicide bank notes to t le amount of 7,0b0T.