ACTRESS IN THE DOCK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15298, 10 May 1913, Page 2 (Supplement)

ACTRESS IN THE DOCK.

STRANGE ITALIAN, / DRAMA.;■; A fascinating young : ; : actress .- named Yvonne de Villespreux, ;, who "formerly,, belonged to a' dramatic company run by Dina Gaiii, herself a most brilliant light comedy artist, is now standing her trial at Naples : for killing ; her : lover, Dr. Ettore Turdo. , \ The case is replete with psychological interest. :.' One evening in November, 1909, when the ; Galli Company were : : performing at the Quirinal Theatre, Rome, Turdo," who had just won high university honour in medicine, was introduced v? to Villespreux /by .Signoriha Esterina, * ~&. young actress friend of hers in the same company. . All : supped together, with, a party of youths of the smart set in the capital. . * ,/,,,- . Villespreux was so impressed by \ the assiduous court paid her by Dr. Turdo i that next day she accepted his invitation. | 'to live with/ him, / arid bargained V with | Esterina to yield her claim for a consideration of 300 francs. About : Christmas time Turdo parted from his lover, as an order come Naples .to: attend his brother Luigi, a barrister', and a { violent morphia-maniac. ; Hither, in the beginning of March, 1910, came also the Dina; Galli Company?' Turdo meanwhile had taken a fresh lover, but after the; persistent entreaties of, Villespreux; consented to live f again ; with her, - although Turdo had' never contributed a penny towards her maintenance, and her payi was only 8s a,day." Thenceforth she : performed the most menial offices for " the morphia-maniac brother, and, with the consent ;of the medical attendants, : ; . arranged i for : a continuous stream of pretty artist visitors to distract his mind. 'Suddenly, the / maniac conceived '■• a'} strong dislike ■■ for / her, % and '-. during one, of his .drug- fits accused her of aspiring to marry I into v their noble 'family'.;; A violent struggle ensued, in which she attacked him vigorously/ and was/ herself severely cut on the hand by , broken ; glass.; Next evening, March 9, the other residents in the boardinghouse \ /whereft the couple were staying; were startled by the noise of revolver shots,; and, rushing in, they found Turdo.bleeding to death. : The actress • was seated on the bed with /a pistol, which they .wrested : from - her. The only spectator of the tragedy was a little girl, the daughter of another theatrical artist, who had entrusted the child to' Villespreux's \ keeping while v she / attended a rehearsal. , • *

Villespreux first maintained that the weapon came . into . her possession ■ several ' days earlier, Turdo having seized it from his maniac brother's grasp, and asked her to hide if. Then on the fatal night when he announced to her.t his intention of quitting her, she was about /to restore the weapon to him as it was the only object she had that belonged to him. , Turdo, however;: approaching her from behind unawares, touched her : arms, and the weapon went off ( accidentally. She explained the position of the 1 wounds, stating that she _ was left-handed, but Turdo, before expiring in hospital, made no secret of the fact that there had been a painful scene due to ; jealousy, y which she cut short by firing directly at him. Otherwise he spoke kindly of her, < begging that she should ] not be prosecuted. % Villespreux's latest version is that she contemplated committing ( suicide in despair at the parting, because only a week previously she had broken off a theatrical touring" contract at Turdo's appeal, while a wealthy Perugian > magnate, who for years past had been in the habit of giving her. a handsome monthly allowance, had just stopped ■■ it entirely on learning of her double dealing. ;; - The accused woman is now 29, and is being defended by two of the smartest lawyers in Italy. „..',- - : -