A Russian Adventuress.

Te Aroha News, 26 November 1887, Page 5

A Russian Adventuress.

A Russian adventuress, known by the nick- ' name of " The Golden Hand," has been condemned by a tribunal of Moscow to transportation for life. This extraordinary woman has been married no less than sixteen times and is described as being remarkably handsome. Her husbands belonged to all nationalities and creeds. She ran away from two in France and three in Germany, carrying off as much of their property as she could lay her hands on. Bhe was in Vienna in 1878, under an assumed name. She robbed her different husbands altogether of more than 300,000 roubles. When travelling she invariably made dupes of them or disappeared with their money, jewels and even with their watches. She is nob unfamiliar with her future abode, Siberia, as she was condemned to transpoi tation once before by a Moscow tribunal. She had not been there long before the chief overseer of the place where she was confined married her and took her to (JonF3tantinople. She left him in the course of time and returned to Russia, where she was only identified by the police after two years' residence. She speaks fluently Russian, German, French, English and Roumanian. The lawyer intrusted with her defence had an opportunity of experiencing her skill as a icicle-pocket.

When he went tto -see her in the prison after the trial she assured him of her gratitude and .asked him to accept as a souvenir a gold .watch and chain which she placed on the table before him. He at once recognised it as his, own. She had picked his pocket and presented him with hie own watch.