United States or Réunion ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"Euphemia Botchkova, you are accused of having, on the 17th of January, 188-, in the lodging-house Mauritania, together with Simeon Kartinkin and Katerina Maslova, stolen some money and a ring out of the merchant Smelkoff's portmanteau, and having shared the money among yourselves, given poison to the merchant Smelkoff, thereby causing his death. Do you plead guilty?"
I don't bother you, do I?" she repeated this several times, and was silent again. She did brighten up a little when Botchkova and Kartinkin were led away and an attendant brought her three roubles. "Are you Maslova?" he asked. "Here you are; a lady sent it you," he said, giving her the money. "A lady what lady?" "You just take it. I'm not going to talk to you."
The president was whispering to the member on his left, but, in order to appear as if he had heard, he repeated her last words. "So you went. Well, what next?" "I went, and did all he told me; went into his room. I did not go alone, but called Simeon Kartinkin and her," she said, pointing to Botchkova. "That's a lie; I never went in," Botchkova began, but was stopped.
The president was so used to his task that, in order to get quicker through it all, he did two things at a time. Botchkova was forty-three years old, and came from the town of Kalomna. She, too, had been in service at the Hotel Mauritania. "I have never been tried before, and have received a copy of the indictment."
"When," continued the secretary, "the receipt for 1,800 roubles from the bank was shown to Botchkova, and she was asked where she had obtained the money, she said that it was her own earnings for 12 years, and those of Simeon, whom she was going to marry.
He defended his position against the first advocate, saying that even if Botchkova was of unknown parentage the truth of the doctrine of heredity was thereby in no way invalidated, since the laws of heredity were so far proved by science that we can not only deduce the crime from heredity, but heredity from the crime. Having said this he sat down in triumph.
The indictment concluded as follows: In consequence of the foregoing, the peasant of the village Borki, Simeon Kartinkin, 33 years of age, the meschanka Euphemia Botchkova, 43 years of age, and the meschanka Katerina Maslova, 27 years of age, are accused of having on the 17th day of January, 188 , jointly stolen from the said merchant, Smelkoff, a ring and money, to the value of 2,500 roubles, and of having given the said merchant, Smelkoff, poison to drink, with intent of depriving him of life, and thereby causing his death.
Concerning the money placed in the bank by Botchkova, he said the same as she, that is, that the money was given to them both by the lodgers in tips during 12 years' service.
On the said Smelkoff's return to the lodging-house Mauritania, together with Lubka, the latter, in accordance with the attendant Kartinkin's advice, gave the said Smelkoff some white powder given to her by the said Kartinkin, dissolved in brandy. The housemaid of the lodging-house Mauritania, Euphemia Botchkova, placed to her account in the local Commercial Bank 1,800 roubles.
"In their presence I took out four notes," continued Maslova, frowning, without looking at Botchkova. "Yes, but did the prisoner notice," again asked the prosecutor, "how much money there was when she was getting out the 40 roubles?" Maslova shuddered when the prosecutor addressed her; she did not know why it was, but she felt that he wished her evil.
Word Of The Day