The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle

The Murderous Midwife.

In the year 1673, an eminent midwife in Paris, had, by her great skill in her profession, obtained the favours of the greatest part of the inhabitants. The genteeler of whom she delivered at their houses: but for those, whom either inclination or a worse cause made it necessary to be secretly delivered, she had provided accommodations at her own house, to which great numbers resorted.

It happened that a gentleman who lived next door to the midwife had observed, that altho' many pregnant women went to be delivered at her house, yet very few children were brought out, and his suspicion of foul play towards the infants increasing daily, he at length consulted with some of his neighbours, who joined him in requesting a warrant from a magistrate to search for some plate, which he pretended to have lost. In order however not to alarm the midwife, they began the sham search; at the distance of nine or ten houses from hers.

When they came to her place of abode, she affected the utmost concern, desiring the gentlemen not to hurry themselves, but to proceed in their search, with all possible circumspection,--they did so--and on their coming to the necessary-house, they put down a hook, which they had brought with them on purpose, which bro't up the body of a child nearly destroyed.--They continued their search, till they found no less than sixty two children--some of whom were in a great measure decayed, but many of them appeared to have been deposited in that place within a very few weeks at the most.

The consequence of this was--that the mid-wife was immediately apprehended and brought to trial, and condemned on the fullest evidence, besides her own confession. She was sentenced to be executed in the following manner, and she suffered accordingly on the 28th day of May, 1673.

A gibbet was erected, under which a fire was made and the prisoner being brought to the place of execution, was hung up in a large iron cage, in which were placed sixteen wild cats, that had been catch'd in the woods for the purpose. When the heat of the fire became too great to be endured with patience, the cats flew upon the woman, as the cause of the intense pain they felt.--In about fifteen minutes they had pulled out her entrails, though she continued yet alive, and sensible, imploring, as the greatest favour, an immediate death from the hands of the charitable spectators. No one however dared to afford her the least assistance; and she continued in this wretched situation for the space of thirty-five minutes, and then expired in unspeakable torture.

At the time of her death, twelve of the cats were expired, and the other four were all dead in less than two minutes afterwards.

However cruel this execution may appear with regard to the poor animals, it certainly cannot be thought too severe a punishment for such a monster of iniquity, as could proceed in acquiring a fortune by the deliberate murder of such numbers of un-offending innocents. And if a method of executing murderers, in a manner somewhat similar to this was adopted in England, perhaps the horrid crime of murder might not so frequently disgrace the annals of the present times.

The above story is strictly true in every part of it, and as well known in Paris, as those of Mary Blandy and Sarah Melford are in England.