of life.  Every sort of experiment has been tried.  The first was to pour out several drops of the liquid found into oil of tartar and sea water, and nothing was precipitated into the vessels used; the second was to pour the same liquid into a sanded vessel, and at the bottom there was found nothing acrid or acid to the tongue, scarcely any stains; the third experiment was tried upon an Indian fowl, a pigeon, a dog, and some other animals, which died soon after.  When they were opened, however, nothing was found but a little coagulated blood in the ventricle of the heart.  Another experiment was giving a white powder to a cat, in a morsel of mutton.  The cat vomited for half an hour, and was found dead the next day, but when opened no part of it was found to be affected by the poison.  A second trial of the same poison was made upon a pigeon, which soon died.  When opened, nothing peculiar was found except a little reddish water in the stomach.”

These experiments proved that Sainte-Croix was a learned chemist, and suggested the idea that he did not employ his art for nothing; everybody recalled the sudden, unexpected deaths that had occurred, and the bonds from the marquise and from Penautier looked like blood-money.  As one of these two was absent, and the other so powerful and rich that they dared not arrest him without proofs, attention was now paid to the objection put in by Lachaussee.

It was said in the objection that Lachaussee had spent seven years in the service of Sainte-Croix, so he could not have considered the time he had passed with the d’Aubrays as an interruption to this service.  The bag containing the thousand pistoles and the three bonds for a hundred livres had been found in the place indicated; thus Lachaussee had a thorough knowledge of this closet:  if he knew the closet, he would know about the box; if he knew about the box, he could not be an innocent man.  This was enough to induce Madame Mangot de Villarceaux, the lieutenant’s widow, to lodge an accusation against him, and in consequence a writ was issued against Lachaussee, and he was arrested.

When this happened, poison was found upon him.  The trial came on before the Chatelet.  Lachaussee denied his guilt obstinately.  The judges thinking they had no sufficient proof, ordered the preparatory question to be applied.  Mme. Mangot appealed from a judgment which would probably save the culprit if he had the strength to resist the torture and own to nothing;

[Note:  There were two kinds of question, one before and one after the sentence was passed.  In the first, an accused person would endure frightful torture in the hope of saving his life, and so would often confess nothing.  In the second, there was no hope, and therefore it was not worth while to suffer additional pains.]

so, in virtue of this appeal, a judgment, on March 4th, 1673, declared that Jean Amelin Lachaussee was convicted of having poisoned the lieutenant and the councillor; for which he was to be broken alive on the wheel, having been first subjected to the question both ordinary and extraordinary, with a view to the discovery of his accomplices.  At the same time Madame de Brinvilliers was condemned in default of appearance to have her head cut off.