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SHE STANDS ACCUSED
SHE STANDS
ACCUSED
BY VICTOR MacCLURE
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SHE STANDS ACCUSED
Being a Series of Accounts of the Lives and Deeds of Notorious
Women； Murderesses； Cheats； Cozeners； on whom Justice was Executed；
and of others who； Accused of Crimes； were Acquitted at least in Law；
Drawn from Authenticated Sources
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SHE STANDS ACCUSED
I。INTRODUCTORY：
I had a thought to call this book Pale Hands or Fair Hands Imbruedso
easy it is to fall into the ghastly error of facetiousness。
Apart； however； from the desire to avoid pedant or puerile humour； re…
examination of my material showed me how near I had been to crashing
into a pitfall of another sort。 Of the ladies with whose encounters with
the law I propose to deal several were assoiled of the charges against them。
Their hands； thenunless the present ruddying of female fingernails is the
revival of an old fashionwere not pink…tipped； save； perhaps； in the way
of health； nor imbrued； except in soapsuds。 My proposed facetiousness
put me in peril of libel。
Interest in the criminous doings of women is so alive and avid among
criminological writers that it is hard indeed to find material which has not
been dealt with to the point of exhaustion。 Does one pick up in a
secondhand bookshop a pamphlet giving a verbatim report of a trial in
which a woman is the central figure； and does one flatter oneself that the
find is unique； and therefore providing of fresh fields； it is almost
inevitable that one will discover； or rediscover； that the case has already
been put to bed by Mr Roughead in his inimitable manner。 What a nose
the man has！ What noses all these rechauffeurs of crime possess！ To
use a figure perhaps something unmannerly； the pigs of Perigord； which；
one hears； are trained to hunt truffles； have snouts no keener。
Suppose； again； that one proposes to deal with the peccancy of women
from the earliest times； it is hard to find a lady； even one whose name has
hitherto gleamed lurid in history； to whom some modern writer has not
contrived by chapter and verse to apply a coat of whitewash。
Locusta； the poisoner whom Agrippina； wanting to kill the Emperor
Claudius by slow degrees； called into service； and whose technique Nero
admired so much that he was fain to put her on his pension list； barely
escapes the deodorant。 Messalina comes up in memory。 And then one
finds M。 Paul Moinet； in his historical essays En Marge de l'histoire；
gracefully pleading for the lady as Messaline la calomnieeyes； and
making out a good case for her。 The Empress Theodora under the pen of
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SHE STANDS ACCUSED
a psychological expert becomes nothing more dire than a clever little
whore disguised in imperial purple。
On the mention of poison Lucretia Borgia springs to mind。 This is
the lady of whom Gibbon writes with the following ponderous falsity：
In the next generation the house of Este was sullied by a sanguinary
and incestuous race in the nuptials of Alfonso I with Lucretia； a bastard of
Alexander VI； the Tiberius of Christian Rome。 This modern Lucretia
might have assumed with more propriety the name of Messalina； since the
woman who can be guilty； who can even be accused； of a criminal
intercourse with a father and two brothers must be abandoned to all the
licentiousness of a venal love。
That； if the phrase may be pardoned； is swatting a butterfly with a
sledge…hammer！ Poor little Lucretia； described by the excellent M。
Moinet as a ‘‘bon petit coeur；'' is enveloped in the political ordure slung by
venal pamphleteers at the masterful men of her race。 My friend Rafael
Sabatini； than whom no man living has dug deeper into Borgia history；
explains the calumniation of Lucretia in this fashion： Adultery and
promiscuous intercourse were the fashion in Rome at the time of
Alexander VI。 Nobody thought anything of them。 And to have accused
the Borgia girl； or her relatives； of such inconsiderable lapses would have
been to evoke mere shrugging。 But incest； of course； was horrible。 The
writers paid by the party antagonistic to the Borgia growth in power
therefore slung the more scurrile accusation。 But there is； in truth； just
about as much foundation for the charge as there is for the other； that
Lucretia was a poisoner。 The answer to the latter accusation； says my
same authority； may take the form of a question： WHOM DID
LUCRETIA POISON？ As far as history goes； even that written by the
Borgia enemies； the reply is； NOBODY！
Were one content； like Gibbon； to take one's history like snuff there
would be to hand a mass of caliginous detail with which to cause
shuddering in the unsuspecting reader。 But in mere honesty； if in nothing
else； it behoves the conscientious writer to examine the sources of his
information。 The sources may bethey too frequently arecontaminated
by political rancour and bias； and calumnious accusation against historical
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figures too often is founded on mere envy。 And then the rechauffeurs；
especially where rechauffage is made from one language to another； have
been apt （with a mercenary desire to give their readers as strong a brew as
possible） to attach the darkest meanings to the words they translate。 In
this regard； and still apropos the Borgias； I draw once again on Rafael
Sabatini for an example of what I mean。 Touching the festivities
celebrating Lucretia's wedding in the Vatican； the one eyewitness whose
writing remains； Gianandrea Boccaccio； Ferrarese ambassador； in a letter
to his master says that amid singing and dancing； as an interlude； a
‘‘worthy'' comedy was performed。 The diarist Infessura； who was not
there； takes it upon himself to describe the comedy as ‘‘lascivious。''
Lascivious the comedies of the time commonly were； but later writers；
instead of drawing their ideas from the eyewitness； prefer the dark hints of
Infessura； and are persuaded that the comedy； the whole festivity； was
‘‘obscene。'' Hence arises the notion； so popular； that the second Borgia
Pope delighted in shows which anticipated those of the Folies Bergere； or
which surpassed the danse du ventre in lust…excitation。
A statue was made by Guglielmo della Porta of Julia Farnese；
Alexander's beautiful second mistress。 It was placed on the tomb of her
brother Alessandro （Pope Paul III）。 A Pope at a later d