20世紀前的十大激情犯罪案件(上)

In popular usage, a crime of passion is a violent act arising from sudden, unpremeditated anger or heartbreak. Many will be surprised, however, that the scope of such crimes reaches far beyond simple romantic betrayal. The following ten entries examine pre–20th century atrocities—acts of violence pertaining to love, treachery, and the mere desire to inflict harm for reasons the sane will struggle to comprehend or imagine.

通常看來，激情犯罪是一種暴力行爲，源於當事人突然情緒數控，且處於暴怒或絕望的狀態。但讓人意想不到的是，導致此類犯罪的起因遠不止對象出軌那麼簡單。下面講述的10件20世紀前的暴力案件，皆和愛情、背叛以及讓正常人無法理解或難以想象的原因催生的殺人動機有關。

ie Woolsteen

10.海蒂·烏絲汀

In 1887, Hattie Woolsteen made an appointment for a toothache with Dr. Charles "Cap" Harlan, a Los Angeles dentist whom she immediately became smitten with. As Dr. Harlan sedated Hattie under the guise of a tooth extraction, he undressed his unsuspecting patient and violated her. Upon awakening, Dr. Harlan professed his adoration to the young, naive woman desperate for love, promising her a relationship with the possibility of marriage. In the midst of a steamy romance, Hattie discovered Dr. Harlan was married. Following an unsuccessful attempt at suicide, a heartbroken Hattie turned her grief into vengeance and shot Dr. Harlan in the head while the two were in a barn on a vacant farm.

1887年，海蒂·烏絲汀因牙疼預約了一位叫查爾斯·卡普·哈倫的洛杉磯牙醫，見面後卻立刻被他迷住。哈倫醫生在診治時，以拔牙的名義褪去了這位毫無防備的病人的衣衫，並趁機侵犯了她。一覺醒來，他就向這位天真、年輕又對愛情充滿嚮往的女人表達了愛慕之情，並承諾會以結婚爲目的地與她交往。經過浪漫纏綿的相處，海蒂發現哈倫早已結婚。一次自殺未遂後，心碎的海蒂將悲痛化爲復仇的怒火，當二人在一座空置農場的穀倉共處時，她持槍擊中了哈倫的頭。

Prior to her arrest, Hattie disposed of the weapon and set fire to the barn, permeating the air with the stench of burning flesh. The press referred to her as a "repellent she-devil," while women's rights advocates rallied in her defense, claiming she was none other than a victim of gender inequality. Hattie's female supporters financed her defense, and after a mere 12 minutes of deliberation, she was found not guilty. Following her acquittal, Hattie moved back to her home state of Illinois, where she remained the rest of her life.

被捕前，海蒂處理了兇器併火燒穀倉，空氣中瀰漫着肉被燒焦的惡臭。媒體稱她爲“恐怖女魔頭”，此時女權主義者們在爲海蒂的辯護中集結起來，稱她是性別歧視的受害者，還籌措了爲她的辯護費用。法院經過12分鐘的商議，最終判處海蒂無罪釋放，隨後她搬回了家鄉伊利諾斯州，在該地度過餘生。

stice Of 1836

9.1836年的不平事

The murder of Helen Jewett, who was axed to death in the spring of 1836, became one of the greatest media sensations in 19th-century America. The beautiful and popular 23-year-old was a prostitute who serviced upper-class businessmen, many of whom lavished her with expensive gifts and jewelry. One young man in particular, Richard P. Robinson, went from being Helen's frequent customer to an intimate lover. As their romance began to fizzle in Helen's eyes, an angry separation ensued. Not long after, Helen's butchered remains were found on her bed, charred after being set ablaze.

1836年春，妙齡女郎海倫·朱厄特被人砍死，而兇手在19世紀的美國成爲了媒體高度關注的對象之一。這位容貌姣好又受歡迎的23歲女郎是一名專爲上流社會的生意人提供服務的妓女，其中很多人送給她昂貴的禮物和珠寶。尤其是一位叫理查德·P·羅賓遜的年輕男子，最初他本是海倫的常客，後來兩人發展成戀人。當海倫想結束這段關係，等待她的則是一場怒火中燒的分手。不久後，海倫被發現死在了家中的牀上，屍體已被燒焦。

Robinson was identified by the madam of the brothel, Rosina Townsend, as the man last seen with Helen just hours before her murder. In addition, a cloak and hatchet found near the crime scene were traced back to Robinson. Despite the mounting evidence against him, the judge threw out Madam Townsend's testimony due to his belief that she was a "polluted" source. Robinson's acquittal was met with public outrage. Many felt that the legal system, in the end, viewed Robinson's life as one of more value than that of Helen's.

經妓院的老鴇羅西娜·湯森指認，在海倫被殺的前幾小時，羅賓遜是最後和她在一起的人。此外，在犯罪現場附近發現的斗篷和斧子均將嫌疑指向羅賓遜。儘管有諸多證據對他不利，但由於法官堅信湯森是一個“烏煙瘴氣”的證人，因此認定她的證詞無效。羅賓遜的無罪釋放激起了公憤，很多人認爲，法律最終將羅賓遜的性命看得比海倫的重要。

hias Brinsden

8.馬提亞斯·布林斯登

In 1722 in England, tensions were rising between Matthias Brinsden and his wife due to aggravating circumstances pertaining to finances and the support of their large family. The two had already had violent altercations. One day, Matthias drove a pair of scissors into his wife's skull. Amazingly, Mrs. Brinsden survived.

1722年，在英格蘭的一對夫婦馬提亞斯·布林斯登和他妻子之間的關係日趨緊張，究其原因是因爲家庭經濟狀況持續惡化，家庭負擔日益沉重。此前，他們之間曾發生過數次激烈的爭執。有一天，憤怒的馬提亞斯將一把剪刀直插進了妻子的頭。驚人的是，布林斯登太太竟倖免於難。

A week later, after Matthias arrived home in the evening, a drunken and irritated Mrs. Brinsden refused to eat bread and cheese for supper, demanding that Matthias provide her with meat. Following a heated exchange of words, Matthias, blinded with rage, drove a knife into Mrs. Brinsden's abdomen. Realizing what he had done, he dressed the wound with basilicon and sugar prior to making his escape. Nonetheless, his wife was dead, and Matthias was soon captured and taken into custody.

一週後，馬提亞斯晚上回家發現他喝醉了酒的老婆正大發雷霆，她不願以麪包和奶酪做晚餐，還要求馬提亞斯給她買肉吃。隨後雙方發生了激烈爭吵，被憤怒衝昏頭腦的馬提亞斯一刀刺向了妻子的腹部。在意識到自己的所作所爲後，他在妻子傷口上敷了松脂軟膏和白糖以止血，隨後逃離。儘管如此，他的妻子仍不治身亡，馬提亞斯也很快被抓獲並拘留。

After being found guilty and sentenced to hang, Matthias was visited by one of his daughters, whom he embraced and said, "For Christ's sake, my child, forgive me. I have robbed you of your own mother. Be a good child, rather die than steal, never be in a passion, but curb your anger. Honour your mistress, for she will be both a father and a mother to you. Pray for your father and think of him as favorably as you can." The day of his execution, Matthias stood before the gallows stating that he deserved death and asking the crowd to pray for him.

在被判處絞刑後，馬提亞斯的一個女兒來看他，擁抱着自己的女兒他說，“看在基督的份上，請原諒我吧，我的孩子。我已讓你們失去了母親。但你要做個好孩子，寧死都不要偷竊，要控制好自己的情緒，千萬別被憤怒衝昏頭腦。尊重你的女老師，因爲今後她將擔任你的父親母親的角色。爲你的父親祈禱吧，儘可能地多想想他。”在行刑當天，馬提亞斯站在絞刑架前說自己是罪有應得，並請求人們爲他祈禱。

Chocolate Cream Killer

7.巧克力糖殺手

During the Victorian era, the public was terrified of murderesses, specifically those who used poison as their weapon of choice. In a time when the rate of female killers was on the rise, poisons such as arsenic and strychnine were particularly terrifying due to the fact that they were extremely fatal and exceptionally difficult to detect. This was the preferred method of Christiana Edmunds, aka "the Chocolate Cream Killer." In the summer of 1871, she dispersed poison-laced candy around her hometown of Brighton, England.

在維多利亞時代，民衆非常懼怕女殺人犯，尤其是以下毒作爲行兇方式的人。在女殺人犯比率上升的時期，像砒霜和士的寧這樣的毒藥簡直讓人聞風喪膽，因爲它們極其致命且難以檢測。這種行兇方式是人稱“巧克力糖殺手”的克里斯蒂安娜·埃德蒙茲的首選。1871年夏，在自己的老家英格蘭布萊頓，她將有毒的巧克力糖分發了出去。

It was said that Edmunds, who was middle-aged and single, fell in love with a married man, who rejected her. The press theorized that this drove Edmunds into a murderous rage, which she took out on the townspeople. Edmunds was initially found guilty and sentenced to death. However, following a diagnosis of insanity, her sentence was commuted to life at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum.

據說，人到中年依舊單身的埃德蒙茲戀上了一位有婦之夫，但對方拒絕了她。媒體推測，此事點燃了埃德蒙茲心中的怒火，於是發泄到小鎮居民的身上。最初她被判有罪並處以死刑，但在出具了一份患有精神失常的診斷書後，便改判爲終身監禁，在布羅德莫精神病院度過餘生。

The physicians supporting the diagnosis were harshly criticized, as was the court, which the press believed acted out of fear of being scolded for hanging a supposedly refined and educated woman. Had Edmunds come from the lower class of society, it is believed that she would have undoubtedly been led to the gallows.

法院和那位爲她出具診斷書的醫生均受到民衆嚴厲斥責。媒體認爲，法院擔心的是倘若絞死一名看似受過良好教育的女性會受到輿論譴責。民衆則認爲，假如埃德蒙茲來自底層社會，她一定會被拉上絞刑架。

Mad Dentist

6.瘋狂牙醫

In Sydney in 1865, 35-year-old father of two Henry Kinder reportedly shot himself in front of his wife, Maria, and friend, Henry Bertrand (pictured above). Based on statements made by Maria and Bertrand, Kinder was a suicidal drunk with financial problems, ultimately leading the coroner to rule the death a suicide. What emerged in the weeks following was that Maria and Bertrand were carrying on a scandalous affair. The pair's desire to be together sporadically came to fruition at a social event one October evening, when Mr. Bertrand shot Henry in the head prior to Maria administering her dying husband poison in order to finish him off.

在1865年的悉尼，35歲的亨利·金德是兩個孩子的父親，他在自己妻子瑪利亞和朋友亨利·伯特蘭（肖像如上圖）面前舉槍自盡。據瑪利亞和伯特蘭供述，金德是個有自殺傾向的酒鬼，且經濟上有些問題，這導致驗屍官最終判定金德之死是自殺。之後沒幾個星期，瑪利亞和伯特蘭之間便傳出醜聞。在十月份的一次社交活動上，兩人原本就想要在一起的念頭成真，瑪利亞向自己垂死的丈夫投毒前，爲了徹底幹掉他，伯特蘭已經開槍打爆了亨利的頭。

When news broke of the duo's unspeakable crime surrounded by a scandalous liaison, it instantly became a media sensation. Papers labeled Bertrand as the "Mad Dentist of Wynyard Square," with reporters speculating whether or not he had hypnotized Maria into being an accomplice to the murder. In the end, Bertrand was found guilty and served 28 years in prison, while Maria was acquitted for her involvement.

當兩人祕而不宣的罪惡因醜聞纏身而曝光，便立刻成爲媒體關注的熱點。記者們紛紛猜測，伯特蘭是否在行兇之前已將瑪利亞催眠，以做他的幫兇，報紙上稱他是“溫亞德廣場的瘋狂牙醫”。最終，伯特蘭被判有期徒刑28年，而瑪利亞因只是從犯被判無罪釋放。