Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsébet Báthory (35 page)

The 98
^th
witness was the noble Martinus Chanady, living in the town of Beckov, 48 years old, sworn and interrogated; he said that he, along with Janós Belanczky, had visited the aforementioned Lady Widow Nádasdy there in the city of Beckov so that Janós Belanczky could get his sister back, but that this Lady Widow had refused to return her; then Janós Belanczky demanded that the Lady Widow at least show him his sister, something also nearly impossible to achieve; after they waited nearly an hour, they finally got to see her; she was very severely weakened because of the great pain from torture and torment, so much that she could hardly hold out her hands, bitterly whining and crying; and soon thereafter she was so terribly tortured that she died and was buried in Beckov; the same witness also knew that a daughter of the noble Georgius Tukynzky was killed by the cruelty of this Lady Widow Nádasdy; he knew also that this Lady Widow had also killed the daughter of Benedictus Barbel, the brother of Janós Chapordi, once the castellan at Castle Verbo, torturing her through a red-hot iron to the abdomen; the same witness had also heard that this Lady Widow Nádasdy had torn the flesh from the bodies of the virgins, ground it into minced meat and allowed it to be set before her servants.

The 99
^th
witness was the noble Nicolaus Mednyansky, notary of Trencsén county, sworn and interrogated; he had no knowledge of and could say nothing regarding the questions posed, but he had heard from everyone what this Lady Widow had done.

The 100
^th
witness was the noble Janós Kenesey, about 42 years old, sworn and interrogated; regarding the sister of Janós Belanczky, he said the same as Martinus Chadanay; regarding the other questions posed, he knew of it only through hearsay.

The 101
^st
witness was the honorable Georgius Keery, living in the town of Beckov, about 63 years old, sworn and interrogated; he said that he had not seen anything posed in the questions but that he had heard that the Lady Widow Nádasdy had allowed the murder of Georgius Tukynzky’s daughter and Janós Belanczky’s sister in an unspeakably cruel manner; he had heard that their parents and relatives frequently tried to investigate their death; but to the best of witness’ knowledge, the Lady Anna Welykey, former wife of Nicolaus Kardos, had entrusted both of these girls, as well as the daughter of Benedictus Barbel, to the
Gynacaeum
of the Lady Widow Nádasdy were they were killed.

The 102
^nd
witness was the noble Georgius Zombach, official of the honorable Dániel Pongrácz, about 35 years old, sworn and interrogated in the city of Beckov; he said that he knew nothing except that which he had heard from noble Georgius Tukynzky, that the said Lady Widow Nádasdy had killed his daughter through various tortures and cruel torments and buried her in Beckó; regarding the rest of the questions posed, he knew about them in general from hearsay.

The 103
^rd
witness was the noble Franciscus Symanoffy, Castellan at Castle Beckó, about 35 years old, sworn and interrogated; he said the same as Nicolaus Mednyansky, the 99
^th
witness.

The 104th witness was the noblewoman Soffia Chehy, former wife of the noble Franciscus Kardos, about 50 years old, sworn and interrogated in the city of Beckov; she said the same as the previous witness.

The 105th witness was the noblewoman Anna, wife of the noble Stephanus Hydweghy, living in the city of Beckov, 33 years old, sworn and interrogated; she said the same as the previous witness, and added that she knew of many virgins who had been taken to the Lady Widow Nádasdy but none, however, had returned from there.

The 106
^th
witness was the respectable Lady Dorottya, wife of Georgius Ztankowsky, residing in the city of BeckOV, 18 years old, sworn and interrogated; she said that she knew that Lady Anna Welykey brought the daughter of Benedictus Barbel and sister of Janós Zabo or Chapordy to the
Gynaecaeum
of Lady Widow Nádasdy and that they were killed there but in which way, however, she does not know.

The 107
^th
witness was the respectable Lady Dorottya, wife of György Phylippowych, residing in the market town of Beckov, 19 years old, sworn and interrogated; she said the same as Nicolaus Mednyansky, the 99
^th
witness.

The 108
^th
witness was the respectable Lady Chrystina, widow of Georgius Polyak, 28 years old, residing in the city of Beckov, sworn and interrogated; she said the same as the previous witness.

The 109
^th
witness was the respectable Lady Katalin, wife of Blasius Kochys, about 42 years old, sworn and interrogated; she said the same as the previous witness.

The 110
^th
witness was the venerable Georgius Kromholcius, Pastor in the town of Beckov, 53 years old, sworn by the purity of his conscience; he said the same as Nicolaus Mednyansky, the 99
^th
witness.

The 111
^th
witness was the prudent Tamás Nyereghjárto, 35 years old, sworn and interrogated in the town of Beckov; he said that he heard from many in general about the Lady Widow Nádasdy; he had nothing else to report from his own knowledge except that the girl he saw was treated in Újhely because the flesh on her right hand between the fingers and arm was torn out and the tendon had been destroyed.

The 112
^th
witness was the honorable Janós Zabo, citizen of the town of Beckov, sworn and interrogated; he said the same as Nicolaus Mednyansky.

The 113
^th
witness was the honorable Georgius Tarnoczky, first judge in the town of Beckov, 66 years old, sworn and interrogated; he said that he had previously worked as a judge for the Lady Widow Nádasdy and had frequently stopped at the court of this woman; when he was in Csejthe or Beckó, he frequently heard that the Lady Widow Nádasdy tortured and tormented the virgins amongst her maids in various and horrific ways, such as binding them naked to a ladder and burning them them with a red-hot iron, the kind used to press women’s collars, burning them on the abdomen and torturing them thus; regarding the daughter of Benedictus Barbel named Anna, he said the same as Dorottya, wife of Georgius Ztankowzky, the 106th witness.

The 114
^th
witness was the honorable Petrus Zabo, Senator (Council Member) of the town of Beckov, about 55 years old, sworn and interrogated; he said the same as Nicolaus Mednyansky, the 99
^th
witness, and added that when the Lady Widow Nádasdy spent some time in Beckov, he saw a number of virgins with smashed and blue-flecked faces; he had also heard that the wife of Nicolaus Kardos had sent the Lady Widow Nádasdy two girls from the other side of the mountains located in another part of the country, who died at the court or
Gynaecaeum
of this Lady Widow.

The 115
^th
witness was the noble Valentinus Newedy, 55 years old, sworn and interrogated; he said the same as Nicolaus Mednyansky.

The 116
^th
witness was the noble Janós Kun, Provisor of the glorious Franciscus Magochy in Beckov, 50 years old, sworn and interrogated; he said the same as the previous witness; regarding the girl who was treated in Újhely, he said the same as Tamás Nyeregjartho, the 111
^th
witness; also, he had heard from the noble, the former Alexander Kun, Court Master of the said Lady Widow Nádasdy, that this Lady Widow Nádasdy put some virgins from amongst her maids into containers carved from rough stone, which were filled with water, and made them sit there, while others were made to lie naked on burning coals which were brought into the house, so that she could pull out the flesh of the upper- and underarms and between the shoulders of some of them, allowing them to be so cruelly tortured and tormented.

The 117
^th
witness was the noblewoman Katalin, wife of said Janós Kun, about 36 years old, sworn and interrogated; she said the same as her husband, Janós Kun; however, regarding the girl who was treated in Újhely, she said that she had seen the hand of this girl and that the flesh between the fingers as well as the upper- and underarms together with the tendons and also between the shoulders was cut out, and that the right hand of this girl was completely destroyed.

The 118
^th
witness was the noblewoman Anna, wife of Georgius Posgy, about 40 years old, sworn and interrogated; she said the same as Nicolaus Mednyansky.

The 119
^th
witness was the noblewoman Dorottya, widow of the noble Ladislaus Zemenyei, about 56 years old, living in the town of Beckov, sworn and interrogated; she said the same as the 117
^th
witness and added that the girl who was treated in Újhely told her that she was cruelly tortured not only with a red-hot iron but also with burning candles.

The 120
^th
witness was the noblewoman Katalin, wife of the noble Valentinus Newedy, sworn and interrogated; she said the same as Nicolaus Mednyansky.

The 121
^st
witness was the noblewoman Erzsébet, wife of the noble Nicolaus Vachay, 35 years old, sworn and interrogated; she said the same as the previous witness.

The 122
^nd
witness was the noblewoman Soffia, wife of the noble Georgius Kopach, 24 years old, sworn and interrogated; regarding the questions posed, she said the same as Nicolaus Mednyansky and added that she knew that the noble girl, Susanna, daughter of Georgius Tukynzky, was killed in the
Gynaecaeum
of Lady Widow Nádasdy.

The 123
^rd
witness was the noblewoman Soffia Rakolubzky, wife of the noble Franciscus Symonffy, 26 years old, sworn and interrogated; she said she knew that the daughter of Benedictus Barbel was killed in the
Gynaecaeum
of Lady Widow Nádasdy; regarding the other questions, she knew only from hearsay.

The 124
^th
witness was the noblewoman Anna, wife of the noble Martinus Köszeghy, 32 years old, sworn and interrogated; regarding the girl treated by the doctor in Újhely, she said the same as Lady Katalin, wife of Janós Kun, the 117
^th
witness; she added that she herself often stopped at the court and
Gynaecaeum
of Lady Widow Nádasdy and saw that the girls had been cruelly tortured and tormented, that all of their hands and broken fingers had been burned such that the fingers could no longer be used, and that they had told her that Lady Widow Nádasdy had allowed them to be burned with a red-hot iron.

The 125
^th
witness was the noblewoman Dorottya Jezernyczky, wife of the noble Franciscus Bardy, 45 years old, sworn and interrogated; she said that she had given up her own daughter named Erzsébet to the
Gynaecaeum
of this Lady Widow Nádasdy in the year 1590 (1610?), where she was killed; in which way she died, she does not know; regarding the remaining questions posed, she knows only from hearsay.

The 126
^th
witness was the noblewoman Eufrosine Lattkoczy, wife of the noble Georgius Bereczk, 45 years old, sworn and interrogated; she said that she often stopped at the
Gynaecaeum
of Lady Widow Nádasdy and had always seen that the young girls living there had bruised and blue-marked faces; she also knew that the sister of Janós Belanzky and the daughter of Georgius Tukynzky were killed here in the
Gynaecaeum
of the Lady Widow Nádasdy.

The 127
^th
witness was the respectable Georgius Zayecz, about 40 years old, sworn and interrogated; he said the same as Nicolaus Mednyansky.

The 128
^th
witness was the honorable Adamus Zoblahowzky, 50 years old, sworn and interrogated; he said the same as the previous witness and added that three years ago, Lady Widow Nádasdy had resided here in Beckó upon returning from the upper parts of the country; after her departure, he had seen a girl who had been left behind, in the house of Nicolaus Chaktornyory, whose entire body was blue from beatings.

The 129
^th
witness was the honorable Paulus Lyzkowzky, 60 years old, sworn and interrogated; regarding the girl who was treated in Újhely, he said the same as Lady Katalin, wife of Janós Kun; regarding the other questions posed, he reported from hearsay.

The 130
^th
witness was the honorable Janós Ztolar, 40 years old, sworn and interrogated; he said the same as the previous witness.

The 131
^st
witness was the honorable Martinus Zamechnyk, 50 years old, sworn and interrogated; he said that he himself had seen the girl treated in Újhely and knew that her right hand was completely mangled; when the witness asked, who did that to her hand, the girl answered that the Lady Widow Nádasdy had done it.

The 132
^nd
witness was the honorable Georgius Gero, 40 years old, residing in the town of Beckov, sworn and interrogated; he said the same as Nicolaus Mednyansky.

The 133
^nd
witness was the honorable Osvaldus Matthwsowych, residing in the town of Beckov, 60 years old, sworn and interrogated; he said the same as the previous witness.

The 134th witness was the honorable András Golyas, residing here in the town of Beckov, 32 years old, sworn and interrogated; he said the same as the previous witness.

The 135th witness was the honorable Georgius Chada, residing here in the town of Beckov, 40 years old, sworn and interrogated; he said the same as the previous witness.

The 136th witness was the honorable Janós Plank, residing in the town of Beckov, 40 years old, sworn and interrogated; regarding the girl treated in Újhely, he said the same as Janós Kun, the 117
^th
witness; regarding the other questions posed, he reported from hearsay.