Delaware State journal and statesman., 1862-12-23
A Fearful Chapter in Criminal History.

DumoHard ouidoae-A man coaiesse' 70 The com;
mission of ftLirteen murders and many hundred
rojberies.
Tao criminal court at Custrin, in Pomerania,
Prussia. \ has for fortnight been occupied with
a case which may be said TO be without prece-
dent in the annals of Prussian crime. WORK.
man named Karl Maasch has been accused OF
having been concerned in the commission OF
thirteen murders and many hundred robberiea,
of which crimes he coniesses himself guilty The
number of his transgressions is, however, pro
babv far greater than that indicated in the crow
ded list already made out aglinst him. Amons
modern criminals Dumollurd nlone who wa
executed some months ngo in France, can ne
compared in the enormity of his crimes with tn
monster Alaasch Not only was Maosch, INK
I,nmnllard guilty Of the most cold-blooded cru
civ in the numerous murders which he seemed
to take fendish delight in perpetrnting, but ths
hideous manner in which he treated the still
warm bodies OF his female victims sinks him lar
below the level of the savage Or the brute.
Karl Maasch was, it appears, the leader OF
band Of wretches consisting of himself, his bro
ther Martin, his mother, nn old but active
woman, and two laborers named Lieblg anu
Kholgchmidt-and all these persons were placed
AZ the bar. Their burglaries and murders had
for FIVE yenrs kept in almost continual alarm
| the popuiation around Sodlin, Pyritz, Lansbdrg
and Stareardt. One of the most horritying
atrocities which they committed was on nlght
in NAV, 1861, when Karl Maasch and some Of
his band broke forcbly into the house OF mil
4 ar nomed Baumgalt, at Uarsdorf, murdered the
=, miller and his wife, his daughter, two sons ahu
u maid. and robbed the house of everything thai
was portable and valuable, including, IT IS De-
lieved. a considerable sum of money. The muir
ders. too, were committed in a manner SO afro
id cious as to rouse the population into frenzy
and the most persevering exertions were mau'
Is TO obtain n clue to the guilty parties
! Tho ablest detectives of Berlin were sent Il
aid the local police, but the only person to WHOM
suspicion pointed, was an assistant VINO siep
in the house, and who was the only one who es
. caned death was at last set free, under the con
Of victon that he was innocent. A strange incident
lea however, at length occurred. Two farm aborel
ng Of the villiage OF Warsin, near Stargardt, wer
one morning walking together on their way
their work in the fields, when it came on to rail-
For the sake OF greater shelter against the we
= one of them proposed that they should procee
TO their destination for the rest Of the way by
lew path leading through the woods. This beir
sal agreed on, the peasauts had not been ten MIN
, MES in the forest when one of them espied
some distance through the trees the upper ha
Of the body of a man sticking up out of q
rom ground. Their hearts leaped TO their mouth
s- one Immediately started off with all the spe
he could put forth, while the other, more Sc
is. possessed, retrested more slowly, keeping
re- eye fixed on the object in question, which grad
II AgFr ally sank out of sight into the earth.
- The peasants instantly made known to
St owner Of the estate tine strange thing they h