Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-11-29
FEARFUL CEHAPPER IN CREwF-
NAL HISTORY

The criminal court at Custriu, in Pomersnis
prussia has for fortnight been occupied with
q case which may be said 70 be without prece-
dent in the enual Of Prussian crime. A work
man named Kari Msasch has been accused Of
having been concerned IN the commission Of
thirteen murders and many hundred robberiss, of
which crimes be coDfsss7s himself guilty The
number Of his tTansgressions is, however, prob
ably far greater thsn that indicated in theeIowd-
ed list already made out against him Among
modern criminals, DumOllari alone, who was
executed some months ago in Frs5cs. can be
compared in the enormity Of his crimes with the
monster Maasch. Not only was Assseh ike
Dumollsrd, guilty Of the most cold-hlooded
cruelty IN the numerous murders which be
seemed to take 6sudish delight IN perpersting
but the h'deOUs manner in which be treated still
warm bodies of bis female victims sinks him far
below the Il vel Of the savage OF the brute
Karl AAasch was, it appears, the leader Of a
band OF wTetches consisting Of himself his
brother Martin, his mother, an old bat active
woman, and two -ab0Ters named Liebsa and
Konjsehmidt-snd al these persons were placed
at the bar. Their burglaries and murders had
for five years kept in almost continual alarm the
po~U.Atiou around So5lin Pyritz, Lsnsburg and
Stsrgafdt One Of the most horrifying atr0ci-
ties which they committed was on q night 10
HAY 1861, wben k3rl Aassch and some Of his
band broke f3Tcibly into the house CT z miller
named B2umgsrt at Csrslorf. murdered the
miller aud his wife, bis daughter, two sons. and
a maid, and robbed the house Of everything that
was portable and vsluab.s, including il is be-
heved, a considerable sum Of money. The
murders, too, we're committed in a manner so
atroeious as to rouss the population into a
irenzy' and the most persevering exerhons were
made 90 obtain 3 clue % the guilty parties
The sbest detectives of Berlin were sent to
aid the local police but the only person to
whom suspicion pointed an assistant who slept
in the house, ard who was the only one who
escaped death, was at last set free, under the
conviction that he was innocsnt. A strange in
cideut, however, at length cecured. Two farm
labOTeTs Of the village Of Wsrsiu, near Star
gardt, were one morning walking together on
their way to their work IN the fields when it
came On to rain. Tor the sake Of greater shelter
asainst the wet, one of them proposed that they
shouid proceed TO their destination for the rest
of the way by path leading through the woods
This being agreed on, the peasants had not been
ten minutes in the forest, when one of them
esp.ed Et some distance through the trees the
upper half Of the body 0f q man sticking ont
Of the ground. Their hearts leaped to their
mouths. One Immediately started of with all
the speed he e0ald put forth, while the other.
more seiEpossessed retreated more slowly.
keeping his eye fixed on the object in question,
which gradually sank Oat Of sight into the earth
The peasants instantly made known to the
owner of the estate the strange thing they bad
witnessed. The police was sent for, and num-
Der of persons, with ali dispatch, proceeded to
the mysterious spot which was pointed out by
the laboTers. at first it seemed as though the
men must have deceived themselves. or were
carrying on practical Joke; for at the spo. in
dieated, there appeared TO be nothing like a dole
in the earth, As the grass covered the ground all
round shout Ga closer investig igatiOh, however,
slit was found IN the grass in the form Of q
square. Il was the top of trap door covered
with tart On forciag t'is open and deceuding
a large cavity was discovered from which, how
ever, the late occupants had already 1ed.
The hole itself, which was rooted with trees
oVerlaid with turf, was divided into two rooms.
the walls lined with b0ards-s stove, two or
three beds, ladder, victuals, and cooking uien-
sis being present, aud making q very snug un-
dsrgrOUnd dwelling. Ia addition to these arli-
eles, there were present great quantities Of
objects identified a5 having been stolen from Va.
TiOus houses in the Heigh5OriBg country, in
which buTglarious robbsries and murders have
been committed Axes, fre-a arms, and other
weapons, IS well as q considerable number Of
thieves tools, were likewise found
The police now found themselves on the right
track Various circumstauces-ths description
giv6u by the peasants OF the oceupiers Of the
cavern, as well as indications found In the cav
ern itself-led to the suspicion that the person
so seen was none other than the notorious work
man, Karl Frederick Eassoh, who was eoriec-
tured to be the leader of the band Of robbers
who had so long infested the neighborhood
Against him and his crew the search was hence
forth specially directed. Maasoh had been for
some time a labcrer On the estate of Deszon,
near PyTitz, in which neighborhOod hewas horn.
he was never married, and had been published
frequently for theft. He was scoundrel of the
lowest modes Of lie, and spTsng from family
hereditariiy criminal Hs had fed from the
place mentioned above on account Of the discov-
cry of new theits committed by him, and had
not been seen TOR several years. At first the
efforts Of the police t0-iske him were completely
foilsd, and he was strengously aided in his con
eealment BY the rss5 Of the band, consisting foT
tha Eost part Of his family.
His motEer and brother Marin lived together
at Sehono, Pyritz, ahGut six English mi!ss from
the retreat 10 the forest They and Martins
vile were speedily seized and thrown into prison
on suspicion. In their dwelling was found an
Ak, on which traces OF blood were still disCOv-
erd, and quantity Of articles belonging to the
same robbsries as dd those found in the hole in
the woods so that at length those who had
committed tie Baumgart murder were iS the
hands of justice, if we except their leader, Karl
Maaseh On microscopic examination of the
three sxes from the hole and the fourth found
at the house Of Martin, unmistakable traces Of
this houid six fold murder were perceived. On
one AZ stuck a small portion Of hanan brain on
al four human hair, mingled with clotted blood
The hair agreed completely with that Of the
murdered persons, and that Of the servant maid
was identified with particular clesrness.
On one CT the axes there still claug red woolen
threads, precisely similar to those Of he mate
rial Of which Mrs Beaumgart's night-aap was
made, ard which she wore or sne night Of the
murder Another az still retsined traces Of the
ehildrenS bed clothes The wife of Martin
saala4 bar emile k,y hs,,r;- bo~,eff -, rriaax,