Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-01-03
A MYSTERIOUS CRIME.

IBATHURsT, Driiish Envoy Extraordinary to the Cour
OF Vienna 1902 and the recent discovery Of probable
clue to bis murder We condense the account AZ follows
Il On Saturday, the 25.h Of November, 1903 Benjamin
bathurst Envoy Extraordinary OF the British Government
to Austria arrived at The houss OF the postmaster OF the
little Prussan town of Perleberg, close to the frontier
the Prussan dominons aud the high road from Berlin
to Hamburg He accompanied BY German courier
named Krause. Mr. Bathurst and this courier agbted
gave orders for the immediate continuation OF the journey
and while the horses hanessed to the carriage, went
into the h0stsry adjoining the posofca to take some re-
/ freshment The meal fushed, but various ar
rsngemens the LEGAL gercaton nj passports
in the Of Z. Merchant Koch" and Fischer" pro-
tracted the departure of the travellers until late hour
1t not till towards niue tho evening that tho news
at last arrived OF the hoes being about to be hanessed
10 the carriage On receiving this welcome announcement
Mr. Bathurst left his and went u0 the street. his
til ught for the purpose of taking hs sea in the
chaise The courier followed in few seconds. but
astonshed not to ad his master in the pace where nc
thought him to be- He waited and waited for minutes
for hours hut did not him make his appearance The
Hon. BePsmn Bathurst has not eappeared up to the pre-
sent day. a, Ns
Bathurst went on to England and reported the
circumstances OF the case. The family Of the missing
envoy (among whom Lord Bathurst pro cmpore Sec
rotary for Fur-ign Aars Immediately set to work to
unayel the mystery Mrs Ba hurst at resolved to
proceed 10 Germany 10 search Of her husband aud on
arriving at Peeberg found that the authorities had already
undertaken investigation. The search OF the officers
had discovered in piece OF woods in the neghborhood OF
the town. pair of pantaoons which MIS- Bathurst mm
dately recognised having belonged I, her husband
There pantaoons were riGded with bullethoes but
an examination by competent judges it established be-
You'd doubt that the bullets had been fired mt the empty
piece of dress lying the ground, and Lot while
on the person, Here was another complication OF the
mystery. a
reward Of FIVE hundred thaers was at offered
for the discovery of the whereabouts of the missing msn
but months nvesg dton left the dark before
Meanwhile the English and French press having become
acquainted with the fact of Mr. Bathuss disappearance
began to discuss the subject The Times of January 90
1910 had the following paragraph in large type, which
subsequently went the round OF the English papers:
There much that the of the
death Bathurst late British Envoy the Emperor of
Austria nse in Par Journal the prin
cipa fact 1t stated article OF Berlin OF the
date of December ~ that Mr. Bathurst had evnced symp
Sad asny fallen by Rs
erleberg lnio nation however, has been received within
these few days which forciby tends to fix The guilt of Mr.
Bathurss dea:h, Disappearance the French Govern
melt 1t appears that Mr Bathurst left Berlin with pass
ports from the Prussian and in excellent health
both OF mind aud body lie to proceed to Hamburg TO
embark for this country but Hamburg he reached
AT town the French territories he seized as
snppossd by party OF Freuch soiders What happened
afterwards is not accurately known His pan,aoons have
been found the where he seized and letter
IN them TO his wife but nothing else The Prusisn Govern
men upon receiving the intelligence evn ed the deepest
ret end offered large reward Tor the discovery Of his body
No succets however has yet attended the offer
From hat source the Times received this information
is not stated There s however, believe, from
the prominent manner in which the announcement was
brought forward, that it derived from official comlnu
it in Paris for the French Government greatly ncensed
at the accusation Of having kidnapped murdered Mr.
Bathurst, launched forth the following reply in the Monl
teur of January 29th
England alone among all civilized nations has renewed
the example of paying and encouraging cmes 1t
appears by the accounts from Berlin that Mr. Bathurst
deranged III his mind This is the custom Of the British Cab
nefo give their diplomatic missions to the foolish and
most nseess persons the nation proances The English
diplomatic The only which examples madness
are common.
IN ,
ed to foster aud strengthen suspicious already Fur
Their notices in the Monteur still confirmed these
suggestions The French official Journal in threatening
Tone laid 1t down positive rule that Mr. Bathurst usf
committed suicide and the severe psasure Of the
Government called upon the heads of those who should
dare to think to speak otherwise Thereupon the Ger
man press who had mildly discussed the subject became
very quiet greatly sobered down by the remembrance of
Palm the Nuremberg bookseller shot by order Napoleon
for having published harmless little pamphlet On the state
of the Fatherand.
Mrs Bathurst instituted careful search of The neigh
bohood of Pereberg employing several hundred in
the work. and finally despairng what to do next she went
to Berlin, and from thence in ht OF phrensy to Paris
to see the Emperor Napoleon himself and obtain from
him, possible the account If the fate OF her husband
The Emperor received Mrs Bathurst with the greatest
sabity but soemny declared his ignorance the whole
affair, and in proof If it offered his assistance for any fur
Their inquiry the subject Whether this offer
cepted d, clned is not known but it that it
led to result Of any kind tseemed if the dark crime
Of Perleberg would remain my tery forever
Not many months ago. however, unexpected Eight
was thrown upon the affair II having become ne
to execute some Teparsin tie citde of MaQdbarC ,caH
pulled do0n and behind II, in small recess ,cas
found the sketson Of in apright posture the hands
fastened to the back Many the specuat;ons arising
Of this discovery and various the surmises aoat
until at last the suggestion started that the body
might be that of Mr. Benjamin Bathurst long supposed to
have ded some where near Madgeburg' This conjecture
to be generally admitted at present among those
who have been discussing the matter 10 Germany the
most probable At the time Of Mr. Bathursts disappear
ance the Fortress of Magdeburg we'll known was 10
the hands Of the French and became the prison Of many
unfortunate Germans and pthsr POLITICAL offenders opposing
the sway of the great Napoleon 1t cannot DO dened that
tie thick walls Of the old feuda stronghold gained with
French gold in 1906 and held sort of Bate by the
conqueror of the county, uncommonly fitted for
holding British Ambassador and pressing from him. by
slow tortue, whatever tongue will tell in the agony OF
death Ii very probable coIiue0p therefore TO
submit that Mr.. fathufsts the consequence Of
crime p,nned by French brains and executed by French
hands. Ia fact attentive consideration of the whole
mysterious affair and all the accompanying circumstances
scarcely leaves room for any other explanation than the
ne now Suggested.
The French Government. alone had an interest in the
possession, well the necessary power for obtaining
the person and dispatches Of the British Envoy; and that
the Emperor Napoleon INSCRIPTIONS enough 10 resort
to any obtain his ends there thousands
examples 70 prove Not far from the T9Y toYn al refe
berg, whete Mr. bathurst Disappeared, Mr. Wagstaffe
Kings messenger seized and robbed OF his dispatches
few years before; and another Briiish subject Sir
George Rumbold, openly kidnapped at Hamburg by
the same imperial police, in defiance of oil international
law and Justice The seizure Of Mr. Bathurst te;ng OF
far greater importance, very likely efec Cd asS With
much more crcumspscti0n There was no particular
difficulty 10 laying hold of Mr. bathurst as in the
dark November night he had quilted the door OF the Per-