Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1867-02-14

Of those two sisters as they had APP
peared to me and l wrote down,
with extreme particularly, every
word they had said, and every small
circumstance of my dream.
One winters evening in the ioilow
ing year ] again passed through O.
logne, on my road homo. | was Il
richer man now than I had been
eighteen months ago my foot was
on the first rung of the ladder, for
had painted a picture which had sold
well. 1t was no longer necessary for
me to carry about my worldly pos
sessions on my back, or to seek out
the poorest gasthaus. The steamer
landed me, with other passengers, Oh
the quay, hard by handsome hotel.
| resolved to patronize it, The even
ing was cold ; but all along the quay
outside the hotel, in tue courtyard,
groups of people were standing, and
talking with slow, heavy power Of
speech, betokening that the native
mind was moved by some topic of
more than common interest | cadght
a word here and there which reused
my curiosity. l asked the kelner
who showed me to my little room
what the subject Of such general pub
lie interest was An execution, be
replied adding that executions were
rare events there now, and that unu-
sual interest had been excited by this
one, from the fact that the persons
who had suffered the extreme penalty
Of the law were t,Co sisters, murder
eSSes, whose crimes had long escaped
undetected.
must have turned white instantly,
for the man looked at me with some
surprise.
"Did you ever see these women ~
] managed at last to stammer out.
"No, mein Herr l could not leave
the hotel, to attend either the trial or
execution. But there is an officer in
the Speise-saal who can tell you ev-
erything about them, for he saw them
in prison, and commanded the troops
in the Platz to-day"
| said no more to the man, but
went down to the coffee-room, few
minutes later, with my sketch-book
in my hand. At one Of the small
round tables a middle-aged Prussian
officer was having his supper With
out more ado, l accosted him.
"Sir, you will forgive strangers
intrusion, I hope. / am an English
man just arrived in Cologne. | un-
derstand that you were present, i'll
an official capacity, this day, at the
execution of two women. You will
oblige me greatly by giving me what
information you can respecting them.
The motive that prompts me to ask
this favor is something beyond com
mon curiosity, as you shall presently
learn"
BE seated, sir" said the officer,
politely, pointing to the chair oppo-
site. al will tell you all | know
concerning the sisters Strauss. You
are acquainted with the nature of
the crime of which they were con-
victed? 1t was the murder Of one
Hausmann, young pedler Not for
the sake of his money, for be was
poor enough, but for his hair and
teeth" Il shuddered, but said moth
ing. He continued y This was
by no means their first crime They
were discovered to have been driving
their horrible trade for two or three
years past. 1t is supposed that they
murdered upwards of twenty per
sons, men, women, and children
Numbers who disappeared mysteri-
ously are now said to have been made
away with by the sisters Strauss
Their victims were all strangers or
friendless, to whom they offered hos
pitality, and touching whose disap-
pearance no inquiries were likely to
be made. Some few had money, per-
haps the generality were poor but
several watches. and a considerable
sum of money were found sccreted in
in the house"
at had a garden" said, as though
| saw it all again." garden wall
ed round, with postern at the farth-
er end. In the house were three
rooms"
"Just so. All the world has been
visiting that house during the last
few days. A great number of skele-
tons have been found in the garden.
The popular execration was so great
that it was feared the women would
be torn in pieces on their way to the
galgen (gallows) to-day. Had it
not been for the strong guard which
] commanded, and that their terrible
sentence,--one rarely pronounced
now,-would, it was known, be car
ried out to the very letter, they would
assuredly have fallen a prey to the
fury of the mob. AS it was, the saw
age satisfaction at the prospect of
seeing them broken on the wheel"
Broken on the wheel ! Good
Heaven, sir, you surely don't mean
that this sentence lCas carried ont ?"
eyes. 1t is, as have said, very
unusual, now, for this punishment 70
be even recorded, still less enforced.
But, in cases of very rare atrocty,
nothing short Of it seems to satisfy
the public | saw even women, to-
day, looking on unmoved though !,
a soldier, who have seen a good
many bloody battle fields in the great
war, would fain have ridden away
when | heard the first crush OF the
elder sisters arms 1t was horrible
to hear,-and then her cries You
know how it is done The head is
held down by two men, by rope tied
round the neck The limbs are then