The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-09-12
REMARKABLE CASES IN GERMANY

late number OF the CrtmlndL Leatun3 con-
tains the following singular items of crime !:
"a gentleman in Augsburg, a man of
highly noble family, aged fifty-fve years,
distinguished by the public purity and dig
nifty of his life, was some years ago, to the
amazement of every one, detected in steal
ing silver. Investigation revealed that he
had been afflicted with a cleptoma',id for
stealing and secreting silverware of every
description. The scandal was hushed up,
but it has been revived by the sale at auc-
ton of an immense number of small objects
in silver by the family of the gentleman.
1t comprised thimbles, pencils, teaspoons,
silver jewelry, such as the South German
peasantry wear, old coin, buttons, scut-
cheons, wrenched iron ladies' work-boxes,
crosses, cups, and was, in short, q real mu-
scum of drgenterie.
GA clergyman of Pomerania, who had
become somewhat noted by his accession to
an immense estate, has been made the sub
ject of church investigation, charged with
the extraordinary crime of maintaining
illicit relations with his six sisters and two
daughters for many years past. He did
not pretend to deny the accusation, but, on
the contrary, defended his acts with an en-
ergy which was even fanatical, citing Scrip
ture and urging his argument with great
boldness and ingenuity. He had, as 1t ap-
peared, actually founded a sect, and in
duced several respectable families to join
it, all of whom appeared to be inspired with
the same bewildered iHumineeism as him
self, They had privately printed book
entitled Light which contained their
doctrines, and which is being carefully
suppressed by the police.
"a young lady of Munich, named Erminia
Schlug, was recently detected in singular
crime. For some weeks the families inha-
biting the hotel in which Miss Schlug lived
had been subject to frequent, alarming, but
exceedingly varied attacks of illness. After
a long police investigation it was discover
ed that the young lady had lover, stu
dent named Won Beck, who was SO enthu-
siastically devoted to physiology, toxi-
cology, and similar branches of study, that
he spared no one as q subject for his expert
ments. Much of his time was spent in de-
vising or investigating the most subtle poi
sons and those most difficult of detection,
and his mistress aided him in these studies
by administering his drugs to her fellow
tenants.
"The trial revealed the fact that Won
Beck and Erminia had spared themselves
rs little as other people, their bodies being
marked with the scars of experiments
which had involved terrible amount OF
long continued pain, while the young lady
boosted with triumph of the poisons and
antidotes which she had swallowed. The
pair escaped with nominal punishment,
and received q decided eulogy in the
columns of the TIagblatt for their heroic
though mistaken devotion to the cause OF
science.
"At Hebron, in Swabia, little boy
noted for his honesty and goodness, the son
of miller, was detected in stealing money
from his father, and on being questioned
declared that Black John, well-known
rascal and outlaw of the neighborhood, had
threatened to cut off all his fingers unless
he would bring him (Black john every
day a certain sum. He was let off with a
reprimand, but was in terrible alarm lest
John should carry out his threat. The mex,
day he came running into the mill in ex'
treme agony, declaring that Black John
| had chased him with q knife, and being
seized with commissions, actually died o.
fright.
"The father of the boy, being q man o.
great strength and impetuous passions, al
once seized knife, and rushing forth, en-
| countered Black John with the irresistible
fury of mailman, and having beat him t
helplessness and bound him, deliberately
cut off all lis fingers and thumbs, needles!
| of the screams of his victim. The editor
of the Criminal Zeitung observes that while
every detail Of this case is reported will
fidelity, it resembles in a striking degree
| an event which occurred near Altotting II
1884, the only difference being that thu
child in the former case was little girl
and that the criminal actually did cut ont
of her fingers off,