The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-01-18


Foreign papers, per steamer Cuba. at New
York, bring the confession made by Traup-
mann, the murderer of the Kinck family in
France. He says he murdered Jean kinck,
the head of the family, in order to get posses
sion of the money he had at his bankers, and
was afterwards compelled to Kill the son, Gus
taye. the mother and the five children in sue
cession. in order to conceal the first murder.
On the 25th of August last he met Jean
Kinck at the Bolviller Railway station. by an
pointment. and the two, after procuring hot
tie of wine, went to Snultz and thence towards
the ruins of chateau. The prisoner carried
the wine, land at favorable moment introduced
into it from vial quantity of pruss;c acid
He then invited Kinck to drink. who fell dead
Immediately after quafing the fatal draught.
Traupmann then dug with his own hands
grave near where Kinck fell, and there buried
him, iirst searching his clothes and taking
theIefrom papers, watch and money
Inc prisoner then returned to his father
mouse, where he remained until the Sd of Sep
tember, assuming Kinck's name, and having
learned to initiate his handwriting, keeping up
a correspondence with Madame Knck at Rou-
baix. Through this correspondence he under
took to secure his victims money in bank at
agent visited Madame Kinck at Roubaix-
Traupmann finally originated plan to bring
Gustave Kinck up to Paris with the money.
Gustave came, but without the money, as from
some little informality the bank refused to cash
the check Traupmann had forged. Gustaye
instead of meeting his father, found Traup-
mann awaiting him at the railway station. 1t
was the evening of the 18th of September De-
coying the unsuspecting youth to the fields of
PantIn, on the assurance he would there meet
10 fI'rn11 oh.
with table knife. He fell dead, making no
cutlery. The prisoner did not remember strik-
ing him but once, but if he did it was done to
prevent recognition of the dead body Traup-
mann then dug grave, having previously
brought to the place shovel and pick-axe. in
which, after rifling it of all vauables, he buried
the.body of his. second victim. Before taking
Gustave to Pantin, Traupmann induced him
to write to his mother, announcing his arrival
and telling her to come to Paris with the other
children. Nine. Kipck reached Paris with he1
children the 18th of September, about 10 p. nj
Traupmann met her at the railway station
and on pretence of escortng her to her hus
band, took her with the children in hack.tc
Les Quartre Chemins, where Madame was
asked to get out and leave the children in the
hack; but the two youngest insisted upon go
| ing with their mother, and they started all to
gether in the path across the fields. Madame
Kincir -~ollroa forcp.oct, with little daugl.
ter in her arms and her little son walking by
nei siue. w HeH tney nau S0C some distance
from the hack, Traupmann plunged a table
| knife into her back. She also made no outcry
but whether she died instantly the assassin
| does not remember He then struck the chill
dren, the little girl first, and then the little boy
| Neither of them gave a cry. He then went at
once for the three other children left in the car
| riage. Before reaching the spot where the
corpses lay, he made the children stop, and
then brought them forward one by one. The
first he strangled near his mother corpse with
handkerchief, and the second and third were
in turn served in like manner, none of them
uttering sound. He then struck them re-
peatedly with pick-axe to disigure them
He did not search their pockets, but instantly
dug, with second shovel and second pick
axe which he had brought and hidden before
in the field, grave, in which he placed the six
corpses. 1t was about A. M. when he ended
covering them up. Subsequently, during the
trial, Traupmann retracted so much of his
confession as detailed the manner in which he
dispatched his first victim, Jean Kinck, assert.
ing that on that occasion he was assisted by
three men, professional robbers. Traupman1
said he concocted the poison, but one of the
robbers killed Kinck. His first confession is
believed to be the true one, the last one having
been invented to mitigate the enormity of his
crimes