The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-12-08
RAILWAY

THE PERILs OF EUROPEAN RAILRoAD RAW
ELING-MURDERRD IN A COMPARTMENT.
The London Times correspondent, at VII
emma, writing on the 9th inst, says: The
public have not been a little startled by the
news which arrived from Moravis on Tues
day last, that on the night before a passen-
ger had been found in a second class car
risge of the night mail between Brunn and
Prerau with his throat cut and his pockets
riied of their contents. From letters found
on his person it has been ascertained that
the deceased, a man Of about sixty, was
the owner of a spirit refinery In Brauek,
Ernest Katscher by name, a man
very much esteemed and known to be
wealthy. he had gone in the morning to
Brunn to see his daughter, who was mar
ried there, and to transact business, and
was on his way home by the 1l:l5 p. NJ. train.
The deceased had been seen in the restau-
rant of the station before the departure of
the train. There were those who had seen
him count a considerable sum of money and
bank notes, and look over a quantity of
state bonds and other stock. The body was
found by the guard at the station of Cropin,
close to Prerau. 1t was still warm, showing
that the deed had only just been perpe-
trated. At the bottom of the carriage was
found a pocket knife, with a blade of some
ALO lnCnO AOh6 II III lO0CA
ately sharpened. The deceased must
have been lying down, and was probably
asleep, for he had taken off
his boots. Yet he must have awoke and at
tempted resistance, for he had cuts and
scratches in the face, while his wrists were
grazed. He had been robbed of everything
of value about him except a golden bracelet,
which he bought in Brunn. The guard was
the first to supply a clew. He remembered
a small, dark man, in a long gray overcoat
and a soft felt hat, who had a third-class
ticket and attempted to get into the second
class carriage where Katscher was seated
when the train started" The clue tb,.
given was followed with such diligence tL...
THE MURDERER WAS ARRESTED
on the afternoon of the next day at a place
called Pressnitz, and as evidence of his guilt
was found in his possession, he at once made
a full confession. His name is Leopold
Freund, an Israelite native of the town of
Treucrin, in the north of Hungary. He had
been for a short time at one of the cafes of
Brunn, but had to leave. According
to his confession he was very hard
up" and was determined to have money
at any price. He was ready, as he said, to
kill any man to attain this object. He had
seen Katscher showing his pocket-book at
the railway station, and logged him. He
only had a few forms, and had therefore to
nuSDanO his means. InlS was tne reason tnat
he only took his tickle repeatedly for short
distances circumstance which first di-
rected suspicion against him. He could not
do the deed the first time he went into
the compartment with Katscher, for
the second-class compartments COM
municate with each other on the top,
and there was another man in the next
compartment, who got out at N~ezannsslitz.
Katscher was asleep when he returned, hav-
ing taken another ticket; and so successful
was his first stab with the pocket-knife that
it cut the mans throat right through, so that
he could not utter a cry, which might have
been heard by the guard, who was in his
box on the very same carriage behind. Still,
the man was not dead. He tried to resist,
till q second cut finished him. When the
train slackened it's pace at the station of
Kojetin, the murderer got out through the
carriage window on the opposite side, and,
favored by the darkness, got away.