Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-06-06
CARL VOGT.
The Most Notable ExtraditiOn
Case on Record.

Solely for the Capture OF a Fugitive
Gardener-FOur Years Dealings
with Lawyers.
New York sun, JuneS.
Carl Vogt, whose real name he now
admits to be Joseph Supp, sailed for
Europe In the Switzerland yesterday.
This ends the American chapter of the
most notable extradition case on record.
On the End of October, 1871, VOgt Cby
which name he is best known Quit
Brussels for England. The night before
his departure the chateau of the
| Chevalier du Bots de Bianco, a Belgian
nObleman Of great wealth, was burned
| and sacked, and the finding of the
| charred remains of the Chevalier in
/ the blackened ruins of the chateau
threw all Brussels into a fever of ex-
citement. Suspicion at once pointed
to VOgt as the probable perpetrator of
the triple crime of robbery, arson and
murder, on account of his quitting the
country, and the discovery of the fact
that the burned nobleman had given
him mortal Offense by inducing him,
while he was employed as a gardener, to
marry discarded mistress, and by
subsequently renewing his intimacy
with the woman. VOgt was traced to
London, and there it was learned that
he had met a young woman from his
native town in Prussia, and sailed with
her for the United States. In Deem
Der Of the same year ex-Detec6ve Philip
Farley arrested him IN the Continental
Hotel IN Philadelphia, where he was
lavishly spending the proceeds Of
stocks, bonds, and securities, known to
have been the property of his former
employer NOgt was brought to New
York without warrant, and to prevent
his release upon a writ Of habeas cor
pus a General Sessions Grand Jury was
induced to indict him for bringing into
this State property stolen elsewhere.
The trial of thls Indictment was cOnve-
niently delayed pending an application
to Gov. Hoffman to exEsdite him. IN
the provisions Of a statute of 1922,
which was evidently intended to con-
fer upon the Governor power to sur
render criminals to foreign States, up
on demand, as a matter Of comfy. The
necessity for this style of extradition
grew out OF the fact that there was
then no ezraditiOn treaty between the !
United States and Belgium.
While this business was in progress, !
the woman who accompanied Vogt re-
tanned lawyers for him, and turned !
over to them a large lot Of securities, |
said TO have been worth 100000 or
more, by way of guaranteeing their |
fees. These lawyers, however, rendered
their client no important service. Gov. |
Hoffman decided to deliver the pris- |
Oner to the Belgian authorities, and |
Vogt's balf-frantic female companion, |
deprived by this time Of means to EN-.
plOy other counsel, applied to Mr.. VIM. |
F. Knitting for assistance. He sued !
out a writ Of habeas corpus from the /
Superior Court, which was served at |
the door of the TOmbs Just in time to |
prevent the transfer of the prisoner |
thence to a European steamer on the |
point of sailing. Judge Curtis decided |
the law upon which Gov. Hoffman |
acted to be in conflict with the COnsti- |
tuition Of the United States, and there |
fore imperative, and ordered Vogt's |
discharge from custody. This decision |
was affirmed by the Court Of |
Appeals, but the liberation which |
it finally worked did not avail |
the prisoner for even half an hour |
He was reincarcerated upon a bench |
warrant based upon the General Ses- |
siOns Indictment, and detainers Of civil |
orders Of arrest were piled up on him |
high and freely, although 1t was well |
understood that neither the Indictment |
nor the civil suits would ever be brought |
to trial The object was to gain tImefor |
a further effort in the extraditiOn line. |
This was made by inducing the Prus-
sian government to demand the sur
render Of Vogt on the ground that he |
he was a PrUssian subject, and under |
law of that kingdom was amenable to !
trial in Prussia for any crime commit |
ted anywhere on the habitable globe. |
The local courts did not negative this
extraordinary claim Of jurisdiction, |
but the Attorney General and Secreta-
~ Of State at Washington held that !
such d claim on the part of a foreign !
government could not be recognized. |
1t was necessary for the pursuers of |
VOgt to resort again TO the device of !
OBTAINING him by means Of civil orders
of arrest.
Meanwhile, a treaty between the Bel |
gian Government and the United States !
was negotiated and ratified. 1t con-
tains retroactive clause, obviously |
framed especiallyto fit the case Of Vogt. !
Under It new proceedings were insti-
tutad. They dragged along for months
and have ended with the embarkatiOn
of yesterday. Vogt had been in the
Tombs and Ludlow street Jail four
years and a half. When first arrested !
he was a fne-lo0king, robust young
man. He goes away gray and wrink-
led, with fair Prospectsof ending his
days in prison, because the Belgian
penalty for his crime, if he is guilty,
is Imprisonment for life. His mistress,
with a babe now two years old, Is left
destitute, and has subsisted fora long
time mainly upon the charity Of her
countrymen. The stocks and bonds
are left for the lawyers to quarrel over.
THE STORY OF A HAT.