The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-12-09
KASPER HAUSER.


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lation. To the present, the mystery
hanging over his origin remains un.
dispelled, and the whole affair is beset
with 80 many anomalies and contradic.
tions, that it is almost impossible to
form even a well grounded conjecture on
the subject. The following are the as.
certained facts of the case: "Between
four and five o'clock in the afternoon OF
the 26th of May, 1928, a young lad, ap.
parently about sixteen or seventeen
years of age, was found in helpless and
forlorn condition in the market-place OF
Nuremburg, by citizen of thattown. He
was dressed like peasant boy, and had
with him letter addressed to the captain
of the Sixth regiment of horse at Nurem.
burg. Being conducted to this officer
and interrogated, it soon became evident
that he could speak very little, and was
almost totally ignorant. To all ques-
tions he replied Won Regensburg'
(from Regensburg), or 'Ich woas nit q
don't know. On the other hand, he
wrote his name in firm, legible characters
on sheet of paper, but without adding
the place of his birth, or anything else,
though requested to do SO. Though
short and road-shouldered, his figure
was perfectly well-proportioned. His
skin was very white; his limbs delicately
formed, the hands and feet small and
beautiful-the latter, however, showing
no marks of his having ever worn shoes.
With the exception of dry bread and
water, he showed violent dislike to all
kinds of meat and drink. His language
was confine to few words or sentences
in the old Bavarian dialect. He showed
entire ignorance of the most ordinary OBJ
iects, and great indifference to the con-
veniences and necessaries of life.
Among his scanty articles of clothing
was handkerchief marked X. H. he
had likewise about him some written
Catholic prayers. In the letter which
he carried, dated From the confines OF
Bavaria, place unknown, 1925" the
writer stated himself to be a poor day
laborer, the father of ten children, and
said that the boy had been deposited be-
fore his door by his mother, o person un-
known to the writer. He stated further,
that he had brought up the boy secretly,
without allowing him to leave the house,
but had instructed him in reading, writ
ing, and the doctrines Of Christianity
adding that it was the boys wish to be-
come horse soldier. The letter in
closed line, apparently from the
mother, stating that she, poor girl. had
given birth to the boy on the 30th of
April, 1912, that his name was Kaspar,
and that his father, who had formerly
served in the Sixth regiment, was dead.
The poor boy having been taken before
and attended to by the magistrates, his
story was soon made known to the pub
lie, and he himself became the object of
general sympathy. Binder, a burgo-
master, exerted himself, in particular, to
throw some light on the obscurity in
which the origin of the young man was
involved. In the course of many con-
versations with him, it came out that
Hauser, from his childhood, had only q
shirt and trousers that he had lived in
dark place underground. where he was
unable to stretch himself at full length
that he had been fed on bread and water,
by man who did not show himself, but
who cleaned and dressed him, and pro-
vided him with food and drink while he
was in state of natural OF artificial
sleep. His sole occupation was playing
with two wooden horses. For some time
before he was conveyed t. Nuremburg,
the man had come often to his dungeon,
and had taught him to write by guiding
his hand, and to lift his feet to walk.
The narrative gave rise to various sup
positions and rumors. According to
some, this mysterious founding was the
natural son of a priest, or of o young
lady of high rank, while others believed
him to be OF princely origin, or the VIC
tim Of some dark plot respecting an in
heritance. Some incredulous persons
believed the whole affair to be an impo-
ition. On the 18th of July, 1928,
Hauser was handed over to the care OF
Professor Daumer, who afterwards acted
the part of his biographer.
The history of his education is re.
markable in pedagogic point of views
as his original desire for knowledge, his
extraordinary memory and acute under
standing, decreased in proportion as the
phere of his knowledge extended. His,
intellectual progress, on the whole, was
small. On the 18th of October, 1929,
he was bleeding from slight wound on
the brow, which he said had been in
fiicted by man with black head. All
efforts made to discover the perpetrator
We're Intellectual. The incident excited
a great sensation; Hauser was conveyed
to the house of one of the magistrates,
and constantly guarded by two soldiers.
Among the many strangers who came to
see him was Lord Stanhope, who be-
came interested in him, and sent him to
be educated at Anspach. Here he was
employed in an Office of the court of ap-
peals, but he by no means distinguished
himself either by industry or talent, and
was gradually forgotten, till his death
again made him the subject of attention.
This event took place under the follow
ing singular circumstances: A stranger,
under the pretext of bringing him q
message from Lord Stanhope, and in
forming him of the circumstances of his
birth, engaged to meet Hauser in the
palace garden at three o'clock in the
afternoon of the 14th of December,
1888. The hapless young man was faith
ful to the rendezvous, but he had scarce
~ commenced to converse with the un-
known emissary, when the latter stabbed
him in the left side, and he fell mortally
wounded. He had, however, sufficient
strength left to return home and relate
the circumstances of his assassination,
and three days afterwards, on the 18th
OF December, 1883, he died. Among the
many surmises current regarding the
unfortunate Hauser, the latest is that he
was the scion of a noble family in Eng.
land, and that his dark and mysterious
history, with its atrocious termination,
had its origin in this country. But
nothing beyond mere conjecture hai
ever been adduced in reference to the
subject.-ReynoIds' Newspaper.