Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-02-03

The Berlin correspondent Of the Lon
don Tins1s writes 10 that journal:
Thanks 10 the usweayied activity OF the
police and the ready corporation Of every
! rizhLminded person, the preliminary con-
tr, ances Of the assassin Thomas are be-
ing completely unraveled. All the work
men employed by him are coming for
ward of their own accord. One 81 the
most interesting dispositions has been
made by one Herr Rhind, matchmaker
AT Vienna This gentlemen having ex-
hihitcd an eight-day clock III April, re-
ceived q visit from gentleman who gave
himself! out for Russian. and certainly
spoke very indifferent German. The Wis
| itor. whom Herr Rhind has no difficulty
| In identifying as Mr. Thomas since he has
seen the photograph, desired Herr khind
| 10 construct the model Of twelve-day
clock which should be noiseless, and at
| the end of The time fixed give single
stroke. To indicate the force required,
| Thomas took up hammer and dealt q
| powerful blow on the table at which the
| tyo were standing. Herr Rhind declaring
| his willingness To carry out the order, a
| price Of 200 forms was agreed upon. A
| few DAYS later Thomas called again 10 In.
spect the designs made by Herr Rhind,
and. expressing satisfaction, paid 100
| forms on account. After this The designs
I were put into the hands Of an operative
named Carl Gluckschall, who constructed
the model in five months. Upon the de-
livery Of the finished article Herr Rhind
| had The modification to find that Thomas
would not take the clock unless q
more powerful spring was inserted !.
/ Two or three more springs were tried
before the fastidious customer was suited.
After three months experiments Thomas
| st las, was content and paid eighty forms
extra for the trouble be had given. He,
| however, was Obliged TO leave Vienna, as
he said, for st. Petersburg, before the
mechanism was ready 10 be delivered. He
therefore requested Herr Rhind to send
the order TO the address Of n. Petro Wis
koff, Poste Restante, Bodenbach, leaving
q printed card with this name on II. Herr
| Rhind did as he he was told and about
| Christmas, 1874, dispatched the model TO
| lis destination. II was only called for In
the beginning Of February, 1875, on
| which occasion the 100 forms remaining
| unpaid were Iiquidated. Herr Rhind,
| who has handed over the card AS well as
| the rejected springs To the Vienna police,
states that nothing could be more natural
and unsuspicious than the assassin's behGy.
! Tor in the shop. He played the part OF a
distinguished foreigner TO perfection, and,
giving himself out for Russian, as
| sumed a Slayonic accent in speaking Ger
| man lie was partly man with hair In
clising 10 red, elegant manners and a
| ioviai countenance He would laugh and
crack Jokes In giving his orders like a
warm. hearted, genial man OF the world.
The only thing that seemed in the least to
| upset his equanimity were those INSULT
Client specimens Of the handspring he sue
cessiyely rejected and replaced.
And we'll might his temper be rufiled
by these refractory spirals. After what
has come 10 light the last few days, we
know that the ominous spring killed him
and slbverted his design. Thomas, as
your readers are aware, took his model TO
one Herr Fuchs. clockmaker al Bern.
burg, Duchy Of Anhalt, whom he desired
10 make powerful clock after this pat
tern. Herr Fuchs complied and framed
the machine, but the Vienna model re-
naming In his hands was transferred by
him TO the Bremen police directly the
terrible news of the crime got abroad.
Two DAYS ago, mt a scientific lecture given
at Bremen by DIR. Hapke, this model was
produced with the consent Of the author
tiles. Considerably smaller and more
simply formed than the machine made
from Il, il yetdisplays all the characteristic
features OF the latter, and allows scientific
Judges 10 form an exact opinion Of the
merits and deficiencies of the work. DIR.
Hapke, therefore, was enabled to demon.
stratc that the spring, though strong
enoughfo the complicated wheels attached
10 1t, while the machine was stationary,
could not withstand the strain consequent
upon violent and sudden motion. This
opinion was confirmed by Herr Bruins, a
clockmakcr ut Bremen, To whom the as.
sassin gave his machine for final brush.
up before consigning IL TO the murderous
chest. IL is likewise stated to be the view
taken by Herr Fuchs, at Brcnburg, and
Herr Rhind, at Vienna. All agree that X
they hid been told that the mechanism
was likely TO be rudely handled and
thrown about when wound up, they would
have either inserted a different sort of
spring or modified the wheel.work con.
nected with IT, But this was the very
point the assassin would not reveal. Civ.
ing out his Internal machine sometimes
As q continuance for breaking silk threads,
sometimes ~ peculiar description OF
clock for controlling workmen, he never
was In a position TO betray that It's allotted
task would have 10 be done while travel
ing. Knowing his own secret designs,
he certainly had an Idea that the spring
ought To be more powerful than any pre-
senied 10 him by the unsuspecting
mecEanicians but though he rejected
several In succession, he failed to secure
the strength required 10 prevent accidents
on the road. He came IN grief on the
very point where his hellish secret began
Viewing the explosion In the light Of
these facts, there can be no manner of
doubt that the hammer fell when the
chest was thrown on the pavement, and
that the dangerous liquid was set ablaze
by the regular action OF the iEniting APP
paratus, not by the mere conclusion con-
sequent upon the sudden crash. The
machine, as we now know, was about
thirty pounds In weight, thirty-fve cen
timeters long, and twenty-tbree cent?
meters broad Ii contained two springs,
the one somewhat stronger than the other,
from eight 10 nine centimeters In width
and three.quartcrs OF centimeter In oil.
aIneter The springs were inclosed In
brass cases provided with teeth fitting into
the revolving shaft Of the main wheel, 10
which six minor wheels were attached.
The hammer, which was to come into ac-