Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-05-19
GERMAN JUSTICE.
Two American AbortiOnists Sentenced
to Death In BerlIn-A Bogus Lying
in AsyIum-Women Tortured
and their Cries Drowned
by the Sound OF
Bugle.

q Bu&le.
An immense concourse of people assem-
bled on the morning of the ninth of April In
front of the courthouse In Berlin, and when
the gates were thrown open, at ten o'clock, the
galleries of the large courthouse were imme
diately filed. The three judges were prompt
ly on hand, and Herr Fesseren, the famous
Prussian prosecuting attorney, moved that
the important case which he would now call
be treated with closed doors. The audience
burst into loud manifestations of displeasure,
but the court ordered the galleries to be
cleared. Five minutes later every spectator
had left the courtroom, and, upon a sign from
the prosecuting attorney, thirteen shackled
men and seven clOsely-veiled women were
ushered in by officers and seated on the
bench of the accused. The male pris
oners looked deeply detected, and some
of the women were heard to sob
convulsively. The prosecuting attorney then
called the roll of prisoners: Anthony Ward,
alias DIR. St. Mari; John Williams, alias Dr.
Van Dusen; Jeremiah Preston, alias DR..
Vallean; Emile Kraushaar, Charles Stein,
Martin Mlltenbach, Louis Van Dorffing, Fltz
Paur, Charles Fitybach, Nicholas Won Senfft,
Ludovc Bermbach, Augustus Krefel, Johaon
Rastor, and Nine. Adele Sauer, Nine. Duri-
wage, Mile. Louise Won Stegemann,t the Baron
ess Mile. Stauffenberg, Mile. Anna Won
Kortse, Mile. Josephine Leonard and Mile
Wanda Gelotzevski answered to their names.
The prosecuting attorney then read the fol-
lowing startling Gcte d'dccuSati0n: ''In
April, 1875, four Americans, the prisoners
Ward, Williams, Preston, and the fugitive
from justice, Charles Maltzberg, alias DIR.
Sampson, arrived sat the Hotel de Rome, in
this city, registering under their aliases
They had but little baggage, and their pc
cuniary means were evidently limited. They
rented small house on Louise street, and
applied to the medical authorities for per-
mission 10 open what they called An Amerl-
can Lying-in Asylum All of them pro-
fessed to be experienced obstetricians, and
diplomas from various American col
leges, apparently made out in proper
form. The superintendent of the medical
city department examined these diplomas
with gross carelessness, and he uuhestating-
ly granted the application of the four So
called American doctors. They caused a
large sign to be placed above the door of the
building they occupied. This sign stated,
among other things, that women without
means would be confined there gratuitously.
As business manager the four doctors en-
gagged the prisoner, Kraushaar, a native of
this city, but long resident OF the United
States. At first, the American lying-in asy-
lum did but a very limited business. In fact,
they became so embarrassed that they were
unable to meet their current expenses; but
soon their affairs became more prosperous.
Numerous carriages, with arlstocratic coats
of-arms on their doors, stopped in front of
their asylum, and extensively dressed ladies
IN large numbers were seen to enter it. They
were invariably received by Kraushaar, who
is a very smooth tongued fellow, and who
rendered it easy for the ladies who called
there to tell him what they had come to the
asylum for. When he found out that a wo-
man wished to await her natural confinement
at the asylum, he told her the house was full
just then, but that he would furnish her with
y box of pills which he said would render
parturltion perfectly painless. These pills, it
may be observed here, contained some noxious
substances which made the unfortunate per-
sons that took them deathly sick. They
would return to the lying-in asylum and ask
Kraushaar what was the matter with them.
He would take them into back room, where
Ward, Williams, Preston and Maltzberg
were generally in attendance. They de-
manded invariably fee of twenty-five dol
lars for examining the patient. The fee was
either paid In money or Jewelry was depos-
tied as security. After brief examination
the male prisoners declared that the patient
was afflicted with an ovarian tumor, and that
she would die in case she waited. For the
sum of ore hundred dollars they offered to
remove the incumbrance IN a perfectly
painless manner. The apprehensions of the
frightened victim almost invariably caused
the latter to comply with their demands.
When they had the money a truly revolving
scene was enacted. Ward would operate on
the unfortunate woman with very imperfect
instruments, while Williams and Maltzberg
held her. The terrible pain would cause her
to burst into piercing cries. To drown the
noise Preston would blow .tortissimo on a
bugle. 1t is unnecessary to add that the OBJ
Grafton utterly broke down the patients
health. Kraushaar has confessed that in
1876 one hundred and two women were OBJ
Grated apon either by Ward or Maltzberg.
But q still larger clientele of the
American lylng-ln asylum consisted of
desperate and INSCRIPTIONS women who
were determined to get rid of the effects of
their indiscretlons by violent means. They
were operated upon generally by one of the
four doctors, and awaited the premature
birth of their doomed offspring at the asy-
lum, after paying fee of one hundred dol
lars. Kraushaar has confessed that the four
doctors performed upward of three hundred
such operations, up to the twelfth of March,
1873, when the criminals were arrested. 1t
is sad to remark that the women who applied
for such operations invariably belonged to
the higher classes OF society. Among them
were many school girls, whom their confding
parents had sent to aristocratic seminaries In
this city. But where and how did the four
doctors obtain this extensive clientele? In
the first place, by system of lavish advertis-
seven large advertising agencies IN various
cities of the empire. Their cautiously
advertisements appeared in nearly every
prominent daily and weekly paper in the
country. But they pushed their business in
various other ways. Maltzberg would visit
at intervals lying-in asylums in Germany,
where the proprietors treated him, as COL
ton. He repaid their hospitality
by slipping into the hands Of
wealthy female patients insidiously- worded
circulars, in which the dangers of their con-
dition were described IN horrifying colors, and
in which they were advised to try the Ameri-
can lying-in asylum at Berlin. These circu-
lars, In many instances, produced the desired
effect. The four doctors also employed
number of resident and travelling agents,
whose business it was to NEEDLE with the
jeunesse dores, and find out from unscrupu-
lous young men certain facts In regard to
young women. If the latter were daughters
of rich parents, the agents managed to gain
access to them, and to recommend the asylum
of their employers to them as the best place
to hide their shame. Such was the occupa-
ton of the prisoners Stein, Miltenbach, Pauer,
Putzbach, Bermbach, Krefeld and Raster.
Two midwives, the prisoners Sauer and &C.
lotzevsky, have also confessed that they were
agents for the American doctors, and the
prisoners Won Derfhng and Won Senfft have
stitution young girls whom they had seduced.
Won Derffi,ng took there the Baroness Marie
Stauffenberg, girl of sixteen, and an inmate
of Mime. DuriYage's female seminary. 1t APP
pears that Nine. Durivage was in
famous enough, when the con-
sequences of her young pupils
love affair could be no longer concealed, to
advise Won Derffiing to have his victim OPP
Grated upon at the den on Louise street. Won
Derffiing objected at first, but Nine. Durivage
insisted until he yielded. She took the young
baroness herself to the four doctors, and as
sisted in holding the writhing and shrieking
victim. Won Senfft took two girls to the
American asylum. The father of one of the
girls, Baron Won Stegemann, accidentally
discovered what his daughter had done. He
disowned her, and gave information against
the American doctors to me. l ordered them
to be arrested, and their house searched.
Kraushaar made an attempt to escape, but
was foiled Maltzberg was absent from the
city at the time of the arrest, and succeeded
in fleeing to America. The imperial govern
ment has taken the necessary steps to bring
about mis- extradition. We found large
quantity of papers at the asylum, the instru-
ments with which the doctors lad perpe
trated their crimes, and, horrible to say,
hidden under a LARGO duno-hill in the oar