Daily Republican., 1882-01-19

Inventl0u OF . Nsw Instrument Of
Death BY . BsRlin LOck smith.

A Berlin letter says: A new system
Of garroting has beec invented here by
most dangerous criminal Of the Ma me
Of Wilkc, who, fortunately, Is safe in
the hands of the police. On Thursday
last two men, conscience stricken, pre-
sented themselves before the authorities
accusing themselves of having con-
spired with a locksmith (the man
Wllke) TO hire furnished rooms in diff
erent parts of the town for the purpose
of extorling money in the following
manner:
One OF them was to go to he'd pretend
ing TO be i'll, and send for a Il ctor. AS
soon as the physician arrived and bent
over the bed an iron collar of n special
contriyance, hid beneath the counter
pane, was to be applied to his neck
until he had signed bill Of exchange;
then he was to be strangled and thrown
into y canal which WAS close at hand.
Wilke had devoted mnch ingenuity to
the construction Of this instrument,
which they described as something
like pair of tongs or pincers fixed on
the emu Of a large iron tube, with a
winch at the bottom, by means OF
which the tongs could lie made to close
AS tight az one liked. The peculiar
virtue OF this nefariouS invention was
to consist in prevpatina ibe victim
from crying for help by Immediately
depriving him of the power Of utter
auce. Wilke had also constructed two
stec, traps for the victims feet. Tie
conspirators had begun by hiring a
room at 80 Elisabeth u fer, where th'
Schitfahrts. X anal has All unusual
width, and would facilitate the disposa
of dead bodies. That very evening
the accomplices declared, had been
agreed upon for commi ting the tirs1
murder, and Dr. Lehrs, living close by
ON the Kaiser Franz Gremdier-platz
was selected as the victim.
AS soon as this confession had beer
made policemen were sent to the hous'
mentioned, where they We're told that I
man who pretended to be employed a
the Government Office for Weights ant
Measures had, "a few davs ago, hired /
room and paid fortnigLt's rent in ad
vance. but that he had not shown him
ELF since; he had, however, sent trunl
into his room the day before.
The directory having been referred tt
and showing that person OF the nam'
of Wllke was employed at the OIL lice II
question, the constable proceeded T.
open the trunk, in which they foun'
two mantraps and all the componen
parts of the garrotting machine. Til
trunk was carefully reclOsed, and tn
llandlady warned not to say wor'
about the visit. An agreement wa
then come to between the police Sn
Wilkes two accornplices that the latte
should at first assist their conrade J,
carving olt his diab1lical plan, an
only turn round upon him when tn
victims life was in danger. Severa
constables were concealed in nelgl
boring room, and at seven W.lke al
.; n. AIRED, sntered his bedroom with hi
: G c)uf.derates, went to bed and sent &c
DR.. Lehrs. Instead of the latter,
policeman came in disguise, and inqui
ed after Wilkes health. The ruttian &
once sprang up, and applied his pincel
|, to the psuedo physicians neck. tn
latter, having managed to make Wilk
understand that he had very litt
!, money about him, he was requested
', fill up a check. On his refusal WIZ
- turned the winch, until the victim b
~ gan to be afraid tor his life, and bega
:. stamping on the ground. This was ii
+. signal for the accOmplices to let the CO
stab,e's hands loose, and for the pOil'
', TO enter and seize the criminal in tt
70 very act.
~ Thus arrested the sCoundrel has SIM
- confessed that he intended procur1
Il himself sum of money, Of which
h was in great need, by garrotting, b
# denies having had any intention OF ia
"a ing his victims life. He pretends tt
he purposed to abscond with his accol
plices after committing the deed al
cashing the check, leaving the doctor
the chance OF being released from b
$ iron collar in course OF time. Will
7, turns out to be 2S years old, native
y Kustria, and possessing wife and ch
Il dren, who live separated from him.
g. He has been for two years construt
D. ing his garrotting instrument, and ev
n since DEG. has been bent on executil
S his plan. The instrument is descrih'
e. as being cleverly constructed after
ID principle derived from a medi;nval
c. strument of torture contained in t.
n Narkische Museum. DR.. Langerlal
le member of the Prussian ParliameL
t. was selected to be the second vlctil
ID and q member Of the Reichstag as Il
Al third.