Daily Kennebec journal., 1883-03-29
miscellaneous.
A Noted Criminal.
DEATH OF THE MURDERER OF THE COUNT
Ess voN GoRLIIz AFTER REMARKA-'
BILE CAREER.


BILE CAREER.
Word has reached this city, says the
New York Herald Of March 9TH, of the
recent death in Chicago of a German
named Johannes Ssauff, who formerly
lived IN New York under another name,
and who had committed great crime IN
his native land some Sc years ago. The
crime was the murder Of the Counties.
Won Gorliz. and the attempted murder OF
her husband. in whose service Stauff was
The event created great sensation at the
time in Germany, and the story 10 later
years, when the criminal was pardoned
and exiled to America, has been retold I'D
many a German household on this side oil
the Atlantic. Although Stauf had lived
for several years and had worked at the
trade Of a cigar-box maker here. his fel-
low workmen and his companions gener-
ally had not the least suspicion that he
had spent five and twenty years in prison
for the murder OF his mistress. He had
changed his name to Johann Muller and
had led very retiring life; but one day.
five or six years ago. countryman recog-
nized him. and his antecedents were made
known. Then he fled to Chicago. where.
il IL said, he took another name, which
helped to conceal his identity till short
time before his death.
The Count Won Gorliiz, of Hesse-
Darmstadt. was wealthy nobleman OF
Darmsfadt Johannes Stauff, then "a
years of age, was in his service as cham
berlain. On the 18th of June the Grand
Duke Lewis II. gave dinner OF state, to
which Count Won Gorlltz was invited.
When he returned home he visited, as was
his custom, the apartments of the Count
ess before retiring to his own. lie found
both her chamber doors locked. and.
thinking she had gone out riding and had
come back wear, and had retired early,
he went to his own rooms and was assist
ed to undress by Stauff. About
half an hour after he was reused
by the crv Of Fire ~ and rush
ing into the corridors found that the
fire was in the direction of the Countess's
chamber The palace was aroused. The
doors were broken open, and in the midst
of smoke and fire his wife was found sit
ting in chair with her head resting on
secretaire On her dress were marks of
blood. The fire was soon extinguished
and means were taken TO revive the Coun-
tess. but in vain. She was dead.
All efforts to unravel the mystery failed.
None of the servants could give the slight
est clew and there seemed to be no ground
tor believing that burglars had done the
deed. A valet. named Frederick Schiller.
and his wife, were positive that no stranger
had entered the palace. Shortly after a
great crime was committed in fashionable
Partisan circles The Duke de Praslin
killed his wife and then poisoned himself.
This event. with other circumstances.
directed suspicion to the Count Won
Gorlitz as the author of his wifes death.
The popular feeling became so strong
that he was arrested. The Count courted
the fullest investigation. but public feeling
was suspicious that becase he was a noble
man Justice would miscarry. 1t was the
beginning of n cause ceiebrc Stauff still
attended upon his master. As subsequent
disclosures proved, he conceived the in
genious scheme. suggested by the Prasin
tragedy. of killing the Count and making
1t appear that he had committed suicide in
remorse for the murder Of his wife. Stauff
put some poison in the gravy of one of
the dishes while the Count was at dinner.
He was detected in the act, was seized
and cast into prison.
Upon this popular opinion changed and
suspicion also. The Count was acquitted
honorablv and his servant was placed in
the dock in bis stead. Then more evil
dence came to light. Jewels that had be
longed to the Countess were found in the
possession of Stauff's father. and the old
man and his other son were arrested
They were. however, liberated. proven
entirely guiltless. but by the testimony,
principally of Schiller and his wife.
Johannes Stauif was found guilty in 1850,
three years after the commission of the
deed. Just before his conviction capital
punishment was abolished in IIesse-Darm-
stadt and he was therefore sentenced to
Imprisonment for life and was incarcerated
in the fortress of Marienschloss.
One year after Frederick Schiller COM
mitted suicide, by shooting himself, the
reason being unknown, but rumor pointing
to his connection with the murder of the
Countess The Count died in Darmstadt,
in 1868. Stauff in prison professed great
pety and repeatedly petitioned for his re-
lease. alleging that he was innocent. At
last he confessed. He acknowledged that
he killed the Countess. but averred that it
was not through premeditation He had
loved. be said. \ young woman who was
also in the service of the family. but he
was too poor To marry her. After waiting
tor some time he saw only one way of get
ting rich enough to enter into matrimony
that was by robbing his mistress. His
opportunity, he said. was the state dinner
given by the Grand Duke. In the absence
of the master and many of the servants
he made some pretext to enter the Count
ess's chamber. where in a secretaire, she
kept her jewelry. He was in the act of
taking some OF the valuables when the
lady entered from an adjoining room.
She ran for the bell. He pursued ber
and struck her down. She struggled and
rose and again made for the bell. Stautf
seized her by the throat and choked her to
death. lie said he did not know what he
had done until the purple hue had come
into her face. In falling she cut her head
against a bureau. He hastily left the room
and met Schiller on the stairs aud further
on his wife. But they did not suspect.
Then he returned and locked the dead
body in the room. He went to the ducal
palace Tor his master. came home with
him and helped him to retire. Then he
repaired to the chamber OF death. carried
the body into the room where was the Sec
retaire. put it in chair in such position
as to make it appear as though the Coun-
tess had fallen asleep with her head on