Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1883-03-09
DEATH OF A MURDERER


cent death in Chicago, Of German named
Johannes Stauif, who formerly lived in New
York under another name, and who had
committed Il great crime in his native land
some tllirty-six years ago. The crime was
the murder fthe Countess Won Gorlitz and
the attempted murder CT her husband, in
whose service Staufi was. The event Great
ell Il great sensation at the time in Ger
many.
The Count Won Gorlitz, of Hesse- Darn
stadt, was wealthy nobleman of Darmstadt.
Johannes Staufl, then twcnty-four wears of
age, was in his service as chamberlain. On
the 18th of June the Grand Duke Lewis Ii,
gave Il dinner Of state to which Count Won
Gorlitz was invited. When he returned homo
he visited. as was his custom, the apartments
OF the Countess before retiring TO his own.
He found both her chamber doors locked
and, thinking that She had gone out riding
and had come back weary and had retired
early, he went TO his own rooms and was as
sisted 10 undress by Staull. About half an
hour after he was reused by the crv of
Fire = aud rushing into the corridors
found that the fire was in the direction of
the Countess chamber. The palace was
aroused. The doors were broken open and
in The midst of smoke and fire his wife was
found sitting in Il chair with her head rest
ing on Il secretaire. On her dress were
marks of blood The fire was soon extin-
guished and means were taken to revive tho
Countess, but in vain. She was dead.
All efforts TO unravcl the mystery failed
None of the servants could give the slightest
clew. and there seemed to be no ground for
believing that burglars had done the deed.
4 valet named Frederick Schiller, and his
wife were positive that no stranger had ell
tered the palace. Shortly after Il great
crime was committcdin fashionable Partisan
circles The Duke de Praslin killed his
wifeand then poisoned himself. This event,
with other circumstances, directed suspicion
to the Count Won Gorlitz rs the author of
his wifc's death. The popular feeling be-
came SO strong that he was arrested The
Count courted the fullest investigation. but
public feeling was suspicious that because
he was :; nobleman justice would mscarrv.
Ii was the beginning of Il cause cefcbrc.
Stauil still attended upon his master. AS
subsequent disclosures proved, he conceived
the ingenious scheme, suggested by the
Praslin tragedy, Of killing the Count and of
making il appear that he had committed
suicide III remorsc for the murder of his
wife. Stauii 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 prisoner
Upon this popular opinion changed and
suspicion also. The Count was acquitted
honorably and his servant was placed in the
dock in his stead
Then more evidence came TO light. Jewels
that had belonged to the Countess were
found in thepossession of Stauli"s father. and
tie old man and his other son were also
arrested. They were. however, liberated.
proven entirely guiItlcss. but by the tes;i-
mony, principally of Schiller and his wife,
Johannes Stauil' was found guilty in 1850.
three years after the commission of the deed.
Just before his conviction capital punish
ment was abolished in Hesse- Darmstadt and
he was therefore sentenced TO Imprisonment
for life and was ncarceratcd in the Fortress
of Maricnschoss.
One year after Frederick Schiller commit
ted suicide hy shooting himself, the reason
being unknown, but rumor pointing to his
connection with the murder of the Coun-
tess. The Count died in Daunstadt in 1868
Stauil'im prison profcssed great piety and
repeatedly pctitioned for his release, al
leging that he was innocent. At last he
confessed. He acknowledged that he killed
the Countess, but avcred it was not through
premeditaton. He had loved, he said, a
young woman who was also in the service
of the family. but he was too poor to marry
her. After waiting for some time he saw
only one way of getting rich enough to en-
ter into matrimony--that was by robbing
his mistress. His opportunity, he said, was
the state dinner given by the Grand
0n1 IN nhs Of
and many OF the servants he made some
pretext to enter the Countess chamber,
where. III Il secretaire, she kept hel
jewelry He was in the act of taking
some OF tho valuabics when the lady entered from
All adjoining room. She ran for the bell He
/ pursued her and struck her down She struggled
| and rose and again made for the bell. Stauf
/ seized her by the throat and choked her to death
! He said he dd not know what he had done unit
the purple hue came into her face. In falling she
/ cut her head against bureau. He hastily left
the room and met Schiller on the stairs and furth
| er on his wife. But they did not suspect Their
| he returned and locked the dead body in the room
| He went TO the DuCal palace for his master. came
home with him and helped him to retire. Thcr
i he repaired to the chamber of death. carried th,
| body into the room where was the secretaire, pu
| il in chair in such position as to make it sp
| pear as though The Countess had fallen asleel
I with her head on the desk, took the least valua
bic of her Jewels and then set fire TO the chamber
| which he locked after him. Some of the jewels
he gave to his father TO dispose of, the old mar
not knowing they belonged to the Countess.
In 1872 several persons visiting his prison in
tcrestcd themselves in behalf of the repentau
convict and he was released on condition of quit
ting the country for America. The girl TO
whom he had stepped his soul in sin. followed hn
when liberated to new land to share his fortunes
-Ser York Herald.