The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1883-03-14
y STAUFF'S STRANGE STORY.
Caught Stealing Countess, Jeweis 10
Enable Him tn Enter Upon Matri-
mony, He Murders Her.
Attempt to Poison Her Husband-His Lie
Saved by the Abolition of Capt.
tai Punishment.


this city of the recent death in Chicago OF
German named Johannis Stautf, who for
merly lived in New York under another name,
and had committed great crime in his ma
tive land some 60 years ago. The crime was
the murder of the Countess Won Gorlitz and
the attempted murder of her husband, IN
whose service Stauff was. The event created
a great sensation at the time, and the story in
later years, when the criminal was pardoned
and exiled to America, has been retold IN
MANY German households on this side. The
Count Won Gorlitz, of ..HesSe Darmstadt was
a wealthy nobleman of Darmstadt. Stautt,
then "a years old, was in his service as cham
berlain. On the I3 of June the Grand Duke
Lewis III gave dinner of state, to which
Count Won Gorlitz was invited. When he
returned he visited the apartments OF the
Countess before retiring to his own.
He found both of her chamber doors locked,
and thinking she had gone out, and had come
back weary, and had retired early, went to
his rooms, and was assisted TO undress by
StaLff About half an hour after he was
reused by the cry of ''fire," and, rushing into
the corridors, found the fire was in the direc-
ton of the Countess chambers. The palace
was aroused, doors broken down, and in the
midst of smoke and fire, his wife was found
sitting in a chair, her head resting on secre.
taire. On her dress were
MARKS OF BLOOD.
The fire was soon extinguished, and means
we're taken to revive her. She was dead. All
efforts to unravel the mystery failed.
Shortly after a great crime was committed
in fashionable Partisan circles. The Duke de
Prastn killed his wife and poisoned himself.
This event with other circumstances directed
suspicion on the Count Won Gorlitz as the
author Of his wife's death.
The popular feeling became so strong that
he was arrested. The Count courted the
fullest investigation, but the public feeling
was suspicious that because he was noble
Justice would miscarry. 1t was the beginning
of a cause celebre. Stauff still attended upon
his master. AS subsequent disclosures proved,
he conceived the scheme suggested by the
Prastin tragedy Of killing the Count and
making it appear that he had suicided in re-
morse for the murder of his wife. Stauff put
some poison in the gravy OF some OF the
dishes. He was detected in the act, was
seized and cast in prison. The Count was
acquitted honorably and his servant placed
in the dock in his stead. Jewels that be-
longed TO the Countess were found in the pos
session of Stauff's father, and the old man
and his other son were arrested.
They were, however, liberated, and declare
guiltles;, but by the testimony, principally OF
Schiller and his wife, Johannes was found
guilty in 1890, three years after the commits
sion of the deed.
JUST BEFORE HIS CONVICTION,
capital punishment was abolished in Hesse,
and he was therefore sentenced to imprisOn-
ment for life and incarcerated in the Fortress
of Marienchloss. Stauti, in prison, profeSsed
great piety, and repeatedly petitoned for re-
lease, alleging that he was innocent. At last
he confessed, acknowledging that he killed the
Countess, but averred it was not through pre-
mt Citation. He had loved, he Said young
woman who was in the service OF the fam lily,
but he was too poor to marry her. Alter
waiting for some time, he saw only one way
of getting rich enough to enter matrimony;
that was by roboing his mistress. This OPP
portunity, 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 Countess chamber, where in a SecretaiTe
she kept her jewelry. lie was in the act OF
taking some of them when the lady entered
from an adjoining room. She ran tor the
bell, he pursued 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 did not
know what he had done until purple hue
came into her face. In falling she cut her
head. He hastily left the room and me-
Schiller on the stairs and further on his vile,
but they..did not suspect him. He returned
and locked the dead body in the room. He
went to the ducal palace for his master an1
helped him to retire.
Then he repaired to
THE CHAMBER OF DEATH,
carried the body into the room where wa!
the secretaire, and put it in a chair in suCf
position as to make it appear that the Coun
tess had fallen asleep with her head on tht
desk. He took the least valuable of he
Jewels and then set fire to the chamber, which
he locked alter him. Some of the jewels h,
gave to his father to dispose of, the old mar
not knowing they belonged to the Countess
In 1872, several persons who visited hi
prison became interested in behalf Of the con
vict, and he was released on condition o.
quitting the country for America. When he
arrived in New York he sought employment
as a cigar box maker and lound work.
fellow workman told the reporter Stauff as
sumed the name Of Muller the better to sinl
his identity When he first met Stauf abOu
eight years ago, he found the murderer hal
married, and was leading very quiet life
Stauff Joined a Bohemian lodge Of the orde
of Odd Fellows, and for some years was un
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