New-York tribune., 1886-05-16

was talking to lady. At about quarter past
the smoke ceased. .,,s.,,,
inner boudolr did not look into the Ncckar-st, ou
into q small side street. immediately opposite
lived widow lady named kekule On th'
evening In question hcr daughter. Augusta glr
of eI ghteen came in from walk, and went up
stairs to the room the window OF which WIS
exactly opposite. though at n somewhat imd nignel
out of her window. Augusta Kekule saw TO heI
astonishment lickeringlght like lambent flame
in the boudoir blind was down, SO that sue
alarmed and called her brother Augustus aged
twenty years. and both watched the flames flashing
in the ROOM They called their mother also, ana al
three saw it flare up tigh then decrease, and go
ont. The time sl5. On examination or the
spot. It was that the window of Miss keknle
commanded tho corner of tho boudoir. where was
the divan partly burned through in several places.
What was the meaning of these two appearances,
the smoke and the ilamef Apparently, from nan
past to half past the murderer was onQased III IN
burning the body and in eilacng with fire the
blood-stains on the sofa. During that time JoDn
Stauff was In the house, and, beside the Countess,
alive or dead. John Stantf only. Staut was now w
subjected to examination. He was required to
account for his time the afternoon and evening
of Sunday, June l3. He said that after his return
from the palace, that Is, about ten minutes past 8,
he went into his in the basement. and ate
bread and cheese. When told that the wife OF
Schiller stated she had seen him come dow STAIRS
he admitted that he had run upstairs to fetch
duster to brush away the bread crumbs from the
table at which he had eaten. After the woman
left according to his own account. he remained In
his room below till 3 o'clock, when the Countess
came to the head of the stairs and called him. lie
went up and found her on the toDmost landing :;
she went into the laundry, and he stood in the
door while she spoke to him. ana gave him some
said, black stuff gown. While he was talking to
her. Schambs drove away to fetch the Count. lie
gave a correct account of what followed up to the
departure of the Count on his walk. After that. he
said, he had written letter TO bis sweetheart and
at went ont to get his supper at an outdoor
He was unable to produce evidence of any one who
had seen him and spoken to him there; but OF
course much cannot be made of this, owing to the
distance of time at which the evidence was taken
from the event of the murder According to his
account, therefore, no one was in tho honse at the
time when the smoke rose from the chimney and
the flame seen in the boudor.
John Stauf was at two separate times, in the
afternoon and evening. alone in the house for an
honr, know Ing that during that time he would DO
undisturbed. If his account were true. the murder
must have heen committed during his brief absence
with the coach, and the burning of the body and
setting fire to the room done when he went ont to
get his supper. But how could the murderer
suppose he WOui leave the house open and unprO-
tectcd at O'clock Was it likely that murderer
and robber, after having killed the Countess and
taken her Jewels at o'clock, woul1 hang about
till \, waiting the chance of getting back to the
scene of his crime unobseryed to attempt TO
dsgnisc Ii 7 not knowing, moreover, how much
time he woul have for eiecting his purpose
1t was possible that this had been done. but it
was no. probable Evidence was forthcoming from
new quarter lndb SclNctl ~ totiDISH luc Eult VI
Stauf On October Il. 1917, an GILMAN, Henry
Stauf in Obernhmen. in lesse Cassel, was arrested.
because he was found to be dispoSlng OF several
articles of iewelrv, Vi ithout being able to give
satisfactory account of where he got them. Tho
jewelry consisted Of lump OF molten gold, and
some broochc5. bracelets and rings.
Henry Stauh had been a wh!tesmith in his youth,
then he became a carrier, but in the last few yeaIs
since the death OF his wife, he had sold knives and
been fe-grnder. lie was very poor, and had
been unable to pay his rates In July OF 1917
however. his ailIirs seemed to have mended he
wore silver watch. and took ont Il license to deal
in oil and seeds When he applied for the patent
the buTgOmastcr was surprised. and asked him how
he could gel stock 10 set ny business in his stale of
poverty. IhcreuDOn Henry Stauii opened nj, purse
and showed that 1t contained good amount of
silver and with the coins was a gold ring with,
apparently, n precious stone IN it.
The cause of his arrest WAS his Offering the lump
Of gold to s.lyer,mith in Casscl. It looked so
much as if il was the melting up OF iewelry. that
the smith communicated with 10 police On his
arrest Henry Staul said Inc was the father Oi four
children. two Sons and two daughters; that his
sons, one of whom was in the armr. had sent him
money that his daughter IN America hal given
him the icwelfv, and that the gold he had had by
him for several years, it had been given him by
bought in Frankfort. Henry Stauil had daughter
at home, named Anna Margretta. who often
received letters from Darmstadt One of these
letters had not been stamped, and rs she declined
10 pay double for it, it lay IN the post Office till
opened to be. returned. Then it was fOund to be
latod September %. 1Sf7. and to be from her
brother John Srauii. it simply contained an
nclosure to her father; this was opened: it con-
famed an angry remonstrance with hIn for not
having done what he required. and sent him
.hc money at once. Was il poSs bic that this had
reference to the disposal of the cwery'
On July :. three weeks after the death of the
Countess, Henry Stautf was at Darmstadt where
me son, .JacOb, was in the army, the other in |
ervce with the Goerlitz family This lel the |
magistrates in CasseI to communicate with those in
)armStadt On November 10 John Stauh WAS |
Questioned with reference to his father. He SAID he
Iad often sent hun money. He was shown the |
ewelry and asked if he recognized it. He denied |
laying ever seen It, and having sent it to his |
ather
The ewery was shown 10 Count Goertz, and |
10 Immediately identified it as having belonged to |
ilso identified the articles The Count. and a !
nad asserted that these articles had always been |
lrawers of her sccretairc The Countess was vain |
md mlserly. and often looked over her jcwclTy. |
She would, certainly, have missed her things bad |
hey beon stolen before June IL. The articles had |
lot been stolen since-tOund among the ashes, and |
aTied Oh surrepttlously, for thoy showed no
race of fire.
On September 1, 1915, on the fourth day after
tauf knew that he was charged with the murder |
f the Countess, he asked to make his statement of
what really took place. This was the account he
ave. Ii will be seen that, from the moment he
new the charge of murder WAS brought against
i'm, he altered his defence.
He said: .On June 20 lSi7.r that IS week |
lter the murder, about 10 o'clock in the evening,
fter the Count had partakcn OF his supper and |
ndresscd he brought me a box containing Jewelry.
Hd tOlu me ne would give III 10 me rs | was 50
oor, ana that it would place my father and INC in
circumstances then told the Count
bat did not know what to do with these Jewels
,ncreon he cXhOrtcd me to send them to my
ather and get him to dispose of them. He told me
hat he required me solemnly to swear that would
Ot tell any one about the Jewels hid the box in
stocking and concealed 1t IN some bushes on the
essungen road Later | told my brother Jacob
iherc they were, aud babe him give them to my
ither Oh his visit to Darmstadt."
When Staut was asked what reason ne could
ign for the Count giving him the jewels he said
hat the Count saw that he, John Stauif suspected |
i'm OF the murder, and lie named several clrcuul-
.ances. such as oil serving blood the Counts |
andkeTchief on the evening OF the murder, which
All led him TO Delleve that the Count was guilty, |
nd the Count was aware of his suspicious.
ON March t. 1880. began tho trial of John Stauf
)r the murder of the Countess for robbery Tor
rson and for attempt to poison the Count At the
lme time his father Henry Stauti, and his brother,
aCOb Stauf were tried Tor cOncealment OF stolen
Dods. The trial came to an end on April |. As
ANY as i witnesses were heard among these