New-York tribune., 1886-05-16

OF fire. In the drawlng-rooni ONLY 'no soOto a.
/, and tho noor beneath il had been burnt. In this
roam was also sofa. opposite the door leading
| FROM the antc-chnmber,.som way IRON tne desk
and scat OF the tire. In tho Iadoe OF tn's was was :
hole fonr.cen inches long by SIX inches broad
burnt through the crct0nne cover, the canvas be-
low. and luto the horsohair beneath Left Of the
entrancedoor WAS eiLrope torn doWn ana Gats.
on the ground. Beyond the parlor was the poudo!r.
II lad a little c0ruer diyan. Its cover was unint
through in two places Tho cushion at the, back
mas also marked with holes burnt through. IN
this bondoir was found the slipper from 1hc right
IF the reader will consider what we have des-
cribed he will see that something very mysterious
must have occurred. There were traces OF burning
in three distinct paceson the sofa, ana AK inc sec
eare in the parlor. and on tie corner seat IN .ne
bond pr It was clear also that the Countess had
been i'm both rooms, for her one slipper was in the
boudor, the other on her foot in The drawing-room
Apparently, also, she had rung 1or assist 'hce anu
torn down the bell rope
Again the appearance Of the corpse was pecu-
iaI The head and face were burnt to cinder'
especially the face, less 50 the back OF the mead
All the upper part of the body had been suDJccteu
10 lire as far the lower ribs aud there me traces
of burning ceased absolutely. Also, and thls was
significant, the floor was burnt n pr9xSG "a 70 rn ,ao
tected tho floor which 10 covered from IRE. CON
sequently the Countess was not burning when she
fell on the floor g,
The police were at once informed of what had
taken pace and the magistrates examined tine
scene aud the witnesses. This was done III repre-
hensibly inefficient manner The first opinion was
that the Countess had been writing at her desk.
and had set fire 10 herself had run from room to
room tried to call assistance, failed, fallen. ana
died Three medical men were called III 10 exam.
inc the body. One decided that this was case OF
spontaneous combustion. The second that 1t was
not case of spontaneous combustion. lhe thliu
simply stated that she had been burnt but how the
tire originated he was unable to say. NO minute
examination of the corpse was made. Ii was not
even stripped of the half-burnt clothes upon IT,
was not dIssccted. The family physician signed
n certificate of accidental DEATH and two days
after the body was buried.
Only three or at the outside, four hypothesis
could account for the death of tho Countess. l.
She had caught fire accidentally, whilst writing at
her desk. 2. She had died OF spontaneous c9n,buS-
ton. 3. She had been murdered. There 49, indeed
a fourth hypothesis that she had committed sui
eide but this too improbable to he enter
tanned. The manner of death was not one TO be
reconciled with the idea of suicide.
The first idea was that in the minds OF the nagjs-
trates They We're preposss!essed with II. ,y iney
on er. the Count was Chamberlan AT Court, favor
itc of the sovereign and much liked by the PRINCES
also man generally respected. Inquest ionably
this had something to do with the basty and super
fetal manner in which the examination was gone
through They desired to have the tragedy hushed
up. $1,000
able theory. The candles were on the chliionler,
and no traces of candleSticks were found on me
spot where the fire had burned. Moreover. the
appearance of tho secletalre was against tGs
theory. The writng-deSk and table consisted OF
falling flap, on which the Countess wrote, ana
which she could close and lock- Above this table
were several small drawers which contained her
letters, receipted bills, and her iewclry Below II
were larger drawers. The upper drawers were
completely burned. on the other hand the lower
drawers were completely consumed, and their
bottoms and contents had fallen III cnceIs
on the floor beneath, which was al,o barnt
through to the depth of IN inch and han
to two inches. II was apparent therefore
that the secrctaire had been set on fire
from below. Moreover. there was more charcoal
found under it than cOull he accounted for, sup
posing it had fallen from above. Now il VIII be
remembered that only the upper portion Of the
bOlv was consumed. The Countess had not set fire
to herself VIII lst writing, and 50 set tire to the
papers on the desk. That was Impossible Tho
supposition that she had died OF spontaneous com
huStiOn waS also entertained by @o'i many Bnt no
wcll-authcnticated case OF spontaneous combustion
is known. Professor Iebig. when atterwad
examined on TINS case, stated that spontaneous
c0,nhn tion of fhe hum9r hodv was absolutely
Impossible. and such IN idea must be rclrgdted 10
the region Of myths. There remained. therefore, no
other conclusion at which II possible ion q RI
tional person t. arrive who weighed the circum-
stances than hat the Countess had been murdered
The Magstcrial Court OF the city OF Darnstadt
had attempted 10 hush mp the case. The German
press took it mp. Il excited great interest and in
dianatlon throughout the country. II was int'n1t
ed pretty pontelly that The case had been scandal
Ously surred over because Of the rah of the Count
and the intimate relation in which ho stood 10 The
royal family. The papers did not shrink from more
than ;nsnustng that this was case OF murder
and that the murderer was the husband Ol the I'M
fortunate woman. Some suspicion that tEs was
even to have crossed the minds of The ser
wants of the house They recOllcctcd his GilatOrncss
in entering the rnOms of the Countess: the time |
that was riotractcd in idle sending for keys and |
trying key after KEY whom kick Of the foot or |
blow of the hammer would have suiliced to give |
admission 20 the room where she lay. lt was well |
known that they did not live on the best terms. 70
maintain appearances before the world. they dincd
and occasionally supped together. They rarely |
met alone and when they did fell INTO dispute and
high words passed which the servants heard.
The Countess was mean Pnd mserlv, she grUdged !
allowing her husband any OF her money. She had |
however made her will the year before leaving all |
her large fortune to her husband for life. Conse;,
quentv her death released him from domestic and |
pccuniary annoyances. On the morning after the
death he sent for tie agent of the Insurance com
pany with whom the furniture and C,her effects
were insured and made his claim He claimed, be-
sides the value of the furniture destroyed. the |
worth of a necklace of diamonds and pearls which |
had been so injured by the fire that il had lost the
greater part of its value. The pearls quite |
spoiled and the diamonds reduced in worth by |
half. The agent refused thi. claim as he contended
that the eTclry not incadcd in the insurance.
and the Count abstancd from pressing IT,
To the Count the situation became at length in. |
tolerable. He perceived decline OF cordiality in
his reception at Court, his friends grew cold, and
acquaintance cut him. He must clear himself of |
the charge which now weighed on him. The death |
of the Countess had occurred on June 13. 1Si7. |
GOerlitz appeared before the GraDd-Ducal Criminal |
Court of Darmstadt, ana produced a bundle OF |
murdered his wife, and set fire to the ON to |
ceal the evidence of his crime lie therefore asked
TO have the case reopened. and the witnesses reex
amned. On October II he received a reply. that |
his request could not he granted, unless he pro- |
duced such additional evidence rs would show the |
Court that the former exam nation was detective
On October % the Count laid "A mass OF evidence |
before the court which he cOntcnded would ma
ter.ally modify if not absolutely upset the concu-
SION arrived at by the previous investigation.
Then. at last consent was given; but proceedings
did not begin till November, and dragged on till
the end of October in the following year, when
new law of criminal trial having been passed IN
Ihe grard-duchy, the whole Of what had gone before
became invalid, save As preliminary Investigations
and 1t was not till March f. lsjO-that is till three
years after the death of the Countess that the
,asc was thoroughly sifted and settled.
However, something had been done. In August
iS4S-that is. over a year after the burial of the
Countess the BODY was cxhumed and submitted to
examination. Two facts were then revealed. The
skull of the Countess had been fractured by some
blunt instruments and she had been strangled.
The condition in which the tongue had been found
when the body was first discovered had pointed to
the state of the Jaws when exhumed
proved it, So much, then, was made probable. a
L.