Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-11-10
CHAPTER ".

"A soou ucii VI Jtdiousy uuu Deen TOuSe0 In
Berlin by trial which had occurred not
long before, lin which a poor student who gave
lessons for his livelihood had been con-
demned to death, on his own confession, for
the murder of q widow in whose house he
lodged. One morning the old woman was
discovered dead in her bed, strangled, with
a cord round her throat. Suspicion rested
on the young man, thinner, because there
was no one else on whom suspicion could
rest; and he was taken into custody. Ac-
cording to the Prussian, and, indeed, the
general German system, the accused was
subjected to secret examination, and even
to torture, to wiring from him q confession.
In his agony on the rack, he promised, IL
taken off, to admit his guilt. He did so, and,
on his confession, was condemned. The chan
celler, Cocceji, heard Of the circumstances,
and ordered fresh inquiry, especially a re-
inspection of the corpse The Berlin hang
man was shown it, when he at once declared
that the knot tied in the cord could only
have been SO tied by a hangman or his
apprentice, as IT was a special knot
a further investigation, and to discovery Of
the real murderers, two hangman's appren-
tices at Spandau, the brothers of the deceased
Whereupon the student thinner was dis
charged. When asked why he had admitted
his guilt when he was innocent, he frankly
said that the torture to which he was SUBJ
jected was so uncomfortable that any Innocent
man would rather confess murder than en-
dure 1t.
Frederick the Great thereupon abolished
the use Of torture in criminal cases He was
not, however, satisfied that this was the only
abuse OF the courts and the only means
whereby justice miscarried. He was some
what bitten with the idea of trial by Jury as
carried on in England, but did not under
stand exactly the English method He now
sent for Aldbury and questioned him on the
subject,
'See here" he said, ''these two-this La
zinka and the Demoiseile Mansfeld-are both
under accusation Of treason would have
them tried by jury. How could it be donel'
your majesty" answered Aldbury,
"nothing is easier. Twelve men must Be
trial"--
"a public trial." exclaimed the king.
"Ceftainly, your majesty"
"But we never have our trials In public
"No your majesty; and, sire, excuse the
freedom il l say that this shocks and astounds
an Englishman. With you, the accused is
secretly questioned, and worried, and tor
mented"-
"He is no longer tortured, interrupted the
king; ,,,,.- E, .,,.
will excuse the liberty--is wrong. The body
Of the accused is no longer put on the rack
only his mind. He is not even told what he
Is accused Of. Everything is wrapped in
mystery, and healthy public opinion"-
Healthy public opinion-fiddlsstieks," in.
terrupted the king Enough. We will
have this trial conducted in the English
fashion. Twelve men sworn in, one judgo
and the whole in public. That would be
comical."
"May it please your majesty to allow me
to visit tho accused in prisonf'
"Oh, yes, certainly. You shall have our
Furnished with the royal pass, he went to
Spandau, where the young count was in
prison, and consulted him. From him he
could learn nothing Then he visited Sophie
In the prison at Berlin. From her, also, he
could gather nothing His conviction that
neither had written the word "Tyran" was in
tensified by these visits. 1t was clear to him
that the trial must turn upon certain techni-
he again visited the young count to ask him
IL he would consent to his-Aldbury's-act-
ing as his advocate. He was not q lawyer,
he knew nothing Of law; but If there was
something to be unraveled in this mysteri-
GUS case, he, who was acquainted with all the
processes of porcelain manufacture, he who
was in and out OF the royal factory, had
special means Of observation and INQUIRY
and would be far more likely TO come TO the
bottom Of the matter than another. 1t was
true that he spoke broken German, but ney-
ertheless he had a sound English head, and
was possessed Of sufficient English self conf
dence to assure himself he could convince q
jury il only he found how the mysterious in
scription had come on the vase Lazinka
cheerfully consented to the offer,