The record-union., 1896-06-27
BARON Won HAMMERSTEIN.
His Appeal to be Relieved From His
Sentence Denied.


Court Of the empire sitting at Leipsic
has rejected the appeal of Baron Won
Hammerstein, formerly leader of the
Conservatives in the Reichstag and ed
itor-in-chief of the "Kreuz Zeitung," :"
from the sentence imposed upon him by
the Berlin court upon his conviction of
forgery on April 22d last.
The sentence of the court was that he
be imprisoned for three years; that he
forfeit his civil rights for five years,
and that he pay a fine of 1,2OO marks.
Baron Won Hammerstein became in
volved in bitter political quarrels, in the
course of which the fact was made pub
lie that he was guilty of acts of forgery
and embezzlement for which he could
be prosecuted. He tried for a while to
brave the matter out, but seeing that
his arrest was inevitable he, with his
family, fled from Berlin last July, all
Of them being in somewhat Strengthened
circumstances.
In the meantime evidences Of his
guilt as the result of fresh discoveries
were accommodating. 1t also transpired
that he had been maintaining a mis-
tresS, a young JewesS named Flora
Flass, in luxurious style, which ac-
counted for the fact that he and his
family were in that pecuniary plight.
From Fraulein Flass the Socialists
managed to obtain by purchase and
otherwise a number of Hammerstein' s
letters, duplicating a number of Con-
servative leaders and others in his
crimes and misdemeanors, and threat
ened to make them public. They tried
tn hav hav In ha Of
debate in the Reichstag, but the Pres
ident would not permit their contents to
be disclosed. They also accused the
Government of having connived at
Hammerstein's escape, and declared
that the authorities had frowned upon
any genuine attempts to capture him,
in order to prevent disclosures affecting
the Conservative supporters of the Gov
ernment.
These insinuations and open asser-
ticns, however were completely flat
tened out by the discovery of Hammer
stein in DECEMBER last by Berlin Com
missary of Police in Athens. where he
had represented himself to the Greeks
as well-to-do commission merchant Of
the name of William Herburt The Ger
man police had tracked him through
Switzerland and Italy, and finally over
hauled and stopped him as he was land
ing from steamer at Piraeus, the port
of Athens, and five miles from the city.
Having run him down, the Police Com
missaries watched him closely during
the entire time occupied in making ap-
plications in secret to the Greek Gov
ernment for his surrender
The Greek Government does not ex-
tradite culprits except for capital Of
fenses, but under the pressure from
Berlin the Athens authorities took ad-
vantage of Hammerstein's having reg
istered himself as William Herburt, -
to expel him from the kingdom as an
anarchist suspect. Hammerstein there
fore was compelled to leave, and en-
barked on a steamer for Brindisi The
German police also took passage on the
steamer, and the moment the vessel
sailed Commissary Wolf of the German
police placed him under arrest, and he
was subsequently brought back to Ber-
lin for trial.
1t was learned that his mistress.
Fraulein Flass, had informed the police
of Hammerstein's whereabouts from
time to time, betraying this and other
secrets, out of revenge because he did
not take her with him in his flight, in
stead of taking his family.