Evening journal., 1897-11-26

after the announcement Of the crime
at Rotterdam-there is no doubt that
the Gustav Muller who was detained
at Banstead. and the Gustav Muller
who gave himself up for the murder Of
his wife and child 70 the Rotterdam
police, are one and the same person.
In the book of entries at Banstead
Gustav Muller is described as well built
and well nourished. with healthy or
gans, and a "well-shaped Uranium" His
age was given as 27; by trade watch
maker and goldworker. Nothing was
known as to his religion or nationality,
and whether he was married or single.
Nor were any details forthcoming re-
garding the epileptic fits from which he
was supposed to be suffering. the dates
OF their occurrence, his treatment in In
dia and in Europe, and so on. But he
was reported to suffer from suicidal
mania, though not to be a dangerous
lunatic.
behaved Wen Mt Danstend.
AS matter of fact Gustav Muller
not only behaved very we'll indeed all
the time he was at Banstead, quietly
working on the farm attached TO the
asylum and carrying out all the orders
given him without reluctance or de-
mur but showed no signs Of delusions
or hallucinations. Nor was he subject
to any epileptic fits while staying at
Banstead. His health was reported fair
and improving; his mental state was
stated to be calm and placid" and
his features did not indicate "any low
ering of the intellectual grade" No
tremor of his facial muscles betrayed
any inward or mental disturbance. But,
as Muller persisted in saying that he
did not comprehend anything else but
German, further investigation was, no
doubt, rendered somewhat difficult.
on April 10, however, DIR. Shaw, the
medical student of the asylum, who
speaks German and French huently,
had a lengthy conversation with his
Teutonic patient. The latter confirmed
to him that he had come from India.
Fell from an Elephant.
While sojourning in that country, he
said. he had toward the end Of the
year 1891 fallen from an elephant he
was riding. in consequence Of which he
had TO remain in hospital for some
time. He attributed his epileptic fits,
and his mental condition, to that fall
In India, from which he had never en-
tirely recovered. He repudiated how
ever, the correctness of the statements
in the certificate of the medical officer
of ST. Georges workhouse, and GER
tainly was not aware of having acted
and spoken as therein stated The doc
tor in Southwark, he said, must have
misunderstood him, not being able tc
follow his German.
To Dr. Shaw. Muller must have. al
any rate. spoken with great clearness
and intelligence. He appeared thor.
oughly earnest and genuine, although
he averred as a fact what was un-
doubtedly false-namely, that he was
unmarried, adding. what was probably
true, that he had no friends in Eng
land.
HAD n Family I'm Berlin.
At that time Gustav Muller had
wife and child-a boy-living in Berlin
His parents were also alive in Ger
many, his father being a foreman OF
the Royal Prussian railways. This Il
proved by a letter, sent to DR.. Shaw
at Banstead, from the secretary Of the
said railways at Berlin In May, 1893
therefore at the very time that Mule
was detained in the asylum. In tha
letter the writer almost implores DR.
Shaw. in the name Of a mourning
family" to tell him whether Gustav