The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-15
GERMAN SUPERSTITION.
STRANGE DEVELOPMENTS Nv TW0
RECENT MURDER CASES.
Jews Accused Of KILLING . Schoolbey N
kouitz. In Prussia. for Ritual Purposes
-Wsman Poisoaed Near Berlin While
ConjSrtns Spirtts From the 1esfslssse.

kouitz. In Prussia, for Ritual Purposes
Woman Poisoaed Near Berlin while
Csnjsrtas Spirits From the 1esfslssse.
BERLIN, July %.-For a year past a number OF
remarkable murders and murderous assaults
whose perpetrators In many cases have re-
NAMED undiscovered has shaken the conf
dence Of the Berlners in the safety OF the city
and their faith In tho intelligence OF the police.
Two recent affairs are making people wonder
whether Germany has advanced beyond the
Middle Ages. in spite Of the work the Prussian
schoolmaster has put In for over a century.
The first Is the breaking out again Of the
legend as old as Chaucer. that the Jews use
Christian blood In their ritual. and the mani
festauon that belief In the legend Is widespread
among Protestants and Catholics alike. al
though II has been demonstrated TO be without
foundation time and again. and only recently
the Pope took occasion to stiamatixe 1t as faise
and unchristian. The outbreaks Is due to the
mysterious Konits murder. which has not vet
been unravelled. and to the efforts OF the SEN
sauonal sheets. and especially Of the anti
Ssmitic press. to ascribe 1t to religious fanati-
cism. konitx is a little tow OF 10000 inhabi-
tants In West Prussia. the province OF which
Danzig b the capital. II Is the Administrative
centre OF a large agricultural district and there
fore contains several Government buildings
and Offices. and Is the residence OF many officials.
1t Is also a railroad junction-a town there
fore with more life and Intelligence than most
German country towns. The population Is
about half Protestant and half Catholic, but
there are also 500 Jews. tho have a synagogue
Early in the year a ssventeen-y ear-old high
school boy named Winter. a Protestant. who
was attending the gymnasium In Konitz. dis
appeared. During the spring fragments OF a
body were found from time to time In the woods
and fields around the town, which were put to-
scther and identified beyond a doubt as the
body Of young Winter. There Is no question
but that he was murdered and In all probability
not for money. The local police seem TO have
bungled the matter. and though the town Of
fered a small reward for the discovery Of the
murderers and the State later u large reward
and the case was put in the hands Of the Gov
eminent detectives from Berlin. no light has
been thrown yet on either the perpetrators Of
the crime or the motive for it. 1t IL possible
that the boy became entangled with some
girl and was put out Of the way either by a
rival or by relatives of tho girl. and it is also
possible that these persons were Jews.
Suspicion fell early on some Jewish butchers
near whose houses Young Winter was said TO
have been when last seen alive. But while
Tor every clue lead ny up to Jews plenty Of
witnesses were found. their testimony turned
out To be- either worthless or actually false ON
Investigation. and several who told strai ght
stories confessed that they invented them when
cross-exanined Apparently nothing impor-
tant has been discovered so far, though pretty
nearly every one that was In the town at the
time Of Winters disaDpearance has bean exam
ined, several person, be no brouubt hack nj the
toyn.s .x,.n., r., o.. -. ..., -
Germany. From the moment the body was
discovered. how,ver the story snraad in ,ha
town and the oo,n,.v ro,nd ,h., w.. -
.o"n anu INC country rouhu mat "Inler had
been killed to provide Chri stian blood for the
Jewish rite, In the synagogue. and the anti
ssnItlc nsw,n,,ers IA ,h,ir hal, >" oan,,a
peopie a,s'n, the jews Jew, 0'g The G Konit2 e noIce
Of .n1tiaru 10 ~ p royec uneVe~S, aoohpany
mn~ai Wv uta',srSu Va we V9wn; Dut re-
c,tsmsnt wa, over On Wnit,unda wv however,
trIo, po oarni noR .ne WHO'S suIrouhulnR dts-
-indp uties ,,.I MINT. insy sMa 'ned "a tI,e
maitreated the police M s tSe bi !, inc %s, LAY
s,a nj no. no err t1 !" ~ noine. anu noiWi.h-
$500 a. ." 40 NJ ooInpaly oi soiulers'
1o1us II TOOK - whois Nv %,e a : .ne synai
t = hss1aina, u,ys ihem ont OF W ana
", tn ,"yo aSna,neu uuaic-reo IN MONTH";
ga-rison na, baap rad,,aJ 20 100. Tug
500 u 49, ieuuoeu to lh9ie company
asdrh a. Hat Tna. WIN We cost OF maintainingi IT
In la ,ci nj straIi' rno aHr nv sLt~ti alreauy
~ ma !. t ,,a a Snst ,ca ne be- "orss s'dS oI ,ae mat;
otharu ~ NJ Mali ,an w. maauy euucateu ana
uhn.eMSeiS pet,oiS THROUGHOUT Ger
,,hhaa'y u."o 'o""'h r''uai 'heory 70 explain
Tha nthar .soi- -
IN" Saoa y st, nhah y oeyuireu near Berlin Itself
natnsd Iou Ils uo oseA a,I a oressiiiaker
nairIeu D"uisS Deisher; q STEADY, respectable
NOR da 1I,i =; ~ keeus Q, Wv, d~ica2peared from
VI 'he IohoWihR day a young man appeared
Win hef neys, ehtereo her room and carried
away q nuitofr OF parcels ms aroused the
eusplctons oi her heiehbors and the landlord
puu y paoiock On the door. The next day the
yGuns man UNDERTOOK 10 ger IN again, but not
Mi.n,,ahulis ms exp!ahau3hs and a note pur-
ttnrnedf ays az WHEN Tbs 10y ae aressmaker, was
me pohce; VINO dio not think 4 worth looking
mo AZ the beginning Of April the dead body
81 \ woman was Iound close TO tho Teufelssee
une Dev,is Lake,, IN the urunewald near Pots
oam. Inc autopsy showed that she had been
hoisoneu WIN suychnlne On her being iden-
tined Us Iouise bergner me police inferred that
y was a case o! murder and set TO work. They
Iouho out tnat me dressmaker was in the habit
OF playing tne lottery and that she often con-
on me track OF a Young man who had under
taken 70 procure 10000 marks by magic for
the berRner woman. A potter named Jaen-
ickei 70 years OF age, was arrested, identified
as the person VINO had taken away the Dress
makers pelonal1gs, and on the story Of a ten
year-o,d BOY ana his own admissions charged
win me murder.
world city perrin "a March, 1906. Jaenicke.
who prOlesae1 10 tell fortunes by the cards