The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-06-18
DREAMS AND CRIMES.
THRILLING MURDER TALES RECORDED
IN OLD LkWBooKS.

THRILLING MURDER TALES RECORDED
IN OLD LAWBOOKS.
A Dream That Anticipated Crime.
Mothers Tragic Vision-The Re-
markabIe Performance of a Disin-
TERED Corpse.
Law reports Of the sixteenth and seven
teenth centuries contain numerous refer
ences to supernatural occurrences in court
and on the scaffold. One of the most re-
markabe records of this kind is connect
ed with murder trial which took place
in England early in the reign of the first
Charles Sir John Maynard, one Of the
greatest lawyers, is the authority for the
supernatural, events of the trial, and in
his quaint preface to his notes he says he
thought good to report the evidence
which was given, which many did hear,
that the memory thereof might not be
lost by miscarriage of papers or other
wise"
One Johan Norkett, farmers wife,
had died, and at the coroner's inquest evil
dence was given proving that the wom-
ans throat had been cut from ear to ear. /
At first the jury favored verdict of felo
de Sc, and the body was inferred, but ru
mors became general pointing to foul
play, and the body was exhumed. Thir- |
ty days after the death the jury assem- )
bled before the body and four suspected
persons were brought in. The only evil |
dence against the prisoners was that they
slept in an adjoining room and that no
one had passed that room; therefore, if
she did not murder herself, they must be
the murderers."
What took place at the remarkable post
mortem inquiry may best be described in
the words of witness at the subsequent
trial, who was described as "an ancient /
and grave person, minister to the parish
where this murder was committed" This
estimable gentleman said: "They Ghe |
prisoners did touch the dead body, where
upon the brow of the dead, which was be-
fore a livid and carrion color, began to
have dew or gentle sweat arise upon it, |
which increased by degrees till the sweat !
ran down in drops upon the face, the
brow turned and changed to q lively col |
or, and the dead opened one of her eyes
and shut it again, which she did three
several times She likewise thrust out
the ring or marriage finger three times
and pulled it in again, and the finger
dropped blood on the floor"
Naturally enough such remarkable evil |
dence as this was received with some sus-
picion by the court, although the witness, |
to again quote Sir John Maynard. twas
a reverend person about 60 years of age,
as could be guessed. His testimony was
delivered gravely and temperately, but to
the great admiration of the auditory"
Ample confirmation of an obviously I'M |
partial character was, however, forth |
coming, and the Admiration" turned to
horror, so much so that the prisoners
were convicted. and two of them suffered |
death at the hand of the common hang
man. Neither of the Victims one of
whom was an aged woman. could ever be |
prevailed upon to confess any completely |
in the crime.
In 1851 an Irish murderer was convict |
ed largely upon dream evidence. A Wa
terford publican named Rogers dreamed |
one night that he saw a man murder an
other man on a. green spot on the summit |
of an adjoining mountain. He was able |
next day to describe both men with per-
feet accuracy, and did so to many of his
friends. One of the men was exception |
ally strong. the other weak and puny; but |
it was the latter who in the vision COM
mitted the murder. Rogers persuaded the |
parish priest to accompany him to the |
spot which he found without difficulty, |
but where there seemed to be no traces Of |
a murder or struggle; hence Rogers got |
rather laughed at Next day, however, |
two men entered the public house, and |
Airs. Rogers at once recognized them |
from her husbands description of the |
heroes in the vision. Much alarmed, she |
fetched her husband, who was also GER |
tain they were the two men.
When they rose to leave, Rogers begged |
the one he expected to be murdered to re-
main, but without avail. He nearly |
tainted with fright after the men had gone |
and finally persuaded a neighbor to ac- |
company him to the green spot on the |
hill, where, sure enough, the tragedy of |
the dream had taken place in reality. |
The murderer was tracked and caught, |
and Rogers was the principal witness.
His recital of his dream was so vivid that
the prisoner at once confessed, adding
that he killed his companion exactly as
foretold in the dream. The weapon used
was knife, and as eight stabs were seen
by Rogers in his dream. so the murderer
admitted that he drove his knife up to the
handle in his companions body exactly |
that number of times.
In 1901 a woman named Kraeme ap-
peared before a Frankfort justice and
asked to be sworn, as she had valuab Bile
information about a crime committed in
remote village in Russia, many days
journey from her German home. The
story she told the justice was this: Ten
years before her only son had left home.
She heard nothing of him and had no
idea at all where he was living until the
night before. when his spirit appeared to
her and told her what she now FASTENED
to relate. The revelation was that after
leaving home the young man had wan
dered about Europe till he had finally
found permanent work in the village of
Kiaf, in Russia. Here he had fallen in
love with a serf's daughter who had a
Russian beau. On the preceding night
this latter had inveiged the young Teu-
ton into the country. where he had stab
bed him and then concealed the body in
a cave off the highway.
The justice knew that his informant
was poor and had never been outside of
her native town, and he was so struck
with the vividness of her description of
victim, assaiant and location that he for
warded it to a notary in Kiaf.
Meantime Carl Kraeme had been miss
ed, and on the receipt Of the dream story
the police hunted for the cave, found it
exactly as located and also the body,
with wound corresponding with that de-
scribed in the vision. The murderer was
at once arrested. and the Widow Kraeme
undertook the long journey to avenge her
sons death. Her recital in court was
vivid in the extreme. and she screamed
with fright when she first saw the pris.
oner. whom she identified and picked out