New-York tribune., 1909-10-20
II MURDER MYSTERY.
Andrer Lang on the Killing Of the
Countess GoerLitz.
From The Lendon Morning Post.

From The Lendon Morning Post.
The hest true story of q mysterious murder Is
that Of the Countess Goerlitz (lS4T. II was
could but is bv the World forgof Count Goes
htz was in 1877 a man of forty-siX. He had
married at nineteen OS2O), very disagreeable
heiress, who kept him short" and insulted his
poverty, but who had made will in his favor.
on Sunday, June l3 1sAT the Count drove in his
carnage at p m, 10 dine with the Grand
Duke of Hesse. In a manner rather Homer1c
than modern he took some sweets from the des
sert for his wife and drove home to his house
at half-past six The footman, Stauff, reported
upstairs found a glass door leading to her ante
room locked (they had separate suites of rooms),
and retired to his own room till half-past seven,
when he took walk till S:45. Returning, he
asked Stauff to bid the Countess join him at
supper, but was told that she had gone out He
did not believe It, and looked for his wife in her
dressing room and bedroom, but had no key to
the locked anteroom and drawing room. The
rest Of the house he drew blank, but in place
OF forcing the glass door of the anteroem he
sent out TO make inquiries, to no avail.
After some difficulty he found lecksmiths
apprentice, who could not open the anteroop,
but (about 10 p. m- il seemsl did notice smell
OF burning At 1o:S0 they broke the glass of
the anteroom door tthe Counts valet did that,
and smoke from stove rushed out The Count
did not force the door; he sent servant for
a doctor and another for chimney sweep!
Time passed, the door laughed at locksmiths,
but at last the apprentiee-of his own motion
| burst it open with a hammer for the Count
would do nothing violent. Much black smoke
rushed cut. The bold apprentice, climbing to
/ the anteroom window by q ladder, broke it and
pulled down the burning curtains. They now
! burst open the drawing room door. found the
room on FIRE ana the Countess living dead before
her burning bureau. On one of her feet was
shee the other was later found in adjoining
4 boudoir. The sofa was more or less burned, the
/ bell rope had been pulled down, but nobody ever
| asked If the bell had been heard. A corner
seat IN the bureau had been burned; the fire
was very local" The keys Of the locked doors
were never found.
There were three explanatory hypstheses /
had re at her bllr4
perhaps while sealing q letter If So she had
sought repose the burned sofa and corner
seat. (nedica). It was a case Of spontaneous
combustion! q. II was murder The magis-
trates preferred accidental burning; the pub
ne hNed ON the Count as the murderer; they
always DO. lie had motives. opportunity and
he had delayed the researches. lie demanded
new Inquiries, but little came Of them till i'm
August, 1S4S, the corpse was cxhumed and
eXanined II was found that the lady's skull
had been fractured, and that she had also been
strangled. She had been murdered, had been
burned and the chairs and sofa had the marks
of laer biood burned out of them She had
then been placed near her bureau, and that
had been set on fTe. Black smoke had been
seen rushing from the chimney at eight the
iatal evening. Now, the Count had left his
house al half-paft seven, and did not return till
about nlhe; there was evidence for these facts.
Consequently, if he did fracture his wife's skull
and stransle her before half-past seven. he Ger
tainly did not burn her at Ssi.I-S:.I Whea the
smoke WAS seen issuing black and dense from
the chmney-that is. unless he entered his
house. unseen, about eight. and later went cut
he would delegate the fire TO an accomplice,
so the Counts case WAS Perceptibly brighter.
Now, who was ia the house when the Count
was absent, from half past seven to a quarter to
nine that Sunday night? The Magistrates true
10 their theory Of accidental death had ap-
parently made no inquiries in June, 1917 But
the Counts demands for an inquiry i'm Noyem-
ber, 1917. had led To sOmething-ind had
very nearly led 10 the death of this noblemau.
ON November 3, lS4I, there was 10 be an Official
inquiry 10y his request at his house, and among
his d"nlestics Al three o'clock on November >,
the cook MAS busy i'm her kitchen, when Stauff
came n ana asked her 40 light fires i'm the upper
rooms She declined, and went with her
work Stauff suggested TO her that IL plate
needed washing. and while she washed il ha
stirred the sauce ia pan. She turned her head.
ard observed Stauf pouring drops from a phiaI
into the sauce. She questioned him, he denied
the charge. and she pretended to be satisfied.
When he left the kitchen she tasted the sauce
and did not like il: moreover, IL was of strange
color. She sent for the family doctor who on
analysis detected 1872 grains or Verdigria.
enough 10 poison a man. Stauff then in
earcerated. but only on charge Of intending 10
poison his master His idea was that il the
Count died of poison. on the Of the arrival
of the official inquirer, the cynical public would
infer thai the death by VCTdigris was suicide
The Due de PFaglin 1.-THE mysterious Spectre Of
Inc Cat8combs in Hawthorne's '"rransforma-
tonD poisoned himself after numbering the
duchess Tho public, however, held that hs
had really escaped 10 the Catacombs. where he
lodged and haunted MiTiam-that IS his English
goVerness la whom, though pretty girl no
Guilt had been found. This. however, is a di-
Rression.
We have observed thar the Counts position
was sensibly improved when Sta2n was ar
rested for trying 20 poison him. Buf 10 the
Sherlock Holmeses OF Gefmany The Count sfoase
probably looked hlacker than eVeI WHAT more
probable than that the Count was guilty. that
Stsun knew damaging evidence against him,
and that the Count had induced the cook 10 pri