The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-30
THE BERLIN POLICE: ARE SLOW BUT SURE They Rarely Fail to Capture
 Criminals WHAT MADE HOLLWEG Chancellor Owes High Position to the Fact That He Was Kaiser's
 College Chum - Black
 Forest Crimes
WHAT MADE HOLLWEG


 they fail to round up a criminal whom they are under orders to catch.
 The police are slowly gathering the threads which, it is shoped, will en- able them to capture all the members of a~ gang of international swindlers. They were first put on She track by the arrest in Vienna of Count Gilberl Wolff -Metternich who is charged with Uttering false bills of exchange. This bearer of a name, which has an hon crable record in the annals of Austrian diplomacy, now lies in prison. There is, however. some doubt as to whether lis case will come up for trial. For some time he has been under the obser- vation of the prison doctors, as his san ity has been called in question. strong efforts are being made to procure his release on tke ground of mental ire sponsibility
 Meanwhile the examination of Met ternich has been so far fruitful of re- suits that clnes have been obtained to his alleged associates in series of swindling operations and one member of the gang has been secured by the police. This person is stefan Bujas, who has been arrested in Brussels His capture was effected and after being conducted to the frontier he was hand ed over to the German police. Bujas Is 52 years of age. and has had an adventurous career The first inquiries into the operations of MeEternich led the police 10 the conviction that they had to deal not with one man only, but a clever gang of cardsharpers. Numerous complaints reached the aa- thorities, showing that the swindlers had been at work for some time. The chief of the gang, it was ascertaineG, was Dudolf Stallmann. His other as sociates in crime were Count Metter- nich and Bujas, who have already been captured, and a man who called him. self Baron Korff Konig, but whose name is Julius Steinmann. There was also a fifth member, a supposed Eng lishmap.
 This quintet formed a gambling community in which each played his own particular role. They carried on their operations in all the capitals of Europe. They put up at the best ho- tels and obtained introductions into the best society.
 According to the police one of the favorite methods of this gang was to travel about singly, keeping their eyes and ears open until they heard that a wealthy young sprig of aristocracy or other suitable prospective victim was about to make a journey. His destina- tion would be reported to the other members, who would then swoop down upon him. In order to create an oppor- tunity for gambling these knights of | industry" arranged a recherche little dinner to which the intended victim was invited. The swindle followed and big amounts were secured.
 The gang frequented only the very best hotels. An officer was swindled of $750O and a doctor of s10ooO. The officer gave sented by one of the swlndlers and paid by the drawer The police have DOT traits of all the gang. The whereabouts of the Englishman is unknown, while Konig and Stallmann are travelling. Chancellor Hollweg owes his high posi- | ton to the fact that he and the Kaiser were chums at Bonn university He Is brilliant man, but "snorter for war; and big armies. He is of Jewish descent, one of his ancestors having been expelled | from Holland on account of his Jewish | convictions. This, added to the fact that 1 the chancellor comes only of middle class stock, has made his fight for fame | difficult one.
 | Md0N StOrleS are tOld or the Kaiser 8 l friendship for the chancellor when the | two were students.
 Wilhelm was not noted for his love of learning, while Hollweg was a veritahle 1 bookworm and exercised quite a father | ly care over the young prince. The fu- l ture monarch found himself so backward | in philosophical studies that he asked | his chum to help him In his work. Holl- | veg. of course, consented, and one morn- | i,1er hafn ctf 1ft,ot 11,ay,., arrived at his friends room to be heard I his lesson.'
 "H'm," said Hollweg, after the hear | ing, You haven't read up at all on this subject. You had better sit up all night tonight studying instead of guzzling | beer
 NO replied Wilhelm, 'I must drink with the corps tonight"
 | Without a word Holweg closed the book and declined to have anything more
 to do with the princes studies Wilhelm | departed in a rage, but returned next 1 day and promised to be more studious.
 He did cut out the beer, sat up all night
 reading up and passed his examination | remarkable story of crime has come l to light as the result of the arrest of | Caroline Hopf. series of murders in | the Black Forest had kept the people | of the neighborhood in a state of panic
 In 1908 a middle-aged woman was found | dead and her money missing man was | suspected. The curious ground that he
 was accustomed to wear white trousers and that a man so attired had been seer in the neighborhood the day before the | crime: but he was able to prove an alib
 and was discharged. Nearly a year later another crime of a similar kind occurred
 near by. A widow living only with hei S-year-old daughter was found dead, while the little girl was discovered with hei throat. cut and in a critical condition.
 The child recovered and her first words
 were. Save me from the man in the
 white trousers." Several suspects were detained in connection with the affair
 but the child could identify none and tho
 murders still remained a mystery. Ii
 was only when thine woman Hopf wa. arrested that light was thrown ths
 previous crimes. Caroline Hopf had be
 come financially embarrassed, and re duced to almost to starvation, she de
 clared she must have money from hel sister, a domestic servant at the house
 O. wealthy people. When her sister was unable to help her. she hid herself in th'
 loft of the house with the intention o committing a theft at nighttime; but sht
 was discovered by another servant.
 In an access of rage she threw hersel
 at the servant and attempted to cut hel
 throat with razor, but the girl'i
 screams attracted other people to the spo
 and the woman Hopf was removed by thu
 police. She was ther found to be wearin:
 a mans suit of clothing under her dress
 the trousers being made of peculiar ant of almost white cloth; and it was oi 1 making this discovery that the police connecting her with the other murders initiated inquiries into her past. Com