Evening star., 1914-04-20
BERLIN IS STIRRED UP
BY OFFICIAL $ ARREST
Wealthy Member of the Bavarian
Diet Charged With Abducting
Barrister's Daughter.
Foreign Correspondence Of The star.

fsp0hhFnFe
BERLIN April n. 1914.
The arrest of wealthy member of the
Ravarian diet at Mannheim has provoked
tho greatest interest in connection with
II social and political scandal which
bears many strange features. Deputy
Abresch. the owner of a number of coal
mines and extensive vineyards and ac-
counted one of the wealthiest men in Ba-
varia. was charged with the abduction
Of Fraulein Won Harder. the beautiful
daughter of a Mannheim harrister. said
to he tventy-three years old. The girl
who had long shown ultra-independ-
ent disposition. was entitled to q cpnsid-
cradle fortune. at present held in trust
by members OF the family,
The first sign of anything abnormal
Vas her unduiy long absence from her
family eliminating in an admission that
they were unaware of her whereabouts.
Ry means of advertisements information
was requested. but as the advertisements
we're couched in such pointed terms as to
suggest an abduction by a person well
known to the family. " was soon appaT-
ent that the case was not one of d
simple disappearance.
Missing Girl Denies Abduction.
Inquiry proving frutless. it was then
announced that the family had made
temporary seizure of the girls estate"
This produced the first sign of life from
Fraulein Ilse Won Harder. VINO as warm
~ as the wording of an advertisement in
tended to preserve semi-sccrecy would
permit gave her address and denied that
she was abducted or forcioly detained
Tho arrest of the Bavarian deputy fol-
lowed closely on this announcement
The arrest was due really to careless
overconf1dence. since the deputy beileTed
that the immunity from arrest which he !
enioys as a member of the Bavarian par |
lament in Bavaria held good also in
Prussia. 1t is said that he strongly oD- |
iected to being arrested, but was quite |
ready to answer any charge brought by |
the girls parents. Both the Prussian and
Ravarian departments of justice declare |
that the arrest was quite legal: so. de- |
spite his protests. the deputy remains IN
custody. Meanwhile the fraulein again
has disappeared.
Detectives Puzzled.
Private detectives engaged in the case
admit that they are absolutely without
a clue as to her whereabouts. |
Her family are honored Bayarian aris- |
tocrats the head being an important
Munich professor. Herr Abresch is a
noted resident of Neustadt. In the Ba
varian palatinate. short distance from
Mannheim. He was long intimate |
friend of the Harder family. For many
wears he has scattered money lavishly |
in the Neustadt neighborhood. He al
ways had ring of beggars standing at
his gates awaiting his silver. He re-
Gently subscribed heavily toward the re-
lief of the vine growers suffering from
hailstorms, rented shoots at three times
their real value and relet them at a heavy |
loss in order to do the owner good |
turn.
Herr Abresch says that the Harder
family was annoyed at dealings which he
had with the fraulein concerning the |
investment of her money. Latterly. he
says he gave her the protection of his
roof in order to spare her the worry of
her family's hostility.