Evening star., 1916-11-09

A mysterious parsonage was found
leaning against a wall in the Bavarian
city of Neuremberg in May, 1928. He
| was youth of about eighteen. apparent
| ly an autocrat. Blinded by the morning
| sun, he held his hands over his eyes.
The police told him to move on, but he
could not walk. They prodded him. He
staggered and fell. Questioning him as
to his identity, they found that he could
not talk, so they carried him bodily to
prison. 1t was evident that he was not
an idiot. His face and demeanor bespoke
inherent intelligence. Yet his inability
to walk or talk was unfeigned. He was
not deaf and his vocal organs were capa-
BILE of reproducing any spoken word by
repetition. The soles of his feet were
convex, like those of an infant who has
never walked. Every sound seemed to
terrify him, as did the sight of the COM
monest objects. On hearing bell ring
he burst into paroxysms of weeping and
the music of a street band caused him to
swoon. Given a substantial meal, he
turned from it with adherence and fell
his appetite was hard bread and water.
Some one sent him some toys to play
with, but they caused him to cry with ter
ror, until he caught sight of a wooden
horse, which he snatched up with glee,
clasping it in his arms and kissing it
tenderly.
He was an enigma to the authorities
The only clue as to his identity was
| letter found upon his person and pur-
porting to have been written by Ba-
varian laborer. 1t stated that the bear
er had been found at the writer's door
sixteen years before. and inclosed was
note alleged to have been written by
the youths mother. According to this
communication, his name was Kaspar;
he had been born April 80. 1912; his
father was a captain in the 9Th Chevau-
leger Regiment, at Nuremberg, and his
mother was poor girl unable to sup
port him. There were grave suspicious
that these letters had been written as
| blind, inasmuch as the youth showed
many evidences of aristocratic lineage.
He was evidently child OF noble blood
whom some powerful parsonage had
hidden away because his presence in
his rightful station would have inter-
fered with that persons reputation or
ambition. He had evidently languished
from infancy amid absolute darkness
and silence, suffering imprisonment
even more cruel than that of the cele-
brated man of the iron mask 1t was
difficult to imagine any one so diabol-
icaIIy cruel as to deprive this child not
only of light and sound, but of the
power to walk.
One surprising discovery was made.
At the sight of a pencil the speechless
youth took it up and forthwith wrote,
"Kaspar Hauser'-evidently a name
given to him to disguise his real ident-
ity. He was unable to write anything
else or to pronounce what he had writ
ten.
In Nuremberg dwelt a kindly savant,
Prof. c. F. Daumer, who became inter-
ested in the mysterious youth. and took
him to his home. hoping to develop his
II k~Is -ssf-,
rapidity Kaspar thereupon learned not
only to walk and talk, but to read and
write. Within a few months he was
able to relate SO much of his strange
ing to his story he had been confined
all his life in dark cell. penetrated
only by man whose shadow alone he
could see and who came daily to wash
nance. always bread and water. His
only friend had been a wooden horse,
and his jailer. although never speaking
a word to him. had for some mysterious
! lently teaching him to write the name
''kaspar Hauser." Finally one night
his keeper had entered his cell. blind
folded him, placed in his hand the let
him to Nuremberg and left him leaning
against the city wall. That was all he
knew of his strange history.
Prof. DaumerS house soon became the
fiocked there to see the mystery youth
and hear his strange story. One day.
within less than five months from the
time when Kaspar was found leaning
was terrified to hear his interesting
protege utter terrified cries for help,
and rushing into the room. he found
Kaspar writing upon the floor. Blood
gushed from a wound in his forehead.
and when revived the lad said that a
man with a blackened face had stolen
into the room. stabbed hi mand fed.
The police secured the country for the
assailant. but without avail. and it was
now quite evident that the parsonage
who had sought to hide Kaspar from
the world had dreaded the notoriety
which he was causing, and had sought
| to put him out of the way before his
| identity might be ferreted out. About
this time the case attracted the atten-
| tion of the very wealthy Lord Stanhope
Of England. who adopted Kaspar and
sent him secretly to Ansbach that he
might be hidden safely from his enc
mics and be educated by the celebrated
Prof Fuhrmann. After few years.
his education having been completed.
Lord Stanhope arrived in Ansbach to
take his ward back to England, where.
it was planned, he should enjoy life
of ease, eompensating him for the hid
eous prosecutions of which he had been
the victim.
On the day before that set for this
happy departure for England a stran-
ger handed Kaspar a note requesting him
| to appear at a certain place and learn
the secret of his origin. Without con-
| fiding the circumstances to Lord Stan
hope. the young man proceeded to the
place appointed. Soon afterward he
terrified his guardian by staggering
into his apartment with blood dripping
from a knife wound in his side. Gasp
| ing the words "Palace-Uzen Monu-
lment-purse" he fell to the floor. dead.
Acting upon this clue. Lord Stanhope
| hastened to the Uzen Monument in the
palace grounds and there found a purse
| of violet-colored silk, containing slip
| of paper on which had been scrawled:
| "Kaspar Hauser. born April 80. 1872.
Murdered December IA, 1888. Know by
| this that / come from Bavarfan from
tier on the river. These are the initials
| of my name: NJ. l.. B"
| A price of 5000 forms was placed
upon the head of Kaspar's assassin by
Lord Stanhope. and for years the police
strove to solve the mystery. But their
4 efforts were futile.
| Kaspar Hauser remains today, per-
hnn. Tho ynnst haff1inR enigma that