The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-07-20
BERLIN IN THR0E
|. OF MURDER and
CHASTITY CRIME
Suicides and Homicides in
Wake of War Defeats.
Mental Depression and Insanity
Follow Losses.
GIRLS HACK AND ROB THERE
Hang Woman to Chandelier
Then Cut With a Razor.
Wealthy Soldier Dies Because
Wife Is Unfaithful.
Suicides and Homicides in
Wake of War Defeats.
Mental Depression and Insanity
Follow Losses.
GIRLS HACK and ROB THERE
Hang Woman to Chandelier
Then Cut With q Razor.
Wealthy Soldier Dies Because
Wife Is Unfaithful.

The Hague, July 20.-A wave OF
CHASTITY murders. suicides ano other
crimes of horrible character is sweep
ing Berlin. Mental depression or in
sanity due in some instances to tho
loss of relatives in the war. and in
others to lack of proper food, is held
to be responsible by German criiniEol-
ogists. During the past few weeks,
sensational murder or suicide has oc-
Cured nearly every other day IN Bers
lin. Many of these are being hushed
up and others get but scant attention
In the Berlin newspapers. because OF
the overwhelming interest in the war
Two girls robbed another in Ber-
lin manicure shop few days ago. 10
escape arrest they tried to hang her
from a chandelier. She pleaded to be
cut down. They let her body drop
when she had become unconscious
and coolly hacked her head almost off
with razor. Then they packed the
body in a trunk and shipped it to ar
other city. The girl murderers were
caught and sentenced
Fatal Love Affair.
A brief item in the German papers.
under the caption, "A Love Drama"
revealed a murder in a wealthy Ber-
lin home. A young Russian, who had
| lived in Berlin as the servant of
German for seven years, became in
fatuated with the daughter of his
| employer and desired to marry her.
She refused him time and again. One
Sunday morning while she was alone
| in her bedroom, the Russian entered.
| locked the door and sprang at her.
| She escaped his embrace afte ra strug-
| gle and ran into closet, locking the
door. The Russian fired one shot
! through the door without wounding
i the girl, and then attempted suicide,
shooting himself in the head.
The girls brother. an nrny officer
who was at home on leave, heard the
shots ard ran into the room. The
| Russian seized a pair of scissors and
stabbed him to death.
Under the heading Sentenced to
four years Imprisonment" the Ber-
lin papers carried another war trag-
edy. A policeman shot and killed his
| sister. On the witness stand he plead
ed that the girl was Respondent and
begged him to shoot her. He got off
with a four years sentence.
officer Not a Hero.
One evening a few days ago Ger
man officer was seen walking alcng
the canal with young woman. sud
denly the woman ran toward the water
and plunged in and disappeared The
officer made no attempt to rescue her.
II am Lieutenant B" he said
to passersby, and enterted waiting
taxicab and drove away.
When the body was recovered 1t was
discovered that the girl was an actress
at the Hollendorf theater.
The owner of one of the largest
Berlin restaurants who had been at
city back of the front, in charge of a
food supply station, committed suicide
recently. He left note saying that
his wife was unfaithful to him while
he was away. The orchestra continued
Ito play in his restaurant while his body
was being borne away.
Practically nothing is published in
the Berlin papers about suicides, pos
sibly because of the depress;Sg eff
feet of such news. Frequently she pa
per carry a line saying that "a man
and woman were found dead in a ho-
tel on Unterden Linden today"