The Clovis news., 1920-06-03
BERLIN swept
BY crime WAVE
Burglars, HoIdup Men and "Aris.
tocratlc SwindIers" Are
Reaplng Harvest.
MURDERERS ALSO ARE BUSY
Cafes and American Bars Are Resorta
for Pickpoekets and Thieves--
Smashed Skulls an Everyday oc-
currence In German Capital.


Berln.--Bcrlln IL being swept by q
crime wave such as perhaps no city
In Europe has known In modern times.
A German minister remarked few
days ago that pronteerlng now is hard.
~ considered crime, and that If 1t
were possible to tic every proiiteer in
Berlin to lamp post there would not |
be enough lamp posts.
However, IL Is not alone the profit.
eer who holds Berlin In his iron grasp. |
Equally menaclng Is the daring bur.
glar who will not stop even at mur.
+. der: the outlaw who defies the law
and all authority and who holds up
men and women In the street or in |
the road; the so-cnlled "arlstOcratic |
swndler," who. with an Imp ing title
and female companion, preys on the
stranger and finds his victims in the
expensive hotels and restaurants.
II has been remarked truthfully that
Il would be difficult to recafl in mod.
ern history happier hunting ground
for cutthr0ats and rogues than Is the
German capital. Indeed, life here has
reached such q state Of insecurity that
II now takes much to shock or even
cause thrill Of interest among the
people, so accustomed have they grown
to murders and robberles and unnat
ural crimes.
Nails Children In Barrel.
Many OF these crimes which are be.
ing committed In Berlin are unexplain.
able from human standpolnts. For
Instance case was reported where
two children remained away from
their home too long on the occasion
Of their mothers birthday. When they
returned home their mother dragged
them TO the garret, thrust them into
barrel and nailed down the cover.
Another case was that of the murder
OF feeble and aged fortune teller for
the Sake Of few coins which she had
saved.
In the midst OF the daily and night
ly holdups and the murder wave which
is sweeplng Berlin there was one case
which attracted wide attention be
cause Of It's horror. II was known as
the Fakenhagen Forest murders. The
murderer when he was arrested was
unable TO remember all the murders
he had committed or his outrages on
fnnnOcent persons. In one instance he
locked his victims In house and sci
fire 10 II, meanwhile shooting into the
house while It burned.
The exploits Of the Strauss brothers
was Another case which attracted wide
attention here. Before the war these
two men We're burglars. One Of them
Interrupted his criminal career 10
fight for Germany. He won the Iron
Cross, but as soon as h0stIltles ceased
returned home and Joined his brother
In the old pursuits. Finally they were
arrested, but one of them managed
20 escape from prison.
Frees Brother From Jail.
He soon returned to the jail, how.
ever, overcame all opposition and re
leased his brother, with the result
that they went back to the business
pf robbery. A nationwide hunt for
Them followed. When the police 10.
fated them there was battle In
which two policemen were killed and
two wounded, and the Strauss broth
Prs again succeeded in escaping
FINELY they were arrested In the cas-,
end Of Berlin.
Almost daily one hears Of some
pody's skull having been smashed "only
few blocks from where ! live" oI
mat somebody was stunned and rob
ped before my eyes" The police
|eem powerless to control the sltua
Hon.
The a0-called "arlst0cratlc swim
aler" aud robber Is reaplng harvest
'ic finds his prey usually In an Amerl
pan bar, becomes acquainted with thu
ban he intends to rob and offers hin
prepared" cigarette, which promptly
'llnds the victim. The thief then pro
leeds to pick his victims pocket Ii
lelsurely and dlgnlfied way.
Street battles between robbers ant
1ersons whom they would rob are fre
uent occurrences. In one OF thest
attles In the Wedding district re
emily two Ciyil guards and burglar
'ere killed. On another occasion two
arties searching for thief fred OF
nch other in the dark with fata
consequences.