The Washington times., 1921-04-10
Slayer Hau, Sentenced
ToLne In German Pen,
To Be Freed III 1925

been poisoned a day OF two before
the woman's death. Also, hoax tele-
gram had been sent a few days
earlier, apprajsing the mother OF her
daughters perilous Illness in Paris.
IL was the contention OF the state
that this telegram had been sent By
Hau in the hope that the shock of
the news would kill hk mother-in-
law. that lady having long suffered
from organic heart trouble. The fact
that the daughter was not in Paris
and was not i'll, REINFORCED by
vague Identification of Hau as the
sender Of the telegram, seemed to es-
tablish some such motive. ~
DIDN'T DIE OF HEART ATTACK
But Frau Molitor had not died Of
heart attack. The state corftendeJ
that the son-in-law had then realized
the need of open murder. 1t was
shown that he had been in Baden
Baden at the time OF the murder snd
had fed from the town immediate {
ly afterward, leaving part of his
baggage behind. 1t was also demor-
strated that he had brought a false
beard and wig of a local barber, and
another similar set of Disgusting hair
from one in Frankfort. Finally. it
was brought out that Hau had bought
aoNeECodk llhs tate ono WDTn
by the assassin. He admitted 'tsIst
he had bought such q coat and mad
afterward thrown 1T overheard in
crossing the English channel. /.
In the face OF this uncoptroveriei
evidence the conviction OF the man
appeared certain. Yet a large part SUf
Germany had its doubt Of the result
and in Karlsruhe the mob appeared
to be strongly sympathetic with DR..
Hau. III.
PUT UP SUBTLE DEFENSE.
The mans defense was sub tie nd
Machiavellian. No one but feLow
of fine mental powers and marvelcrs
self-control could have put up 8.
splendid a fight against such tinsup-
cradle circumstantialities. HauH se-
mitted, in view OF the certain proof,
that he had been in Baden Baden. anil
that he had bought and worn, the
disguise described, but he den'ec
categorically all the circum at noes
of the shooting. He said his wife hat.
stood to beneht to the extent Of only
about S17.500 by the death Of her
mother, whose estate was greatly
overvalued. He pointed out that he
had won a place for himself in Amer
ica and that his prospects there were
good, intimating that he must have
such circumstances. (His sanity faI
previously been attested by. the clinic
at Freiburg, his own university. =
EXPLAINED HIS DISGUISE.
Hau's master subtlety, however.
was his explanation of his disguised
presence in Baden Baden. He said
that a wild and uncomfortable pas
sion had sprung up in him for his
sister-in-law, Olga Molitor," and that
he had been drawn back to her by
this impulsion. He did mo- dare to
visit the house of his msther- -in-law.
from which he had so recently de-
parted with hfs wife. so he had re-
turned incognito to lay" in wait for
the young, woman. When she indig-
Eantly denied the existence Of any
love between her and her brother-in-
law he plausibly explained that the
chance to declare himself to her had
never been given him. and that this
very fact had lured him back and
forced the disguise upon him..
The sensation created by such A
revelation and its coneomitant sus-
picions' can best be imagined. Tho
people of Baden, where the snobbish
and close-fsted Frau Molitor was
far from popular, accepted the state
ment of the professor with eager
belief, and the family linen was
washed both in court and gossip.
SAW TWO BEARDED MEN.
Finally, a titled woman neighbor
of the Molitors testified that on the
evening of the shooting she had left
her villa to mail an important letter.
As she was standing at the post box.
she said, man wearing a palpable
false beard had passed her. Despite
the disguise she had recognized DR..
Hau. She had wondered about the
incident, but was aware of the fam
ily's troubles and merely asked her
self what was happening. As she
walked back to her home, she said,
she passed Frau Molitor and her
daughter, Olga going in the direction
taken by the disguised Bau. This
seemed natural, but interesting, to
her, But. she said, she had also no
ticed a(second bearded man. wearing