The Glasgow Chronicle. — 1847-10-13 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

MURDER OF THE COUNTESS OF GOERLITZ.  The following report of an atrocity which is regarded as in some respects a reproduction of the Preslin crime, is taken from the German journal called the Spectator. The crime seems to have been kept quiet, as the intelligence has not appeared in any of the chief German papers. In the not very clear or coherent report of the Spectator comparisons are made between the publicity given to the proceedings in such cases by constitutional governments and the very different system pursued in Germany ; after which it proceeds as follows :—The tragical death of the Countess of Goerlits, burnt to death at Darmstadt, has racer tly thrown all the higher classes of the German ariatocracy into deep consternation. The event has given rise to the strangest as well as the most contradictory conjectures ; many persons were of opinion that the countess had committed suicide, but this was not generally believed, as the circumstances rendered such a supposition highly improbable. Even supposing the countess to have been desirous of committing the rash act, it was not to be believed that she would choose the most painful, and till now unprecedented means, and the bare attempt of which would. one would suppose. be enough to arrest her in the act. SI 171° persons, and among others one of her intimate friends, M. Z imp, at first supposed that her death WRB caused by accident but all concur in rejecting this opinion. The countess had been bunt to death near her secretary. close to a bell rope ! Thus it is quite impossible for death to have seised her so suddenly as not to have left her time to ring the bell and procured assistance. But the supposition either of suicide or accident has given way to that of assassination; and from the result of the first investigations, this version acquires a greater degree of probability. The Juge d'lnstruction, M. Purgold, has found twenty-six very important evidences of culpability, and has requested the court t have the affair thoroughly investigated; but the tribunal, after a private conference, has declared the (mid, nce to be insufficient, and has r.-jected. in consequence, the continuation of the inquiry. This decision appeared strange, and excited general discontent. We have it in our power to make known some of this evidence, collected in the course of the preliminary. It is well known that for some time past, though living no ler the same roof, the count and his wife never saw each other. On the evenirg before the event a gentleman passing before the count's house perceived a smell of smoke. He however went on without paying further attention to the circumstance; though on his arrival at the house whither he was going, he mentioned it to several persons. Thus, since the smell of fire was perceived in the street at five o'clock. it is more than probable that M. Goerlits, who was at home, must have smelt it before ten Count Goerlitx, who was not in the habit of thinking much about his wife, was in very great apparent uneasiness about her. He said, and his servants have repeated it, that the countess was in the habit of shutting herself up in her own room every evening. Notwithstanding, at half past eight, he sent the only dornettic present to find another, to inquire of him if he had no news of the countess. When the serve, t acquitted himself of his errand, the wife of the latter exclaimed : Great God! is the countess burnt ?" What a singular event; what a singular coincidence between the exclamstion of the woman and the explanation of the event, which, according to the count, took place about an hour and a half afterwards, and was discovered by him How explain the affirmation of the count that at this hoar the countess always shut herself up in her own room, when she could be nowhere found. if he had not himself looked into his wife's room? Did it require the interval from half-past 8 till 10 to make up his mind to force open the door—since he had two servants with him, the wife of one of whom had even expressed her fear the countess might be burnt ?—When the fire was discovered at 10 o'clock, the *aunt sent for the physician Stegmaar, and, at 10, the door was opened in the presence of several persons, when every one was obliged t 3 draw beck on account of the smoke and vapour which came forth, the count alone excepted, who cried out "There is my wife!" Love has quick eyes. The autopsy has not taken place, because the court forbade it. He hastened to obtain leave to have his wife interred. The instruction has not ascertained whether the door was fastened on the inside or on the outside. No key has been found. If the door WU closed on the outside, no doubt can be entertained of the cause of the death, and, unfortunately, this fact is too well proved; if closed on the outside, the absence of the key is explained; if on the inside, what has become of it? This evidence gives birth to so many conjectures that it alone necessitates an inquiry. The cause of the fire has not been discovered. There was neither stove nor candlestick in the room. If it be supposed that somebody ig.. nited the fire and then left the room with the candlestick, the fact is still more easily explained. The countess had been burnt by the flames, before her secretary. No other article of fuvniture has been burnt. The heal, neck, and part of the arm, were carbonised. It is supposed the unhappy woman, after having been murdered, was placed over a small st eve where she remained for some hours. Before the door was opened, the stove bad been taken away, another position given to the victim, and the event assumed the colour of an accident. From the preliminary inquest it is conjectured that the fire was ignited to hide a murder by strangulation. If the tribunal of the c urt wishes to maintain public trust in its decisions, the evidence given in must be made public. It is remarked that Count Goerlits, who lived on very bad terms with his wife, has now assumed a very different sentiment: he often visits her grave, and covers it with flowers. We are ignorant whether he is desirous of influencing public opinion or whether he really yields to a feeling of sympathy which has declared itself very late—but time will unfold the mystery which now envelopes this affair.