The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1884-03-22 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

THE EXTRAORDINARY MURDER TRIALS IN VIENNA. Writing on March 14, the Vinna correspondent of the Times says: The trial of Hugo Schenk, Karl Schlossarek, and their alleged accomplice, Karl Schenk, who are accused of killing or attempting to kill several persons, began yesterday before a court of six judges. The indictment charges the prisoners with attempting to murder a miller named Todbera on April 8, 1853; with having drugged and robbed a coachman named Kaiser on .April 21, 1883; with having on May 21, 1883, poisoned and robbed Josephine Timal and thrown her body into the water; with having on July 13, 1883, murdered Katharina Timal by cutting her throat; with having on August 5, 1883, murdered Theresia Ketterl; and with having on the evening of December 29, 1883, with an axe, killed a woman unknown.  To-day the public crowded to the trial. It was revolting to hear Hugo Schenk, with modulated voice and in well-turned phrases, relate his monstrous crimes, smiling all the time. He complained of having suffered bodily and mental torture in prison, and said that he was forbidden to write his memoirs, with the proceeds of which his wife was to pay his debts. The President explained that he had been given paper and ink on condition of not making bad use of them, but he had written to a young woman to send him poison in order to commit suicide. A female friend of Schenk was examined. At the end of the examination she rose, deeply moved, and staggered towards Schenk, offering him her hand; but the President warned her not to go near him, and to be on her guard.  The Vienna correspondent of the Standard gives the following particulars of this remarkable series of crimes:  The chief of the accused, Hugo Schenk, is a goodlooking man, of gentlemanly appearance. He is 45 years of age. His father was a judge's clerk, and he himself studied in the Artillery College, and subsequently served in the army. At the age of 21, however, he was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for swindling, and three years ago was again convicted of a similar offence- and condemned to two years' imprisonment. In prison he made the acquaintance of his accomplice, Karl Schlossareck, a blacksmith, who was serving a term of eighteen months for theft. The two appear to have planned together a series of fresh crimes, Schenk, who knew something of chemistry, promising great results from his knowledge of narcotics. The latter left prison before Schlossareck, and while waiting for his companion presented himself in, several newspaper offices for the purpose of calling attention to a new narcotic of his invention, composed chiefly of cyanide of mercury. At this time he was associated with his brother, Karl Schenk, a married man of 33, and on Schlossareck's release the three formed a sort of partnership for carrying out their plans. The system adopted was as follows: They carefully scanned the advertisements in the Vienna papers, and entered into correspondence with such of the advertisers as offered a small capital or a security of a few hundred florins, inducing them to come to Vienna with the money, and then murdering and robbing them. They appear at first to have tried the plan with men, but finding this somewhat dangerous had resort to servant girls and such like defenceless persons. The first-case brought against them is that of a miller's man, named Podpera, who advertised for a situation, and offered five hundred florins security. They induced him to come to Vienna on the pretence of getting him a place in Moravia. They then accompanied him some distance on his way, partly by rail, and finally on foot, carrying with them revolvers and a bottle of drugged brandy. Passing through a thick wood at night, they attacked Podpera, firing three shots at him. He was, however, a strong man, and vigorously defended himself, succeeding finally in making his escape. Three weeks later they were more successful with a coachman called Bauer, whom they led away on a similar pretence, and robbed of a hundred and seventy florins, leaving him insensible. After this they turned their attention to servant girls, for whom they advertised, or whose advertisements they answered, offering them marriage, this plan of match-making being very common here,whero such advertisements form a regular feature in the local papers. Hugo Schenk generally called himself an engineer or small manufacturer, and being a handsome fellow of good address, soon gained an influence over the poor girls, who left their situations at his bidding, bringing with them their savings bank books, jewellery, &c., and followed him blindly. He then led the victim away to some lonely and romantic place carefully chosen beforehand, his two ,companions accompanying him as relatives or friends. The girl was then stupefied with drugs, murdered, and the body concealed. The first victim appears to have been a housemaid, named Josephine Timal, who was taken to the Gevatterloch, a romantic spot in -Moravia, where her senseless body, bound and weighted, was thrown into the lake, the three scoundrels securing by this 236 florins of savings and a gold watch. Catherine Timal, a relative of Josephine's arrived in Vienna a few days after the crime, intending to be present at the wedding. She was also inveigled to a remote spot on the Danube and her throat cut, her body being disposed of in the same way as the last. Twelve hundred florMs were secured by this murder. Another case that has been traced by the police is that of Teresina Ketterl, who left her master, Baron Buschmann, and accompanied Hugo and his accomplices to the Syrian Alps, where she was shot, and her body thrown clown a ravine. In this case they secured nearly two thousand florins, besides jewellery. The last charge of murder brought against them is that of Rosa Frenchly, a cook, whom they killed in the Wolf's Valley, near the Danube, and whose body was thrown into the river. The life of one of their victims, Josephine Eder, a ladies' maid, was spared only because they expected to make use of her for further thefts. She was, however seized by the police and sentenced, only a fortnight ago, to seven years' imprisonment for stealing her mistress's jewellery. She declared that it was impossible to resist Schenk, and that she was compelled to do whatever he told her.  The trial was concluded on Saturday, all the accused being found. guilty and sentenced to death. Schlossareck and Karl Schenk were sentenced first. When Hugo Schenk was asked if he had anything to say, he merely said, in a firm voice, "I am satisfied with the decision of the Court, and shall lodge no appeal. lam prepared to die." It is rumoured that the death sentence on Karl Schenk will be remitted t 4, penal servitude for life.  A