Year: 1879

never can forget.


n. H., in ScriJner for September.


-----


KASPAR HAUSER.


On the evening of Whit Monday, some fifty
years ago, citizen of Nuremberg happened
to be lettering near his door, in an unfre-
quented part of the town, when he observed,
short distance off, an ungainly- looking
young man standing in n singular posture,
having the appearance of one intoxicated,
apparently making attempts to move forward
without having the power either to stand up
right or to control the movement of his limbs


The citizen approached the stranger, who
Immediately thrust into his hands letter-a
letter addressed to the captain of one of the reg
iments then quartered in Nuremberg. The
citizen attempted to question the strange
youth but in reply to his queries could only
elicit repetition of some unintelligible Jar
gon, and therefore conducted him TO the
guard-roOm of the regiment. Here the cap
tain's orderly took charge of the unknown,
and led him to his masters house. The cap
tain happened to be from home at the time,
and as the stranger could give no account of
himself in answer to the numerous questions
with which he was assailed, and AZ he did not
appear to understand anything that was said
to him, he was taken for kind of savage
and after much consultation on the part of
the servants us to his disposal, he was shut
up in n stable to await the return of the cap
tain. The contents of his pocket created the
greatest surprise. They consisted of colored
rags, key, paper of gold sand, a small
horn rosary, and few religious tracts


The poor fellow was so much fatigued that
his attempts to walk resulted in an unsteady
stagger, his feet were bruised and bleeding,
and lac seemed to be suffering intensely from
the effects of hunger and thirst. Some meat
was offered to him, but on tasting it he i'm
mediutcly spat it out in disgust. Beer too
was given him, but on tasting few drops of
it he rejected it as he had done the meat.
Some bread and a glass of water however,
afforded him much satisfaction, and he swal-
lowed them eagerly. After refreshing him
self in this manner, he threw himself on some
straw in the stable, and almost instantly fell
into deep sleep. He was still asleep when
the captain returned home although several
hours had elapsed. Attempts were made to
awaken him, but for some time without sue
cess. They lifted him from the ground, and
tried to place him upon his feet but in spite
of all their eXertions the youth slept on and
seemed more like one dead or in n trance
than a living being merely asleep. At last,
however. his eyes slowly opened, and as if
struck with the glittering color of the cap
tain's uniform, he Immediately commenced
to utter the same jargon he had used to the
bewilderment of the poor citizen who had
discovered him.


The captain knew nothing of the stranger,
and no particulars could be ascertained from
the letter of which he was the bearer This
letter did not give any clew to the name or
previous home of the youth 1t was not even
addressed to any person by name, and from
its style and photography seemed to have been
intended to pass for the production of some
illiterate peasant. The writer merely stated
that he was a poor workman with n large
family, which he could i'll support that the
mother of the stranger had placed him under
his care when quite young; that the boy
wished to be a soldier as his father had been.
No name was signed at the end of the letter,
which closed with this inhuman sentence
If you do not keep him, you may kill him,
or hang him up in the chimney"


The captain was in great dilemma with
regard to the disposal of the charge that had
been imposed upon him in SO sudden and un-
expected a manner; but at last when every
attempt at questioning had failed, the un-
known was taken to the police station. Here
they could make nothing of him. The usual
interrogations as to who he was, whence he
came, what was his business etc, ELECTED no
ineligible answer, and the authorities were
much perplexed to know what TO do with
him. His tears, the state of his feet and his
childish and apparently harmless demeanor
excited the pity of those who saw him. Opin-
ions as TO his real nature were divided. Some
considered him an idiot, others thought him
II savage. Not few affected to believe that
under this appearance of simplicity some
cunning deceit might be concealed.


At the suggestion of one of the officials,
pen, ink, and paper were put before him,
and signs were made that he should use them.
At this the stranger manifested considerable
pleasure, and taking up the pen, to the infn-
tie astonshment, it must be confessed, of all
persons present, he wrote, in bold, legible
characters, the words 'Kaspar Hauser." 4"
Here, however, he stopped. All attempts to
make him understand that they wanted him
to write down the name of the place from
whence he came failed, and as a last resource
he was committed to the prison where rogues
and yAgabonds were usually confined. On
being conducted TO his cell he Immediately
sank ON his straw bed in deep sleep. Such
was KaspaT Hauser's first introduction to the
world.


At this time KaspAT was about sixteen or
seventeen. years old, and four feet nine inches
in height His chin and lips were thinly
covered with down his wisdom-teeth, as
tney are chleu, ubu hOl ySt coLuei hOI uAu
they make their appearance until about three
wears later. His hair, which was of light
brown color, was very fine and curled in
ringlets The structure of his body, which
was stout and broad-shouldered, showed per-
feet symmetry without any visible defect.
His hands were small and beautifully shaped.
The soles of his feet were as soft as the
palms of his hands, and from their appear
ance had never before either been used for
walking or confined in shoe. His face, par
ticularly when in a state of tranquility, was
almost without any expression whatever. he
appeared to have little or no idea OF the use
of his limbs. His attempts at walking were
most ludicrous, for they resembled the first
toddlings of an infant. He was wholly des-
titute of words and ideas, and showed COM
plete ignorance of the most common objects
of nature and the ordinary usages of daily
life. In fact the whole of the circumstances
connected with the unfortunate youth were
for some considerable time dark mystery
that baffied even the wisest in their attempts
10 fathom. He appeared to resemble an in
habitant of some other planet, miraculously
and suddenly transferred to the earth, rather
than one belonging to the same race OF men
who how exist.


The only food he could be prevailed upon
10 take was bread and water. For all other
kinds of meat and drink he showed the great
est aversion. Even the smell of them was
sufficient to make him shudderi and the
least drop of wine, or tea, or coffee, occasion
ed him cold sweats, or caused him to be
seized with vomiting or violent headache,
Among the few ineligible words, to most of
which he appeared to attach no meaning
whatever, that now and then escaped his lips,
the one most frequently used was Ross"
O,oraaN, from this circumstance the idea of
bringing him a wooden toy-hOrse occurred to