An Epidemic of Crime

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 102, 5 March 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

An Epidemic of Crime

A perfect epidemic of murder and suicide has broken out in AustriaHungary, particularly in the two capitals. Recently three persons* a doorkeeper of the Pesth Musical Academy, a waiter and a female attendant in a cafe, went to a low hotel in Bada- Pesth and there either shot one another or severally coinraitted,suicide after drinking seyeral bottles of wine. Both the doorkeeper and the woman were married, but were not apparently living with thenrespective spouses, and were on the most intimate terms with one and other, The third party to the suicide, the waiter, seems to have been the j confidential triend of both, and was ; an ordinary specimen of the youthful blackguardism so commonly found in large towns. T o these must be added the suicide of a medical student at .Vienna, the motive in this case being | impending starvation j, and. the mur-

der of a little boy by an elder brother a shoemaker's apprentice at Prague. 'Tlifi last named case afforded a, shockexample- of juvenile depravity, the youthful murderer,' literally smashing * his younger, brother's head in with, a hammer. • He went to the police statisn and; gave himself up* saying that his father was continually finding fault with, him> and had repeatedly told him to rob or kill some one so as., oo get into prison the only place he: was fit for. |