STOLEN ARCHIVES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19473, 7 May 1925, Page 10

STOLEN ARCHIVES.

A HISTORIAN’S THIRTY YEARS OF PILFERING.

A strange gift of self-hrpnotisation, under the influence of which he believed himself to bg other people, but liy preference King Edward VII, is given by the historian, Kart Hauck, as an excuse for plundering half the State archives of Europe, states the Berlin correspondent of the daily Telegraph. It was his custom to sit in rapt contemplation in the privacy of his study before the autograph of one of the eminent historical characters whom he loved to 'personate until the lines of the signature had fixed themselves in his brain. Then’ he would try to imitate it, and ns he did so he felt that his own personality was gradually being transfused into ‘hat of the great man whose name he was writing. Unfortunately for Hen' Hauck he did nos confine the use of the documents he had stolen to this fnnalstic diversion. Some of them he also sold to dealers, and when tho head of the Prussian State archives at Charloltenhurg saw advertised tor sale a famous historical manuscript which he knew should bo in the custody of his colleague at Vienna ho made inquiries, and learned that it had been stolen. This discovery eventually took tho police to Hauck’s flat in Berlin, where, a. room was found “filled to the ceiling-” with similar pilferinga. This extraordinary collection is still being sorted, but already it is known to contain letters of King Edward, Frederick the Great, William of Orange, and Prince G orl-chakoff, for all of whom the learned thief seems to have had a special weakness; many signed photographs, numerous impressions of historical seals, quantities of manuscript, anti the texts and scores of famous poets and musicians. To many of these spoils Hauck had added monographs and commentaries of his own composition. Hauck is now 57 years of age, and said that he had been engaged in his depredations for 30 years. Under the pretence—which seems to have been not altogether false—that be was writing a comprehensive -‘History of German Culture,’’ he obtained admission to many of the most famous collections of historical manuscripts. Ke is known to have been allowed to work in the Slate archives at London, Vienna, Brussels, The Hague, Madrid, and the Vatican. His visit to London, however, took place some years -before the war.

Although the thief appears to have published nothing worthy cf notice, he was well known among collectors, and claims to have been on terms of friendship with Hugo Stinues.