CRIME AND MYSTERY

Shannon News, 22 October 1926, Page 4

CRIME AND MYSTERY

TRIAL THAT ROUSED A NATION PRUSSIAN SCANDAL —NEARLY A DREYFUS CASE. From Germany comes a crime romance as vivid as that of “Eugene Aram’s Dream,” with the added dramatic fact that it has only just missed becoming a “German Dreyfus Case.” It was not stated at the time of the trial that Scotland Yard was entrusted in the elucidation of the mystery, but later it was acknowledged that the co-operation of British detectives and secret service men had proved a big factor in bringing the criminals to justice. A “reconstruction,” by the police, of a murder scene, in a dim-lighted room at midnight, so wrought on the feelings of the accuser of a rich man—a ' Jewish manufacturer arrested for fraud and murder—that the former (the accuser) blurted out the confession that he alone was the I(i man who had done the murder and robbed the dead! Some time ago a clerk named Helling disappeared in Magdeburg, on the day when he was known to have a considerable amount of money in his possession. After long inquiries, the Magdeburg police arrested a bad character named Schroed,er in the belief he had something to do with Ilclling’s disappearance. Dead Man’s Watch—and Body. Some of the missing man’s belongings—such as his watch and other valuables —were found on Schroeder, and, later, Helling’s body was unearthed from the cellar of Schroeder’s house. Schroeder, however, accused a wealthy local Jewish sugar manufacturer, Dr. Rudolf Haas, of being the murderer. Dr. Haas had, according to Schroder, falsified his income tax returns, and, as Helling knew this, Haas murdered Helling to cover up the traces of his misdemeanour. So Schroeder said. Schroeder admitted that he had been concerned in the disposal of the body, but nothing else. Jewish Manufacturer Arrested. On this toe police arrested Dr. Haas, and, without further ado, charged him with the murder. It was then that the case took on its more amazing character. Schroeder was treated -with remarkable consideration by the local police and the investigating judge. Though it was found that Dr. Haas’s income tax returns were in perfect order bail was refused in liis case. The anti-Jewish Press was “mobilised” in Schroedef’s favour, and began to print whole pages of sensational ireports frankly prejudiced against the Jewish “industrial.” Thus, all the bitter hates and hostilities of the political battlefield were transferred to the Magdeburg judicial area, and once more the greatest problem the German Republic has to struggle against—-anti-Republican prejudices and Nationalist tendencies of judges became a very acute question. His advocate was a leader in Magdeburg of the notorious anti-Repub-lican and anti-Semitic “Steel Helmet’ ’organisation. Police and judges were obviously in his favour —they made little secret about it. ..

Berlin Steps in and is Fie a tea.

Seeing that “a Justice Scandal” was developing, the Berlin authorities stepped in and suspended the local detectives, and sent special police commissioners to Magdeburg to take up the case. But the investigating judge at Magdeburg would have nothing to do with them. In a letter to the Minister of Justice he said so, and he demanded the recall of the Berlin officers, and the reinstatement of the local men. This letter reached the anti-Jew-ish Press before it came into the hands of the Minister —who also received a communication from the Bench of Judges at Magdeburg, in which they declared their “solidarity’’ with the investigating judge. As the judges are appointed for life, and 'cannot be replaced, the Minister of Justice could do no more than instruct the Berlin detectives to act. independently. . The “DreyfusT |Element. ■ Then another amazing chapter in the case was opened—with a statement made by Schroeder to a fellowprisoner and published without denial in a number of newspapers. “Haas,” he said, “is a Jew, and ho wont’ be allowed to' escape. I’ve seen to that. I have the whole Conservative Press on my side, and all the judges belong to ray .political' party.” i Meanwhile the Berlin police had j gone quietly to work. The first thing they did was to discover and arrest at Cologne a young woman named Hildegrad Goethe, Schroeder’s sweetheart. In her possession they found letters which Scroeder had been allowed to write from gaol telling her precisely what to say if she were questioned by the police. According to her story, Schroeder told her ope day ho was at the end of his financial resources, and that he was enticing a man to his house. “Something is going to happen to me," he added. She said, too, that though she had lived with Schroeder for months sho had never seen Haas. After experiencing great difficulties in obtaining permission to do I so, they took Schroeder about midnight to a room in his house (in which the police were convinced the murder was committed). On the floor was the blood-stain-ed carpet which Schroeder had sold shortly after Helling’s disappearance; leaning up again a wall was Helling’s bicycle (which also the Berlin polico had found); on tho table was Schroeder’s revolver, and beside it was the bullet which had killed Helling, together with several cartridges. Creepy Midnight Scene, Then Schroder was brought in and allowed to take a seat. After a pause one of the Berlin detectives began to read a long statement —mainly of what Hildegrad Goetze had said. It told how Schroeder had informed her (Hildegrad) that someone was coming to whom something was going to happen; how ho told her to leave the room; how she heard two shots; and how later Schroeder (who earlier had confessed that he had only two marks in the world),' came to her with a bundle of notes, saying their “misery was at an end.” Then Schroeder’s attention was directed to the blood-stained carpet, to Helling’s bicycle, to tho revolver and bullet and cartridges. , For a while ho endeavoured to,