BOY MURDERER

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 276, 11 February 1928, Page 9

BOY MURDERER

LIQUERS AND LOVE BERLIN SENSATION

By Cable. —Press Association.—Copyright BERLIN, Thursday. The case of a youth named Kranz, who is charged with murdering a boy friend, has caused a sensation in Berlin. Leading sociologists, doctors, authors, lawyers and professors have attended the trial analysing the psychology of the drama. Kranz, who is IS years of age, was a scholarship winner. His chief reading since he was arrested has been the works of Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and Dostoievaky. Kranz was visiting the house of a schoolboy friend named Scheller on the night of the tragedy. The others present were a third schoolboy, Stephan, and Scheller’s sister, Hildegard, aged 16. The girl’s parents being absent, the boys sat up all night drinking liqueurs and talking of love. The discussion finally turned on death, and Scheller proposed that ail four of the party should die. He wrote a letter beginning: “Dear Universe.—A single portion of your organism perishes. Do not worry. Time will roll on.” The letter ended with an intimation that Stephan and Hildegard would be killed and the others would commit suicide with a smile. Kranz states that Scheller shot Stephan and then committed suicide. Kranz was about to commit suicide also when the girl snatched his revolver out of his hand. Some of the evidence suggested that Stephan, being found in Hildegard’s room, precipitated the tragedy. It was also stated that some of the boys belonged to a juvenile club, the rules of which strictly enjoined that all members who were deceived by men or women friends must avenge themselves upon their rivals.—A. and N.Z.