A Rogue of the Eighteenth Century.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 323, 8 December 1888, Page 4

A Rogue of the Eighteenth Century .

Ik fcho " Gentleman's Magaziiie " the Reverend S. Baring- Gould tells the story of " the original Miinchhaueen." \ In the spring of the year 1702 there ap- ' peareid in Halberstadt a handsome well dressed stranger, with distinguished manners, who called himself Baron Carl Friodrich MunchhausenV He came ' there, he said, to claim same estates that had belonged to hits family, but which had been leased, and the leases were about to expire. He gavo out that he belonged to thai branch of the family which was settled in Courland, near Golding. His father, LieutonantColonel Munchhausen was dead, and the supervision of the family property had devolved on himself. He had travelled much, and had met wibh surprising adventures. Through his lawyer he made the acquaintance of a middle-aged spinster, named Annie Margaret Hoinlz, daughter and heiress of a councillor lately deceased. As she was well dowored her hand was sought by b^vcral impecunious gentlemen ; but when the Baron appeared as a suitor he was prepared, and a few weeks of acquaintance led to marriage. The Baron and Baroness lived as though they we'O already in receipt of the revenues of estates which were all, curiously enough, in dispute, and could only be recovered by actions at law ; and to pay for thi.s extrava gancc some of the Baroness's property had I to be sold. In order to expedite legal proceedings the Baron now proposed to visit the north of Germany with his wife. She saw no objection, and they wont together to Hamburg, where (ho Baton assumed the blue ribbon oi the Gaiter, which had been conferred on 1 him by Queen Anne for his distinguished services in delicate diplomatic t lansJtjtionp with the Imperial and other couiu. In May, 1703, the travellers arrived at Jover, where the drost, or high sherill", was a AHinchhausen. In the neighbourhood was a property belonging to tho Courland Munchhau&ens, and on this the Baron attempted to raise mortgages. The tenants received hiir with respect, not doubting for an instant that the stately noble with ribbon and star was their lord j the notaries doubted quite as .little. As it chanced, there lived in Jevor a furrier named Ohr, who was a Courlander, and actually a native of Golding, where was t'ie seat of tho branch of the Munchhausens of which the Baron was head. Moreover, Ohr had often worked in the house of the late Baron at Golding. It was, however, 25 years since he had left the place. The Baron visited this man, talked to him and asked him to write out a certificate that he was the Baron Munchhausen ho gave himself out to be. Ohr at once addressed him in the Courland Sclavonic tongue, and found that his visitor could not understand him. Ohr declined to write the testimonial On 3rd June, 1703, Monsieur Folte (Miinchhau&en's secretary) dined with the -«aron and his lady in their apartments. After dinner, at which, the Baron was silent, ho said, ' Folte, I am out of spirits ; let us make an evening ot it and get roaringly drunk !' Folte 'declined the invitation ; he had work to do at home, letters to answer, and at 10 p.m. he retired to his lodging*. As he left he saw that a maid svas busy cleaning and arranging a recep-tion-room in which carpenters had been engaged that day. The Baroness had desired that the "cleaning might be post poned till the morrow, but the Baion insisted on it being finished that night. The girl continued her work till midnight and then, tired out, lay down in the kitchen to sleep. Suddenly, about one o'clock in the morning, cries were heard in the street of 'Murder! Thieves ! Help ! Help ! I am robbed! My wife is murdered !' The maid was roused, a& also was the serving-boy ; and the Baron appeared in his dressing gown, 'profoundly agitated. Folte was sent for, windows opened, and citizens, waked by the cries, asked what was the matter. Monsieur Folte appeared half-dressed with a drawn &word. Some of the neighbours hastily clothed themselves and entered the house. They found the Baron wringing his hands in debpair by the bedside of his wife, who had been shot through the head. The Baroness was ."till breathing, but was unconscious and unable to speak, and died in a few minutes. The bullet was found under her hea^ embedded in the pillow. The story told by the Baron was as follows : — He had gone to bed about 11, and had immediateiy fallen asleep. All at once he woke, hearing a noise in the room that adjoined. He had called out to ask who was there, whereupon livo or six men had rushed in at the door. He sprang from his btd, whereupon one of them had fired. He pursued them as they retreated, and they fled out of the house by the back door. Therwupon he returned to the bed, saw that his wife had been shot and roused the \ servants. i On the 6th the town magistrate communil cated with the Duke of Anhalt-Zeibst, the sovereign, that grave suspicion rested on the Baron of having murdered his wifo. No one had seen the supposed burglars but himself. In the room was found a gun which had been recently discharged, and which belonged to the Baron ; the latter, when questioned, varied in his statements. The arrest of the Baron on the charge of murder was ordered, and he was required to give a full account of himself. His papers were now examined, and among them were found letters addressed to "Fabian von Sternburg, Baron Scharrcnchild, lord of Neundorf and Hausminden." On being further pressed, he reluctantly admitted that he was himself, in reality, the Baron Sternburg, and that he had assumed the name of Miinchhausen. For a long time the magistrates of Jever were in doubt as to who tho man really was. Of his guilt they had little doubt. He was embarrassed for money, and ho had made his wife draw out a will cons' ituting him her sole heir in the ev.ent of her death. While the Jever magistrates were still in perplexity, on the 17th of August there ap peared before them a woman named Katherine Herckels, who claimed to be the legitimate wife of tho prisoner. She was the widow of a Captain Bobbig, in Brunswick, who had been left money by her father, a goldsmith, and by her husband. Baron Munchhausen had courted her, and, flattered by having a nobleman for a suitor, she had married him in '1699. In 1701 she became mother of a feon by' him, and he took advantage of her,continement not only to make away with most of her capital, but also to disappear' himself. In February, 1704, the, Baron was put to the torture to exact a confession, but, though he confessed, ; he would not admit that the murder was premeditated. He had quarrelled with his wife about a pet dog, which slept on *the mat at the door, and disturbed him when asleep. . He had intended to shoot the clog and had accidentally killed his wife. On examination this explanation was proved to be false. His wife had not had such a- dog< Sentonce was'pronounced against' him that he should be broken on the wheel ; but the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst commuted the sentence to execution with' the sword. 1 - On. Saturday, 1 30th. August,. 1704/ the wretched impostor • was executed, > under 'the name > of 'Fabian yon Stern burg\ Baron Schnrrenschild ; but 1 it; was mover discovered who, he really was, whence he came, and, what »were his antecedents. . ' I • 1 : L '\S.> <,■, ,< W , <\ .