MYSTERIOUS BERLIN CRIMES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 69, 17 April 1909, Page 3

MYSTERIOUS BERLIN CRIMES.

BRUTAL ATTACKS ON WOMEN. iPanic reigned in February in Berlin amongst the female population owing to a aeries of mysterious outrages on women and girls, committed in a fashion that recalls the crimes of Renwick Williams. The latter, historically known as "The Monster," terrorised London at tlhe latter end of the eighteenth century by making attacks on females with a sharp, double-edged knife. Over eighty women were stabbed in the sides and hips before Williams was captured, and ten women appeared against him at his trial, in June, 1790. "The Monster," who turned out to be a man of means and fashion, was sent to prison for life. The Berlin "Monster," Williams' imitator, who appears to have completely baffled the efforts of the police to capture him, committed five more outrages on 15th February, bringing the number of his ferocious and mysterious assaults up to twenty-five, all committed within ten days. The first victim on 15th February was a young seamstress, who was attacked on the dark staircase of her lodgings as she was leaving fof4&}v6fk. She was badly staTnVd in the*t*ifi, and was discovered lying some few minutes jafAer 'the outrage. Some two hours lit&T a. woman was stabbed in the thigh on the steps of a house in the EylanstrasSL\ and half an hour afterwards a servant girl in the flbhenzollcrndam was stabbed in the arm. Later a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl was stabbed in the groin, and a woman in the back in the suburb of Rummelsburg. The weapon in the last case seems to have been a three-pronged fork, and the wounds were very deep and painful.

• On 14th February no fewer than six outrages occurred. At 3 p.m., at Rixdorf, Trail Loobs Was attacked by a man who seized her by the throat and stabbed' her in the upper part of the thigh. Frail Loobs escaped with slight injury, the force of the stab being limriiished by a leather bag which she vas carrying. During the afternoon two more stabling outrages on women were perperated in the south-east district. In one ase. a young servant girl was attacked j the Licbtenrade, and stabbed through ier clothing in the Wp. | Three more outrages were committed t night, a girl being stabbed through ier clothes, a woman attacked by a man nth a knuckle-duster, who also stabbed ier through the clothes, and a waitress pas stabbed in the thigh as she was saving her work. Although the general description of lie assailant, which is that oi a slimuilt, undersized young man of good ppearance, tallies in niost cases, the olice are not sure whether, as is often he case, the "Monster" has not already ound imitators. The whoje force of he detective and plain-clothes me-.i were atrolling the streets flay and night, nd women who are alone are warned f the danger to which they are exposed, nd are kept under observation as far s possible. The Chief of Police lias also raised he reward for the capture of the "Monter" from £SO to £l5O. Hitherto Only ne of the outragcs-<tJie first case—is eportcd to have proved fatal. On 10th February a batch of perfectly nnqcent persons was arrested, and all r*Te released, on producing conclusive vidence that their detention was unustiflable. One unlucky man in tire astern suburb who bore striking reeinblance to the description of the man s circulated by the newspapers was iearly beaten to death by the crowd lefore the police rescued him and ragged ihim into safety. He turned out o be a harmless clerk with an excellent ecord for good conduct. Two more stabbing attacks were made m -iris ra Berlin on 17th February. ineM them was perpetrated oil a landng in « house in the centre of the city, "li»ht wound in the right (side being iiMrted. while the other wan committed n a freshlv-laiil-out road at Schoneberg. lie girl sustaining a slight wound in the ight foreafin. 1» each ca*e the assaillit escaped.