A LONDON MURDER MYSTERY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 89, 17 April 1899, Page 5

A LONDON MURDER MYSTERY.

THE FEARFUL FATE OF A FORTUNE

TELLER,

HER HUSBAND MISSING,

(From Our Special Correspondent.)

LONDON, March 9, 1899.

The sensation of the' week in the metropolis has been what we locally call the Whitfield-street murder, and which is certainly one of the most remarkable crimes of recent years;

Whitfield-street, a turning off Tottenham Court Road, is a thoroughfare of small repute. It is to a large extent occupied by lodging houses, some run by respectable folk and some by people who are deemed otherwise. The particular house in' which the tragedy occurred is tenanted by a Dutchman and his wife, who practically live on the proceeds of sub-letting. Some five weeks ago a.young German named Briesenick and his 'wife' —a German woman of comely appearance, but very much her 'husband's' 'seniorarrived at the house and. were accommodated with a couple of. furnished rooms in consideration of paying 19/ per week. Briesenick professed to be a baker but so far as his fellow lodgers could judge he never did a stroke of work of j any kind. The woman, however, earned I enough to keep both by telling fortunes at- a shilling, half a crown, or whatever sum she could extract from ignorant and superstitious clients—mainly Germans of the weaker sex. This game appepars to have been highly profitable, but the wo-, man did not care for the life she was leading, and a fortnight ago told Briesenick that he must find something for himself as she meant to get a berth as housekeeper. From about that time the movements of the unhappy .couple became somewhat involved in mystery. They were seen to go in and out of the house separately; and were heard conversing in their front room by the lodgers beneath; but no one in the house can positively state that, they heard the German and his wife quarrelling. On Wednesday night Mrs Briesenick went downstairs to pay the week's rent. She appeared to be rather depressed | but It could not have been due to lack! pf means, as she displayed a purse containing more than twenty sovereigns, while upon her fingers were two marquise and other valuable rings, and looping the frayed folds of her dress together was a costly diamond brooch. Thursday passed quietly away, and about ten o'clock iin the evening Mrs Briesenick was seen alive for the last time. She was then sitting by the window in the front room smoking a cigarette. A MYSTERIOUS POSTCARD. On Friday morning as nothing was heard of the first floor lodgers, it was' concluded that they were either sleeping late or had gone out early, and the latter construction was apparently confirmed later in the day, when the landlord received a postcard, penned in German and signed 'Briesenick und Frau,' informing him that they had gone a little way. out of town to execute a commission, and would return the same evening. Reasu"rred upon this point, the v landlord and his wife took no further notice of the quietude above. The lodgers did not return at night, however, nor did they put in an appearance on Saturday or Sunday. DISCOVERY OF THE BODy! By Monday the landlady could rest no longer, arid determined to see if the rooms had been locked up, as in the event of thedoors being open there might have been something1 within to indicate whether the couple had gone for good, but both doors were locked and the keys had been removed^ The landlady- was thus enabled, by placing her eye to the keyhole, to see an irregular shaped figure like a human body -stretched out upon the bed in the front room, but so covered with clothes that.it was impossible to discern exactly who or what it was. The owner of the house speedily came to the conclusion that something was amiss and determined to force both doors open. The back room disclosed- nothing of an unusual character except several scraps of paper /which had been written upon and then torn into shreds. But a very different state of affairs presented itself in the front room. As soon as the door had been forced open a faint sickly odour met the astonished landlord and hits wife. So' much were they affected by the consciousness that some gruesome sight awaited them when the coverlet was pulled back from the pile of clothes upon the bed, that they called to a young Dutch tailor named Herman Goede, who occupied the ground floor rooms. Goede displayed more nerve than his companions, and withdrew the clothes, when a sight of a. most revolting character met the astonished gaze of the onlookers. There was the body of Mrs Briesenick, her head was covered with a pillow, lier body with a second one, and upon her feet, which were Carefully wrapped, or rather bound, .up in a large bath towel, rested-a third pillow. The face, which was almost wholly blackened with extravasated blood, bore distinct traces of violence, while the throat showed marks of strangulation. In strong .contrast with these ghastly features 8f a most revolting crime was the restful pose in which the body had been placed ■ after death. Clad only in some light under. garments, the unfortunate woman was stretched out at full'length upon the bed; her elbows/rested lightly at her side, while the''thin delicate, fingers were interwined upon the breast. There did not appear to be any marks of violence tipon the rest of the body, although it was lying in a pool of blood, which it- is thought may have been due to some internal injury. Upon a small table beside \he bed were three bottles, two having contained beer, while the third was said to be filled with white lead. There is no doubt that the object of the crime was robbery, as the money, jewellery and even the littleslrinkets of smaller value' have all disappeared. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE HUSBAND. \ The murder, was evidently committed late, on -Thursday night or in. the early hours of. Friday morning; but at whatever time it occurred, it was carried out with the greatest determination. It is thought that the body wals carefully wrapped up to prevent any odour reach^ iing the floor beneath. For the same reason the window had been slightly opened, and various other precautions had been taken. From Wednesday evening nothing has been seen of the husband of the deceased woman;.and although the police are making most careful inquiries in those parts of the metropolis, whichBriesenick was, known to frequent, their task is rendered particularly difficult from the fact that the time which has elapsed since the tragedy took place may have enabled him to proceed to the Continent.