A VIENNA MYSTERY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 160, 8 July 1899, Page 3 (Supplement)

A VIENNA MYSTERY.

A good deal of interest is being aroused at Vienna, says the correspondent of the "Daily News," by the mysterious disappearance of a woman under circumstances which unpleasantly suggest the crimes of Hugo Schenk and the murderous couple Schneider. A joiner named Bartholomew Kost some little time ago was engaged to be married to a cook in the family of the sexton to the Greek church here. At the1 same time, however, he paid court to another young woman named Marie, Voticka, who had saved money, and whose father in Bohemia was prepared to give her a dowry of GOO florins. The latter gave notice to her mistress, prepared her outfit, and on March 13 started with Kost, who had pocketed the GOO florins, from her father's house in Bohemia. They were to be married on arriving in New York. An illustrated post-card from Berlin was the only sign of life the girl's friends have since had from her. The police received notice of this fact on May 23 only, and had already sufficient information in hand to suggest strongly that a crime had been committed. On March 23, ten days after he set out from Bremen, the man was in Vienna, and sold a trunk full of women's linen and clothing, which has since been identified by Marie's sister and her former mistress. On April 13 he married the girl Anna Schimara ,to whom he first promised marriage, and next day with this bride and a man named Schindler really started for America, via Bremen.. This young Avoman's former mistress has just received a letter from her, in which she gives her address in Chicago. In the meantime the German police have communicated with the Austrian authorities the fact that on May 12 a woman's body was found in the Elbe, hear Dresden, which had been in the water many weeks. The clothing was sent to Vienna for Marie Voticka's sister to ascertain whether it belonged to her.