CURIOUS SEQUELS IN THE VIENNA POISONING CASE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 67, 19 March 1910, Page 17

CURIOUS SEQUELS IN THE VIENNA POISONING CASE.

The mystery of-the poisoned pills, which resulted in the death of a staff-officer two months ago, and in connection with which Lieutenant Hofrichter was arrested, is becoming more and more mysterious. The antiquated procedure of courts-martial in Austria forbids the details, of the preliminary inquiries to be made known to the public, whose only knowledge is derived from witnesses, when their evidence is permitted to be published, but certain other evidence is, of course, withheld. It now appears that four officers fell victims to the assassin, the first being Captain iMader, who died a few minutes afterswallowing a pill. In consequence of the order of the Military Court, the dwellings of eighty officers were searched In. Vienna, and the provinces. One officer, who was engaged at the War Office, felt himself so much insulted by the search that he shot himself Immediately afterwards. The third victim of the affair is a brother-in-law of Lieutenant Hofrichter, named Geresdorfer, who, after devoting several weeks to collecting evidence, examining possible witnesses, and consulting lawyers, to prove the innocence of Lieutenant Hofrichter, died suddenly of heart disease, brought about by over-anxiety and fatigue. A BTOnTCrH HEATH IS NOWI ■ANNOUNCED in connection- with this affair. Testerday, at Canale, near Trieste, First Lieutenant Moritz Schmidt, of the 7th Bftfles, shot himself. Lieutenant Schmidt had been recently summoned to the Vienna Military Court. Like Lieutenants Mader and Hofriclrter, he bad attended the Military Academy, passed his examinations with great success, and was not admitted to the General Staff, but ordered on regimental service. His qualifications must have been much better even than those of Lieutenant Hofriehter, as he j was marked 10 places above him. Great sympajthy is felt for Lieutenant Hofrichter's- yopng wife, whose husband is imprisoned, anil whose brother, her chief support, is now dead. In the midst of all this trouble she gave birth to her first child, a boy. The examining military auditor informed the accused officer of the death of his brother-in-law and the birth of the child. Up to the present he baa not been allowed to communicate in any way with bis family.