AN EXTRAORDINARY CRIMINAL.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 254, 25 October 1919, Page 19

AN EXTRAORDINARY CRIMINAL.

LONG SERIES OF OUTRAGES. A new chapter In. the history of criminology has been revealed by the arrest of a man at iSpandau, Germany, who has confessed to an appalling number of crimes. He consulted a surgeon for the purpose of removing a foreign body from his back, the result of an explosion. lie said the foreign body was a bullet, and the doctor communicated: with the police, •who arrested the patient on suspicion of killing a forester in the Falkenhagen •Forest.

Subsequent inquiries established Ms identity. He is n locksmith named Firledrleh Schumann, aged 27, -who had been sought for murders and outrages committed In Falke-hagen Forest and the neighbourhood since January, 191f>. Schumann nsed to shoot at harmless persons walking through the forest intent ou picnicking, or other innocent proceedings. He admits to attacking twenty women in the la.=t few years; that he had severely wounded some persons by shooting them: that he Jia'J. caused a number of fires and tired upon the fire brigade.

The number of crimes he was involved la Is so great that he can not Temember any longer all the details of this or that offence.

He killed on Whitsunday a man and bis bride who had pitched their tent in the forest He tried to force h's society upon them, but was told to go away. Returning after nightfall, he dragged the man out of the tent, shot him, destroyed tho tent, assaulted the young woman, and shot her dead. On another occasion he killed a man employed as nightwatchman. He avenged himself upon a schoolmaster who interfered to protect a woman by setting fire to the schoolmaster's house after blocking up the door.s so that he could not -get out. The Are was extinguished, but Schumann shot and klHed the occupant.

Schumann Is supposed to have committed at least five murders, the first being a •woman whom he killed when he was only 18 years ot aga.