A MYSTERIOUS TRAGEDY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3003, 9 February 1881, Page 3

A MYSTERIOUS TRAGEDY.

On Wednesday evening a young man, apparent!/uG-oui; -o'yeuv. c? sge, AVjtajfed a room at a hotel known a3 the " Hotel Garni*'' at Vienna. He gave the name of Joseph Breslauer," of Presburg. Going out, he gave directions to the hotel porter that if any one brought a letter or inquired for him the person was to be shown to his room. He did not return that night ; but coming back next morning at 7.30, he told the porter to tell any ono asking for him that he was in his room. Shortly before eleven o'clock a letter-carrier, named HUttmann, from the chief Post Office, came with a registered letter addressed to Breslauer. According to the Austrian system, the envelope bore an "endorsement declaring that the contents were of the value of 17 florins. The lettercarrier took the letter, as directed, to Breslauer's room ; but ten minutes latter he was seen to stagger out of the room and down the stairs, closely followed by Breslauer. He stopped at the porter's lodge. He was ashy pale and apparently very ill. Almost at once he fell to the ground unconscious. He was immediately removed to a neighbouring hospital, where he died within an hour, never having recovered consciousness. In the confusion, Breslauer disappeared, leaving behind him unopened the registered letter brought to him by the unfortunate letteroarrier. The police found that the letter contained utterly valueless pieces of paper, instead of the money enumerated in the endorsement. On the table in his room, a water-glass was found, and alongside it a green flask, from which a strong odour exhaled, and in which a few drops of prussic acid remained. The incomprehensible circumstance, however, was that the Post Office authorities found all the registered letters in Hutmann's bag quitecorrect and undisturbed. Whatever-was the motive of the murderer,he ,did not plunder his victim. Next day, Thursday, a deputation of the Vienna Town Council visited another hotel, the " Hotel Union," for the purpose of seeing whether some apartments in it would suit as chambers for a Sanitary Commission. They. visited several rooms; and at length came to one marked No. 22. The manager threw open the door, announcing " the Commission." Standing in the middle of the room was a well-dressed young man, and two young women were sitting on chairs near him. Several persons remembered afterwards that upon the entry of the strangers into the room, the young man became excessively pale. He passed his hand into the breast-pocket of his coat, and then across his mouth. The visitors did not delay beyond a minute, but as they were retiring the young man fell to the ground, and, after a short convulsive struggle, died. A small phial in which a few drops of prussic acid remained explained the cause of his death. A police commissary recognised him as Wilhelm Burghardt, from Kaschau, in Hungary, and a commission agent for English firms. One

of the young women was about to be married to him ; the other was her friend. In his pocket was found a note addressed to his betrothed, stating that circumstances were too much for him, and they must part for ever ; along with it were five half-kreut-zers—a few farthings. His condi.l ion was evidently hopeless. Later in the clay, the police were able to establish his identity with the pretended Breslauer, the poisoner of the letter-carrier. It is presumed that upon hearing " the Commission " announced he thought it was the police come to arrest him, and in despair poisoned himself. But the motive which suggested the poisoning of Huttmann remains a mystery.—Times.