STRANGE STORY OF A TRAINWRECKER

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 71, 24 March 1934, Page 19

STRANGE STORY OF A TRAINWRECKER

The "amazing excuse that under the spell of a dead hypnotist, he was driven to wreck trains and hurl scores of people to their deaths, was put forward byJa man who; had. spread a.reign,'of terror over inahy ' countries, says' an overseas paper.

A. happy family.party was sitting-at home, thankful that the head .of the house had escaped death in a train smash, the latest of a long series that had terrified Central Europe. Suddenly there came a thunder of knocks at the door and a voice bade them open in the name, of the law. There were policemen all .round the house. ■?■ " •The doSr'was 'opened arid two grimfaced men marched into the house and up to A-the'.i man,; inside,: Sylvester Matuska, a rich: Vienna'property agent: "Put up your hands, Matuska, and come with us," said" the, detectives. And then, to the dazed questions 'of his wife and 13-year-old daughter Gaby, tk^-y'^ returned the amazing answer: "INC-i? the'inan . &\i Europe is looking for-7-tiro 'traiii dynamiter." The wife and 'daughter laughed hysterically at the'idea:' It was impossible! Not Sylvester. Matuska, the perfect husband and "father. :

Th,e>potic9 in Austria, Hungary, Germany, and other parts of Europe had been/lookjng for the man responsible for tfie' wrecking of many trains. Their first clue had come after an explosion that had hurled an express from a bridge into a hollow 80ft below, costing the lives of 23 people. Some of the train crew had noticed that immediately after the disaster Matuska, ■who told them that he was one of the survivors, had escaped without a scratch.. Tet some hours later, when they saw • him again, there were scratches on. his face and hands, which he said he had sustained in the smash.

The wrecker had evidently thought that his "escape "might, look .too miraculous, and had decided to feign some injuries. It was a fatal mistake. Once started on tho trail the clue had shown, the police unearthed evidence that piled up until it was overwhelming. ■ .••■■ : : ■

After his arrest Matuska confessed to three wreckings. But the police wanted to know his motive. "I was drvyen,to;it<by a dead hypnotist-," sfcid th©/ accused; "W-henevefc::l saw a fine railroad'train speeding proudly along, somesort of spirit urged me to wreck it. I could- get no peace until I did.

"It happened'during the war,?';he Trent on. "A'professional magician

ana hypnotist came to entertain the soldiers at the front. : I was one- of several who allowed themselves to be hypnotised, and1 after'that I never feft the same. But it did not seem to' affect my life until three years ago. From that time this spirit began to urge me to destroy trains. ; "That is not all. In the same- way as this irresistible impulse came upon me to wreck the trains, I could not see a woman in black without being driveii' to try to comfort her grief with my love. Some of the women were iii black because of my wrecks, but I was powerless to resist. " v ~ The detectives soon found that the was truth, in what Matuska. said. Hd had been engaged in an amazing humber of affairs with other women, and other members .of his battalion at the front had been hypnotised by a Leo Schlessinger. This revelation roused the relatives of the dead hypnotist to protest against the allegation that he had ever implanted evil thoughts in anyone's mind. '

Mrs. Matuska bore up bravely through^ the accusations of wrecking that were' hurlod at her husband, but the revelation of that long procession of women: m black was more than she couldstand. She became* ill, but still' struggled on, trying to comfort hop husband. Then, following a visit W the prison on a. pouring wet day, sho1 developed pneumonia. ! With her father in prison and her' mother dying, little Gaby developed^ astonishing qualities. She invented; stories to comfort her mother, saying that mental experts had examined1 Matuska, found that he was suffering from shell shock, and that lie had had^ nothing to do with the wrecks. Ha would be released soon. The women,! too. Gaby dismissed as imaginary. ! Mrs. Matuska died happy in th& thought that her husband had always,l been innocent and true. i

The authorities, to save expenses,l charged Matuska with causing a non-; fatal wreck. But they failed to bringl out in law that the accused man hadj also boen responsible for the other wrecks. And this man, who had caused the deaths of scores of people, was sentenced to only six years' imprison-1 ment. ■ ;

There was an outburst of public feeling at the leniency', of the sentence,1 and the Austrian authorities "lent' 1 their prisoner to Hungary. The Hungarians built up a crushing ease against' him-, liut decided not to try him untiL he had served the six years.