SENSATIONAL MURDER CASE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10319, 19 December 1896, Page 2 (Supplement)

SENSATIONAL MURDER CASE.

" SUGGESTIONISING" IN EVIDENCE. Tub trial of a highly j sensational murder case has just concluded at Munich. ' 5 On February 15 of the present year two ladies, mother and daughter, named von Robs* and their servant, Marie Gradly, wero found dead in their apartments; (there whs fidthtrig to surest the cause of death. Thero wero no signs of a struggle having tnkdn ()lace in the rooms, and the three corpses betrayed no mAHfS of violence. An nUfcopsy, howover, elicited the fact that the unfortunate victims had' been done to death by severe external compression of t(je throat. The other ocdiljialits of the house deflated fctiab they had heard holseiin the rooms occupied by the ladies.

, A man named Berchtold . was shortly afterwards arreted on suspicion, . lie was identified by witness after witness, who had seen hiiri loitering about the premises at times previous to the murder. Ah extraordinary featul'o of the case Was the testimony of the medical men that lii cases of identification it Was quite possible for people to dugtjcstioniso themselves, and dome to tho belief that they had seen a given person. Btili it seemed to be established that either .Berchtold himself or a man corresponding with him in every particular, who was reported to liavo been seen in Munich, had been observed going up and doWn tho stairs bo the rooms inhabited by Frau von Roos. There Was a great conflict of ovidonco'ua to the identity of the lluln, Many of tho Witnesses—and there Were Mine 'Jot) in allswore that Berchtold was the man, whilst others Were equally positive that he was not the man. As to the people who sWore that fcnoy had deoti Berchtold, one of the medical witnesses deposed, "Of all the people who declare that they saw Berchtold, perhaps 20 per cent, haVe really done so. I regard the others as diseased in Mind. They have suggestionised themselves dii this poiht." Evidence was adduced to show tlio suspicious taovetabiits of Berchtold just before the crime, but 011 theother hand the prisoner put forward an alibi, remarkable in point of detail and clearness of assertion. But unfortunately for himself, when interrogated immediately after his arrest, Berchtold contradicted himself, and, said the police witnesses, broke out info such a cold perspiration that his clothes had to be dried. file prosecution depended vory largely upon one piece of circumstantial evidence, viz., tho discovery in his pockets of a littlo piece of metal which corresponded with those Frau von Boos was known to keep. Another damning point against the prisoner was tho fact that immediately after the murder he was seen in possession of a considerable sum of monoy. As to another Witness who deposed that Berch told offered him a watch for sale, medical witnesses deposed that lie was ono of tlio lew who had nob "suggestionised" themselves. Yet another witness for the prosecution swore that lie saw Berchtold washing blood off his hands,

111 the end Berchtold was sentenced to death for the murder, and throe years' imprisonment for robbery.