Foreign Language Press Survey

German Refinement in Crimes (Editorial)

DennĂ­ Hlasatel, July 7, 1915

It does not take just a fanatical enemy of the Germans to recognize this interesting fact: There has not been one single sensational, refined, and well-prepared murder during the last fifteen or twenty years whose perpetrator was not a German. No matter if it was Chicago Luetger who "chopped up his wife into sausages," or Hoch, who killed women by the dozens, or New York Wolter, the murderer of a fine young girl, or Father Schmidt, who killed his sweetheart Aumueller--we quote four instances only--all of them took great pains with their crimes, did all they could to prevent detection, and gave strong evidence of the thoroughness for which German professors have gained world fame. A new German name is now being added to the list of great world criminals, that of Professor Holt-Mueller, who killed his wife years ago, succeeded in disappearing, and made a reappearance by an attempted dynamiting 2of the Capitol in Washington and shooting the millionaire Morgan. What is a poor Italian with his stiletto, or a poor Negro with his razor, compared with the educated, artful Germans? A great deal of studying is being done in Germany, everything is being thoroughly studied, even the art of killing, the profession of murder. And the shining example of perfect accomplishments in this respect is, of all Germans, their Kaiser with his Admiral Tirpitz and submarines.

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