CASPAR HAUSER.

CHAPTER I.

WHITMONDAY is at Nuremberg a day of great festivity; when most of its inhabitants sally forth from the city, and disperse themselves in the neighboring country and villages. The appearance of the city, which, in consequence of the present scantiness of its population, is very straggling, reminds us on such occasions, and particularly in fine spring weather, rather of an enchanted city in the desert, than of an active, bustling, manufacturing town; and many secret deeds may, in situations remote from its centre, then be done publicly, without ceasing to be secret.

It was on Whitmonday, the 26th of May, 1828, in the evening between four and five o'clock, that the following occurrence took place.

A citizen, who lived at the so called Un

schlitt place, near the small and little frequented Haller gate, was still loitering before his door, and was about to proceed upon his intended ramble through the new gate, when, looking around him, he remarked at a little distance a young man in a peasant's dress, who was standing in a very singular posture, and, like an intoxicated person, was endeavoring to move forward, without being fully able either to stand upright or to govern the movements of his legs. The citizen approached the stranger, who held out to him a letter, directed "To his honour the Captain of the 4th Esgataron of the Shwolishay regiment. Nuremberg." As the captain, apparently referred to, lived near the Newgate, the citizen took the strange youth along with him to the guard room, whence the latter was conducted to the dwelling of Captain von W. who at that time commanded the 4th squadron of the 6th regiment of Chevaux legers, and who lived in the neighborhood.* The stranger advanced towards

* The depositions concerning what passed while Caspar and the above mentioned citizen were on their way from the Unschlitt place to the guard room and thence to Captain von W-'s dwelling, are so defec

the captain's servant who opened the door, with his hat on his head and the letter in his

tive, so unsatisfactory, and withal so apocryphical, that I have thought proper to reduce their contents within a very narrow compass. Thus, for instance, the citizen mentioned before has deposed, that, after many attempts to enter into conversation with Caspar, and after having asked him several questions, he at length perceived that Caspar neither knew nor had the least conception of what he meant, and that he therefore *ceased to speak to him. From this circumstance it would appear, that Caspar's conduct towards him was the same as it was the same evening, at Captain von W-'s, and afterwards at the guard room; and as it continued to be for several days and weeks in succession. Nevertheless the same citizen has also stated, that Caspar had replied to the question, whence he came?"from Regensburg." And also, that when they came to the new gate, Caspar had said; "that has just been built since they call it the new gate," &c. That witness fully believes that he heard such expressions, appears to me to be as certain, as that Caspar never said any such thing. This is fully proved by all that follows. For it is highly probable that the words which Caspar repeatedly uttered "Reuta waehn wie mein Votta waehn is," may have thus been understood by his conductor, who would scarcely have paid much attention to the words of such a simpleton as he conceived him to be. But upon the whole, the official documents showing the proceedings of the police on this occasion prove, that they have been so irregular that the depositions taken contain so

But the

hand, with the following words: "ae sechtene möcht ih waehn, wie mei Votta waehn is." The servant asked him what he wanted? who he was? whence he came? stranger appeared to understand none of these questions; and his only reply was a repetition of the words "ae sechtene möcht ih waehn, wie mei Votta waehn is," or "wo as nit." He was, as the captain's servant declared in his deposition, so much fatigued that he could scarcely be said to walk, but rather to stagger. Weeping, and with the expression of excessive pain, he pointed to his feet, which were sinking under him; and he appeared to be suffering from hunger and thirst. A small piece of meat was handed to him; but scarcely had the first morsel touched his lips, when he shuddered, the muscles of his face were seized with convulsive spasms, and, with visible horror he spit it out. He showed the same marks of aversion when a glass of beer was brought to him, and he had tasted a few drops of it. A bit many contradictions, that the witnesses have been so slightly examined, and that many of their assertions contain anachronisms which are so very palpable; that these documents cannot, without much caution, be admitted as genuine sources of historical truth.

of bread and a glass of fresh water, he swallowed greedily and with extreme satisfaction. In the meantime, all attempts to gain any information respecting his person or his arrival were altogether fruitless. He seemed to hear without understanding, to see without perceiving, and to move his feet without knowing how to use them for the purpose of walking. His language consisted mostly of tears, moans, and unintelligible sounds, or of the words, which he frequently repeated: "Reuta wähn, wie mei Votta wähn is." In the Captain's house, he was soon taken for a kind of savage, and, in expectation of the captain's return, he was conducted to the stable, where he immediately stretched himself on the straw, and fell into a profound sleep.

He had already slept for some hours, when the Captain returned and went directly to his stable, in order to see the savage human being of whom his children, at his first entrance, had related so many strange things. He still lay in a profound sleep. Attempts were made to awaken him; he was jogged, he was shaken and thumped, but all to no purpose. They raised him from the ground, and en