Post by hi224 on Dec 8, 2019 1:28:47 GMT
I recently read a book by Edward Chilvers called "Footsteps in the Attic" and read quite a bit of information about the murders that I had never heard before. Here goes yet another account of the Hinterkaifeck Massacre.
Victims: Andreas Gruber (63), his wife Cazilia Gruber (72), Their widow daughter Viktoria Gabriel (35), Viktoria’s two children, 6 year old Cazilia Gabriel and 2 year Josef Gabriel, and their 45 year old maid, Maria Baumgartner.
6 months before the murders: 6 months before the murders, the Gruber’s old maid quit, she claimed to hear footsteps and voices and claimed the house was haunted. The family dismissed the claims, but later began to notice suspicious occurrences around the farm. The lock on the shed was scratched as if someone tried to pick it, their house keys went missing, a mysterious newspaper was found in the house, footsteps and voices were heard in the attic, footsteps were seen around the farm, and a mysterious man in an army coat was seen at the edge of the woods.
Friday, March 31st, 1922: Chillingly, footprints were seen leading to the house, but not away. Andreas told a neighbor named Lorenz Schlittenbauer about it and Schlittenbauer offered to let Andreas borrow his revolver, but Andreas declined the offer. Andreas searched the house, fearing an intruder and found nothing, he along with Viktoria went to a hardware store run by Wenzalaus Bley to buy some tools, this was the last time any of the Grubers were seen alive. As the Grubers came home, their new 45 year old maid named Maria Baumgartner showed up for her job, her sister (Franziska) had walked with her there, this would be the last time Franziska would ever see her sister.
Saturday, Aprils 1st, 1922: Cazilia Gabriel had not shown up to school (yes, they did have school on saturday), this was common as kids often got sick. Later around noon brothers Hans and Eduward Schirovsky visited the Hinterkaifeck farm to deliver a coffee order from Viktoria, the pair went to Schlittenbaurs house to tell him of the absence of the Grubers, but Schlittenbaur was working so the pair told his wife about it, she said they were often in the fields so it wasn’t a big deal. That evening a carpenter named Michel Plockl passed by the farm on his way home and noticed smoke rising from the chimney, it smelled like rags and had an acrid odor. It was eerily quiet indicating the animals were already fed, a man was in the courtyard of the farm and raised a flashlight to Michels eyes, temporarily blinding him, Michel hurried home, spooked by the strangers actions.
Sunday, April 2nd, 1922: The Grubers were not at church, this was very unusual as they were always at church, especially Viktoria who sang in the church chorus. The Grubers neighbor named Michael Poell was nearby the farm many times and noted how quiet it was, there were no sounds of animals or anything, indicating they had already been fed.
Monday, April 3rd, 1922: The postman, Josef Mayer delivered the Grubers newspaper and noted that Josefs stroller was not in the kitchen where it usually was and the kitchen door was slightly opened, but he didn’t think much of it.
Tuesday, April 4th, 1922:
20 year old Albert Hofner arrived at the farm to fix a diesel engine the Grubers had made an appointment to have fixed. Hofner noted that there was no smoke rising from the chimney and the dog was barking. Hofner saw a man along the treeline and assumed it was Andreas, after 20 minutes of waiting for Andreas, Hofner worked on the engine. When Hofner finished he knocked on the door of the house and no one answered, Hofner noticed the barn door was open and the dog was leashed to the barn entrance. The dog seemingly had a gash across his eye, Hofner attempted to open the kitchen door again and the door was locked. Hofner left and reported to nearby farmers Lorenz Schlittenbauer and the farmer at Vorderkaifeck where he was told not to worry and that the Grubers were often gone for extended time periods. Lorenz asked his sons to go to Hinterkaifeck and see if anyone was there, there was no answer so Lorenz, his 16 year old son, Johann, his 9 year old step son Josef, neighbors Michel Poell and Josef Sigl went to Hinterkaifeck to see what was wrong. Lorenz, Poell and Sigl went into the barn and found a horrific sight. Sigl and Poell stumbled out of the barn, their faces white with fear. The straw was stained with blood, four bodies lay sprawled out across the floor, Cazilia Gruber, Andreas Gruber, Cazilia Gabriel and Viktoria Gabriel were all dead. Lorenz turned a body over and saw Andreas’s face, caked with blood with a deep gash in his head, the right side of his face was shredded, Lorenz turned over another body, it was Cazilia Gabriel, her head was cleaved open and she had torn out her own hair, Lorenz sat Cazilia up to get a better look at her. Sigl and Poell re-entered the barn and told Lorenz not to move any more bodies. Lorenz left and went to the kitchen door which was unlocked, Sigl, Poell and Lorenz entered and threw some hay to the animals which were noisy, indicating they had not been fed yet. The 3 moved to the back door and found the missing keys in the lock, he opened the house and the 3 went to the childrens room, Josef was in his cot, the ceiling of the cot was torn apart and caved down with so much force that blood had splattered onto the walls and floor. The three quickly left the room and noticed a pair of legs sticking out from under a blanket. Lorenz pulled the blanket back and saw Marie murdered in the same way the other 5 were. Maria’s suitcase was on the bed, still unopened, the murders happened so fast she couldn’t even finish unpacking. The three alerted the police and the next day the investigation began.
Wednesday, April 5th, 1922: The police began to investigate and could not find the murderer, the murder weapon was determined to be one of two things (sources vary), either a mattock or a pickaxe. As I'm sure you already know, nobody was ever caught, but here are some of the suspects
Lorenz Schlittenbaur: The same neighbnor who had offered his revolver to Andreas was the strongest suspect of the case. Lorenz was supposedly the father of Josef (though it was later confirmed to have been Andreas, so Andreas played the horrifying role of both father and grandfather...), so Lorenz was paying child support for a kid who wasn't his, so he had a motive. Lorenz had access to a farm and was familiar with the farm and was not at all phased or concerned by the murder scene and most importantly, knew where the bodies would be.
Charles Gabriel: Charles Gabriel was the husband of Viktoria Gabriel and was allegedly killed in 1914. Gabriels body was never found, but numerous soldiers reported witnessing his death so it is unlikely he killed the family. Gabriel would have known the farm and had a motive (Viktoria cheating on him).
Josef Bartl: Josef Bartl was a man who escaped an insane asylum nearby at the time of the murders, but that would not explain all the ominous warning signs before the murders so it is safe to say Bartl did not commit the murders.
The Bavarian Speaking Russian: Multiple German POWs claimed to have encountered a Bavarian accented Russian who claimed to have been the killer at Hinterkaifeck, this may have actually been Charles Gabriel, though this is unlikely.
Ludwig and Paul Blunder: Ludwig and Paul Blunder are two robbers who raided a property roughly 30 miles away from Hinterkaifeck on April 4th, in the robbery they hit the farmer with a blunt object. All the Grubers valuables were left there and so this is an unlikely theory.
Paul Mueller: This theory comes from the book "The Man From the Train" by Bill James and Rachel McCarthy James. Paul Mueller was the leading suspect in the slaying of a family in 1897 in Westbrookfield, Massachusetts. This murder matched several other axe murders throughout the late 1890s up into the 1910s, so it is theorized Paul Mueller may have been responsible for these murders. Paul Mueller was German and knew how to speak German, so he very well may have been able to make it to Germany and blend into the crowd. Mueller was too old in 1922 (nobody knows when he was born, but it is suspected he was in his later 40s-50s) to join the army, so he had no trouble finding work in post war Germany. Mueller may very well have been responsible for the deaths of over 100 people in the USA (including the Villisca Axe Murders), and he may have also been responsible for one of the most famous crimes in German history. I find this theory unlikely for a few reasons. Mueller usually stalked a family for a few days from a distance, not for 6 months and he didn't hide in their house. Secondly, Mueller did not stay behind at the scene of the crimes, he usually locked/jammed the doors shut and/or set the house on fire and fled. Third, Mueller usually struck near railroads and Hinterkaifeck was not near a railroad. Of all the suspects, I think Lorenz Schlittenbaur is the most promising.
Sources:
"The Man from the Train" by Rachel McCarthy James and Bill James ( amazon link to the book)
"Footsteps in the Attic" by Edward Chilvers (amazon link to the e-book)
defrostingcoldcases.com/case-month-hinterkaifeck/
Victims: Andreas Gruber (63), his wife Cazilia Gruber (72), Their widow daughter Viktoria Gabriel (35), Viktoria’s two children, 6 year old Cazilia Gabriel and 2 year Josef Gabriel, and their 45 year old maid, Maria Baumgartner.
6 months before the murders: 6 months before the murders, the Gruber’s old maid quit, she claimed to hear footsteps and voices and claimed the house was haunted. The family dismissed the claims, but later began to notice suspicious occurrences around the farm. The lock on the shed was scratched as if someone tried to pick it, their house keys went missing, a mysterious newspaper was found in the house, footsteps and voices were heard in the attic, footsteps were seen around the farm, and a mysterious man in an army coat was seen at the edge of the woods.
Friday, March 31st, 1922: Chillingly, footprints were seen leading to the house, but not away. Andreas told a neighbor named Lorenz Schlittenbauer about it and Schlittenbauer offered to let Andreas borrow his revolver, but Andreas declined the offer. Andreas searched the house, fearing an intruder and found nothing, he along with Viktoria went to a hardware store run by Wenzalaus Bley to buy some tools, this was the last time any of the Grubers were seen alive. As the Grubers came home, their new 45 year old maid named Maria Baumgartner showed up for her job, her sister (Franziska) had walked with her there, this would be the last time Franziska would ever see her sister.
Saturday, Aprils 1st, 1922: Cazilia Gabriel had not shown up to school (yes, they did have school on saturday), this was common as kids often got sick. Later around noon brothers Hans and Eduward Schirovsky visited the Hinterkaifeck farm to deliver a coffee order from Viktoria, the pair went to Schlittenbaurs house to tell him of the absence of the Grubers, but Schlittenbaur was working so the pair told his wife about it, she said they were often in the fields so it wasn’t a big deal. That evening a carpenter named Michel Plockl passed by the farm on his way home and noticed smoke rising from the chimney, it smelled like rags and had an acrid odor. It was eerily quiet indicating the animals were already fed, a man was in the courtyard of the farm and raised a flashlight to Michels eyes, temporarily blinding him, Michel hurried home, spooked by the strangers actions.
Sunday, April 2nd, 1922: The Grubers were not at church, this was very unusual as they were always at church, especially Viktoria who sang in the church chorus. The Grubers neighbor named Michael Poell was nearby the farm many times and noted how quiet it was, there were no sounds of animals or anything, indicating they had already been fed.
Monday, April 3rd, 1922: The postman, Josef Mayer delivered the Grubers newspaper and noted that Josefs stroller was not in the kitchen where it usually was and the kitchen door was slightly opened, but he didn’t think much of it.
Tuesday, April 4th, 1922:
20 year old Albert Hofner arrived at the farm to fix a diesel engine the Grubers had made an appointment to have fixed. Hofner noted that there was no smoke rising from the chimney and the dog was barking. Hofner saw a man along the treeline and assumed it was Andreas, after 20 minutes of waiting for Andreas, Hofner worked on the engine. When Hofner finished he knocked on the door of the house and no one answered, Hofner noticed the barn door was open and the dog was leashed to the barn entrance. The dog seemingly had a gash across his eye, Hofner attempted to open the kitchen door again and the door was locked. Hofner left and reported to nearby farmers Lorenz Schlittenbauer and the farmer at Vorderkaifeck where he was told not to worry and that the Grubers were often gone for extended time periods. Lorenz asked his sons to go to Hinterkaifeck and see if anyone was there, there was no answer so Lorenz, his 16 year old son, Johann, his 9 year old step son Josef, neighbors Michel Poell and Josef Sigl went to Hinterkaifeck to see what was wrong. Lorenz, Poell and Sigl went into the barn and found a horrific sight. Sigl and Poell stumbled out of the barn, their faces white with fear. The straw was stained with blood, four bodies lay sprawled out across the floor, Cazilia Gruber, Andreas Gruber, Cazilia Gabriel and Viktoria Gabriel were all dead. Lorenz turned a body over and saw Andreas’s face, caked with blood with a deep gash in his head, the right side of his face was shredded, Lorenz turned over another body, it was Cazilia Gabriel, her head was cleaved open and she had torn out her own hair, Lorenz sat Cazilia up to get a better look at her. Sigl and Poell re-entered the barn and told Lorenz not to move any more bodies. Lorenz left and went to the kitchen door which was unlocked, Sigl, Poell and Lorenz entered and threw some hay to the animals which were noisy, indicating they had not been fed yet. The 3 moved to the back door and found the missing keys in the lock, he opened the house and the 3 went to the childrens room, Josef was in his cot, the ceiling of the cot was torn apart and caved down with so much force that blood had splattered onto the walls and floor. The three quickly left the room and noticed a pair of legs sticking out from under a blanket. Lorenz pulled the blanket back and saw Marie murdered in the same way the other 5 were. Maria’s suitcase was on the bed, still unopened, the murders happened so fast she couldn’t even finish unpacking. The three alerted the police and the next day the investigation began.
Wednesday, April 5th, 1922: The police began to investigate and could not find the murderer, the murder weapon was determined to be one of two things (sources vary), either a mattock or a pickaxe. As I'm sure you already know, nobody was ever caught, but here are some of the suspects
Lorenz Schlittenbaur: The same neighbnor who had offered his revolver to Andreas was the strongest suspect of the case. Lorenz was supposedly the father of Josef (though it was later confirmed to have been Andreas, so Andreas played the horrifying role of both father and grandfather...), so Lorenz was paying child support for a kid who wasn't his, so he had a motive. Lorenz had access to a farm and was familiar with the farm and was not at all phased or concerned by the murder scene and most importantly, knew where the bodies would be.
Charles Gabriel: Charles Gabriel was the husband of Viktoria Gabriel and was allegedly killed in 1914. Gabriels body was never found, but numerous soldiers reported witnessing his death so it is unlikely he killed the family. Gabriel would have known the farm and had a motive (Viktoria cheating on him).
Josef Bartl: Josef Bartl was a man who escaped an insane asylum nearby at the time of the murders, but that would not explain all the ominous warning signs before the murders so it is safe to say Bartl did not commit the murders.
The Bavarian Speaking Russian: Multiple German POWs claimed to have encountered a Bavarian accented Russian who claimed to have been the killer at Hinterkaifeck, this may have actually been Charles Gabriel, though this is unlikely.
Ludwig and Paul Blunder: Ludwig and Paul Blunder are two robbers who raided a property roughly 30 miles away from Hinterkaifeck on April 4th, in the robbery they hit the farmer with a blunt object. All the Grubers valuables were left there and so this is an unlikely theory.
Paul Mueller: This theory comes from the book "The Man From the Train" by Bill James and Rachel McCarthy James. Paul Mueller was the leading suspect in the slaying of a family in 1897 in Westbrookfield, Massachusetts. This murder matched several other axe murders throughout the late 1890s up into the 1910s, so it is theorized Paul Mueller may have been responsible for these murders. Paul Mueller was German and knew how to speak German, so he very well may have been able to make it to Germany and blend into the crowd. Mueller was too old in 1922 (nobody knows when he was born, but it is suspected he was in his later 40s-50s) to join the army, so he had no trouble finding work in post war Germany. Mueller may very well have been responsible for the deaths of over 100 people in the USA (including the Villisca Axe Murders), and he may have also been responsible for one of the most famous crimes in German history. I find this theory unlikely for a few reasons. Mueller usually stalked a family for a few days from a distance, not for 6 months and he didn't hide in their house. Secondly, Mueller did not stay behind at the scene of the crimes, he usually locked/jammed the doors shut and/or set the house on fire and fled. Third, Mueller usually struck near railroads and Hinterkaifeck was not near a railroad. Of all the suspects, I think Lorenz Schlittenbaur is the most promising.
Sources:
"The Man from the Train" by Rachel McCarthy James and Bill James ( amazon link to the book)
"Footsteps in the Attic" by Edward Chilvers (amazon link to the e-book)
defrostingcoldcases.com/case-month-hinterkaifeck/