Carl Hau

Hau was born on 3 February 1881 in Grosslittgen near Wittlich in south-west Germany close to the Luxembourg border.

[citation needed] He was studying Law at the University of Freiburg when in 1901 he contracted tuberculosis which was widespread in Europe at that time.

During this stay he met a widow, Josephina Molitor (née Stadelhofer), a mother of seven children, who was there with her two youngest daughters, Lina (25) and Olga (19).

[2][full citation needed] In June 1901 Carl and Lina ran off together to Switzerland taking 2000 marks from her savings.

An incident occurred in Realp at some time in the summer in which Lina was shot in the chest, but this was said to be part of a suicide pact.

The couple moved to the US and settled in Washington D. C. where Hau resumed his studies in Law and graduated BA in 1904 and was admitted to the bar early in 1906.

[3] In 1904 he obtained a post as Secretary to the Turkish Consul in Washington, Hermann Schoenfeld, which required a trip to Istanbul which involved a journey through Europe.

[citation needed] Lina received a large allowance from the estate of her late father which was set up to be paid annually.

Nevertheless, Lina, Olga and Carl went on a holiday together to Paris, staying at the world famous Hotel Regina close to the Louvre, with rooms overlooking the Tuilleres Gardens.

Despite the maid telling Mrs Molitor that the voice sounded like Carl Hau she nevertheless headed out at 5.45 to the Post Office, taking Olga with her, going into the dark streets.

She took a train to Zürich in Switzerland and drowned herself in Pfaffikersee Lake, leaving a note asking that her daughter change her name to avoid the shame brought on the family.

[5] American papers accused the German officials of torturing Hau to extract a confession in the time before the trial.

When the guilty verdict was announced on 22 July it sparked a street riot of 20,000 people outside the courtroom (possibly contrived by Carl and/or Lina) which had to be quelled by military force.

The initial group of at least 70 soldiers could not cope and were joined by two companies of grenadiers under command of Captain Ferdinand von Notz.

[citation needed] Carl was found guilty in 1907 but was wealthy enough (via Lena) to afford a series of lengthy appeals and in December his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

[7] On 5 February 1926 he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head while in an abandoned house in Tivoli near Rome in Italy.