4 – The Life & Death of Kaspar Hauser – (1812 – 1833)
On the surface, this is a tragic tale of a young boy who was seemingly unwanted but managed to carve out a life for himself. Just when it seemed that things were getting back on track, he was murdered and the culprit was never caught. In fact, the truth may be simpler than it initially seems. However, most of Kaspar Hauser’s life is a complete mystery as no one can say who he was nor can they determine why he was murdered; or even if it was murder.
Hauser was probably born in 1812, but his story really begins on May 26, 1828, in Nuremberg, Germany. On this day, residents of the city saw a young man wander around the streets mumbling incoherently. He carried two letters. One was addressed to a Captain von Wessenig, and the writer said the boy had been placed in his care as an infant on October 7, 1812. The letter continued by saying the author had educated the boy in writing, reading and the Christian religion but he had never allowed the boy to leave the house.
It also said that the young man’s father was a cavalryman and that the boy wanted to follow in his footsteps. It concluded cruelly as the author said that von Wessenig could care for the boy or hang him. There was a second letter, supposedly from the boy’s mother to the caretaker. It said his name was Kaspar, he was born on April 30, 1812, and his father, who was a member of the 6th regiment, was dead. Handwriting experts later found that the same person wrote the two letters and they believe it was Kaspar himself.
Kasper was taken to von Wessenig’s house and repeated the words ‘cavalryman’ and ‘horse’ over and over again. He was taken to the police station where he wrote his name as Kasper Hauser. As he had no way of providing an account of himself, the boy was thrown in prison as a vagabond. Eventually, he was able to discuss what had happened to him. According to Kaspar, an unknown person kept him in a cell for an indeterminate amount of time. The captor provided Kasper with some food, water and a couple of toys.
A schoolmaster named Daumer took Kasper in and found that the boy had a natural talent for drawing. 18 months after his mysterious appearance, Kasper was allegedly attacked in Daumer’s home. However, critics believe Kasper made the entire incident up to elicit sympathy. Daumer was known to think the boy had a tendency to lie and he was transferred to the home of Johann Biberbach. On April 3, 1830, a gunshot was heard from Kasper’s room in Biberbach’s house. His escort found him bleeding from a wound to the head and Kasper claimed it was an unfortunate accident. Again, it is possible that he orchestrated the incident to gain sympathy.
On December 14, 1833, Kasper returned home with a serious wound in his chest. He claimed that a stranger gave him a bag, stabbed him and left him for dead. The bag contained a note with mirror writing. He died from his wounds three days later. It is now believed that Kasper stabbed himself but penetrated too deep. He almost certainly wrote the note.
Even if Kasper Hauser was a con man, and the evidence suggests he was; his origins are a complete mystery. There was a claim he was the lost prince of Baden who supposedly died in 1812, but genetic tests have debunked that theory. He is buried in Ansbach, Germany with an apt epitaph: “Here lies Kasper Hauser, enigma of his time… mysterious his death.”