Home > Kaspar Hauser

1 Life

In May 26 1828 a young boy appeared in the streets of Nürnberg, Germany. He was wearing peasant clothing and could barely talk. His only documentation was a letter to the captain of the 4th squadron of the 6th cavalry regiment, where the writer asked the captain to either take him or hang him.

Shoemaker Weissman took the boy to the house of captain Wessenig where he could only repeat, "I want to be a rider like my father." Further demands resulted only in tears. He was taken to a police station where he would only write a name: Kaspar Hauser. A letter with him claimed that he was born on April 30 1812.

The next two months he spent in Vestner Gate Tower in the care of a jailor, Andreas Hiltel. Various curious people visited him, to his apparent delight. He could only smile, walk in toddler's step and could barely use his fingers. He could only eat water and bread. He was maybe sixteen years old but at the mental development of a 6-year-old. However, mayor Binder claimed that he had an excellent memory, which, to him, suggested a noble birth.

He still suffered from periods of catalepsy and convulsions. Eventually he was able to communicate enough so he could tell his story.

Hauser said that most of his life — maybe 10–12 years — he had lived in a dark 2×1×1.5 metre cell with only a straw bed for his company. He consumed only bread and water. Sometimes he was drugged so that somebody could change his clothes and cut his hair. The first human being he had seen was a man who had taught him the phrase, "I want to be a rider like my father", and to write Kaspar Hauser. Eventually the man took him outside where he fainted. The next thing he remembered was the day he had walked in Nuremberg.

This strange boy inspired some Europe-wide interest and he received even more visitors. Some took him to be a con artist who just pretended to be dumb. Others began to connect him with the family of the Grand Duke of Baden, due to some facial resemblance. In this case, his parents would have been Karl Ludwig Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden and Stephanie de Beauharnais, adopted daughter of Napoleon I of France. Because Karl Friedrich had no progeny, his successor was the Countess von Hochberg who was the alleged culprit.

On October 17October 17 is the 290th (in leap years the 291st) day of the year according to the Gregorian calendar. There are 75 days remaining. Events 1244 Battle of La Forbie: Crusaders were defeated by Khwarezmians & Egyptians 1346 Battle of Neville's Cross: King D 1829, a hooded man tried to kill Hauser with an axe but managed only to wound his forehead. Alarmed officials called for a police escort and transferred him to the care of Johann Biberbach and six months later to Baron von Tucher. Tucher found him employment as a copier in the local law office. The apparent assassination attempt also fuelled rumors about his connection to the house of Baden.

British Lord, Philip Henry Stanhope took an interest in him and apparently tried to win his trust by gifts. He also tried to gain custody of him. He transferred Hauser to Ansbach to the care of Johan Georg Meyer. He also hurriedly declared that Hauser was a Hungarian and not of noble blood. Various historians suspect him of ulterior motives and connections to the house of Baden.

In December 14, 1833, Hauser was lured to Ansbacher Hofgarten with the promise that he would hear something about his ancestry. Instead, a stranger stabbed him fatally to the chest. He struggled back home but died three days later. For some reason, Stanhope and Meyer tried to claim that the cause of death was suicide. A monument to him reads, Hic occultus occulto occisus est: "Here an unknown was killed by an unknown."