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693
Amer.J.Psychiat.124:5,November1967
[147]
MassMurder:TheWagnerCase
BYHILDEBRUCH,M.D.
D
URINGTHENIGHT
ofSeptember4,1913,
thecitizensofMuehlhausen(avillage
ofW#{252}rttemberg,southwestGermany)wereawakenedbyseverallargefires.Astheyranintothestreet,theyweremetbyaman,hisfacecoveredbyablackveil,whowasarmedwithtwopistols.Heshotwithgreataccuracyandkilledeightmenandonegirlimmediately;12morewereseverelyinjured.Thenhistwopistolsranoutofammuni-tion,andhewasoverpoweredandbeatendownwithsuchviolencethathewasleftfordead;however,hewasonlyuncon-
scious.Hehad198
morebulletsinhispos-session.Theinnkeeperidentifiedthemur-dererashis39-year-oldbrother-in-law,whohadbeenaschoolteacherinthisvillagemorethantenyearsearlier.Therageandterrorofthepopulationchangedtohorror
whenWagner
confessedthatduringthepre-cedingnighthehadquietlykilledhiswifeandfourchildren.Aphonecalltothelocalpolice(inDegerloch,nearStuttgart)con-firmedthis.
HealsoconfessedthathehadcometoMuehlhausentotakerevengeonthemale
inhabitantsfortheirscornanddisdainfor
him.
However,evenwhile
lyingseverelywoundedandexposedtothehatredofthe
attackedpeople,henoticedthatnooneem-ployedthetermofabusethatwouldrefer
tohissexualsins,whichhefelthadbeenthe
causeofallthepersecution,ridicule,and
condemnation.
Dr.BruchisProfessorofPsychiatry,BaylorUni-versityCollegeofMedicine,Houston,Tex.77025.ThiscondensationoftheWagnercasewaspre-paredwiththepermissionofProfessorRobertGaupp,Jr.,andtheDepartmentofPsychiatry,UniversityofTUbingen.TheauthorwishestothankDrs.LawrenceC.KolbandJamesW.MontgomeryfortheuseofNewYorkStatePsychiatricInstitutelibraryworksrelatedtothispaper.
Therewasageneraloutcryofhorrorabouthisdeed,andpublicopiniondemandedhisexecution.AviolentnewspaperdebateragedbecauseWagner’slifewassparedwhenitwasrecognized,duringthepretrialexamina-tion,thathewasmentallyill.Hewascom-mittedtoaninsaneasylum,wherehespenttherestofhislife,25
years.
Indignationwasexpressedagainstpsy-chiatricopinioningeneral,andpersonalattacksweredirectedagainstthepsychia-trists(Dr.RobertGauppoftheUniversityofT#{252}bingenandDr.R.Wollenbergofthe
UniversityofStrassburg)whohadexamined
themurdererandhadgiventheexpertopin-ionthathewasnotresponsibleinthelegalsense(1,7).WhenProfessorGaupppre-sentedhimbeforeapsychiatricmeetingin1932,therewerenewspaperarticlesprotest-ingthatthismightbeafirststeptowardreleasingWagnerfromcustody(6).WhenthenewsofthemassmurderinAustin,Texas,inAugust
1966reached
Ger-many,thehorrorabouttheWagnercasewasimmediatelyrevivedinnewspaperandmag-azinereferences.Certainsimilaritiescanbe
recognized:seeminglywell-functioning,in-
telligent,andambitiousmen,leadingexem-plarymiddle-classlives,hadquietlyac-cumulatedarsenalsofweapons,practicedsharpshooting,andhadmademanyotherarrangementsforcarefullyplannedmass
murders.Therehadbeennothingintheir
behavior,uptothedayofthedreadfuldeed,thatmighthavewarnedtheirfamilies,
friends,orco-workersthatadangerouscrim-
inalwaslivingamongthem.Bothmenhadspenttheprecedingdayinaquiet,relaxedwaywiththeirfamiliesandfriends.(TheAustinmurdererwaskilledandleftnolettersorotherwritingsthatmighthavegivenaclue
tohismotives.)
 
694
BRIEFCOMMUNICATIONS
[148]
Amner.J.Psychiat.124:5,November1967
WagnerasMurderer
WagnerhadspenttheeveningofSep-tember3,1913,withhislandladyandherdaughter,ayoungteacher,sittinginfrontofthehouseadmiringthecalmsummerevening.Duringtheprecedingweekhehad
writtenaseriesofletterswhichwerenotmaileduntilSeptember4,whenhewason
thewaytoMuehlhausen;amongthemwasonewhichcontainedacompleteconfessionofallhiscrimes.ItwasaddressedtothelargestnewspaperinStuttgartandwastobeusedasaneditorial.Hekilledhiswifeandfourchildrenbe-forethemorningdawn,asquietlyandpain-lesslyaspossible.Afterhehadcleanedhim-self,herodebybicycletotherailwaystationinStuttgart,fromtherebytrain(bi-cycleinthebaggagecar)tohishometown,Eglosheim,nearLudwigsburg,tovisithisbrother.Hetoldhissister-in-lawthathewasgoingbybicycletoMuehlhausentobringhischildrenbackfromvacation.Inretro-spectsheremembered,asprobablyunusual,thathehadcarefullyinspectedthehouse.Wagnerhadplannedtoreturntohisbrother’shousethefollowingnightwiththeintentofkillinghimandhisfamilyandofburningdownhishouseaswellasthehouseinwhichhehadbeenborn.AsafinalstephehadplannedtoproceedtotheroyalcastleinLudwigsburg,overpowertheguards,setfiretothecastle,anddieintheflamesorjumpoffitswalls,therebyterminatinghisownlife.Wagnersharedthepopularopinionthatheshouldhavebeenputtodeath,andhewasvituperativeinexpressinghishatredagainstProfessorGaupp,inwhomhehadconfidedthemotivesforhisdeedandwhohadthenexpressedtheopinionthathewasmentallysickandthereforenotresponsible.Astimeprogressedandafterhehadfinallyacceptedasunalterablehisfateofremaininginamentalhospital,aconfidential,evenfriendlyrelationshipdevelopedbetweenhimandProfessorGaupp.Hediscussedopenlyandexhaustivelyeveryaspectofhislifewithoneimportantexception.HealsogavehisliteraryworksandbiographytoProfes-sorGaupp,whoreportedontheminsev-eralpublications(2,6).However,inthebeginninghepassionate-lyprotestedagainsttheideaofhisbeingmentallysick.Heremarkedsarcastically:“IfIaminsane,thenamadmanhasbeenteachingalltheseyears.”Thisstatementwasnotwithoutfoundation.Hehadanex-cellentrecordasateacher;thevillagewherehehadtaughtfortenyearsbeforehislastpositionconsideredhimthebestteacheriteverhad.Duringthepretrialexaminationmanyofhisfriends,formerfellowstudentsandteachers,andmembersofthevariouscom-munitiesinwhichhehadlivedwereinter-rogatedingreatdetail;theydescribedhimasanadmirablecitizen,dignified,somewhatquiet,moresoft-mindedthanrough.Onlyafewhadnotedacertainamountofstand-offishnessandaffectation.Allcommentedonthefactthatinaregioninwhichaheavydialectwasspokenbyeducatedandun-educatedalike,heinsistedonusinghighGerman,eveninhisprivatelife.Hisexaminers,thejudgeaswellasthepsychiatrists,weresimplyoverwhelmedbythecontrastofthehorrible,carefullyplannedmassmurderandtheirpersonalimpressionofthemurdererasapolite,in-telligent,sensitive,grief-strickenmanwhowasquietandrationalinallhesaid-exceptwhenhedefendedhisdeedastheinescap-ableoutcomeofthepersecutionhehadsuffered.Thisfatefulchainofeventshaditsbegin-ning,accordingtohisself-accusation,withoneormoresodomisticactsinthelatesum-merof1901,
whenhewas
27yearsold.Atnotimedidhegiveexactinformationaboutthis;hefeltthatputtingitintowordswould
beaninsulttoallhumanity.Hissecretive-nesswassostrongandpersistent,andstood
insuchcontrasttotheopennessandclaritywithwhichhediscussedallothereventsofhislife,thatsuspicionhasbeenexpressedthattheseexperiencesnevertookplacebutweredelusional.
Gaupp,whoknewhimbest,wascon-vincedthatsomethinghadtakenplace,
probablyundertheinfluenceofalcoholwhenWagnerreturnedfromthetaverntohismodestlodgings.Beforethishehadfeltpersistentlyandexcessivelyguiltyaboutmasturbation,inwhichhehadindulgedsince
 
BRIEFCOMMUNICATIONS
695
Amer.I.Psychiat.124:5,November1967
[149]theageof18.Attimeshewouldconsiderthistheonsetofhismiserablefate(6,7).
Ofdecisiveimportancewasthefactthat
hissexualurgesandactsstoodinirrecon-cilablecontrasttohishighmoralstandardsandethicalconcepts.Hisdeepsenseofguiltneverdiminishedandwasprojectedinafatefulwaytotheoutside.Whateverhis“crime,”itremainedcompletelyunknown.However,hesoonbegantomakecertain“observations”andto“hear”certainslan-derousremarks,whichledtotheunshakableconvictionthathis“crime”wasknown.Hefelthimselfcontinuouslyobserved,mocked,andridiculed,andlivedinconstantdreadofarrest.Hewasdeterminednottosufferthispublicshameandhumiliation,andthereforehealwayscarriedaloadedpistol.WhenhetookhisfinalexaminationasateacherinDecember1902andalsoonhisweddingdayinDecember1903,hehadtwoloadedpistolswithhim,soconvincedwashethathisarrestwasimminent.Possiblytodefendhimselfagainstfurthersexualdeviations,hebegananaffairwiththeinnkeeper’sdaughter,whichsoonhadconsequences.ItbecameknownandledtohisbeingtransferredinDecember1902toapoor,isolatedvillage,Radelstetten,whereheremainedfornearlytenyears.Evenbe-forethispunitivetransferhehadfeltthathehadalwaysbeensenttoinferiorposi-tions.
WagnerasHusband,Father,andTeacher
Hisfuturewifegavebirthtoagirlinthesummerof1903,andhemarriedher(withmanyinnermisgivings)inDecember1903.Hefeltthathenolongerlovedherandthat
shewasintellectuallynothisequal;hecon-
sideredhermoreaservantthanawife.
However,
hisfriendsandneighborstestifiedthathetreatedher
kindly,thoughshegave
himmuch
provocation.Sheobjectedtohis
spendingmoney
andtimeonhisliterary
interests.
Therewerefivechildren;thelastdiedat
theageoftwomonths.Hewasunhappy
aboutthebirthofeachchildandfeltcon-finedbythefinancialhardshipofalarge
familysubsistingonthemeagerincomeofavillageschoolteacher.However,therewas
everyindicationthathelovedhischildren.Hewasdescribedasunusuallyindulgentwiththemandextravagantinhisgifts,somethingheexplainedlaterasduetohisknowingthattheyhadonlyashorttimetolive.Thefirstyearsinhisnewpositionwererelativelyfreeoftensionaslongashedidnotbelievethatthey“knew”abouthissex-ualcrime.Butheneverforgotwhathehaddone.Hispessimisticmoodledtoarecur-renceofhypochondriacalcomplaints.In1904hiswholeexistencebecamesointol-erablethathedecidedtotraveltoSwitzer-landandtoendhislife.Hewantedtodrownhimselfinalake,creatingtheimpressionthathehadsufferedastroke.However,thisplanmiscarried:hewastoocowardlytocommitsuicide.Thenheplannedtothrowhimselfbeforeanoncomingtrain;here,too,hiscouragefailedhim.Aboutthisepisodehewroteinhisautobiography:“Ihaveplayedaroundwithdeath,thewayIalwaysplayaround,untilIbecomedeadlyserious.”Graduallyhebeganalsotomake“obser-vations”inRadelstettenandfeltconvincedthatthepeopleofMuehlhausenhadcom-municatedtheir“knowledge”tothepeopleathisnewlocation.Hecouldnoticeitbecauseofcertaininsinuationsandthecc-
casionalarrogancewhichsomeallegedly
showedagainsthim.Hefeltcaughtintheolddilemma:therewasneveradirectstate-ment,buthe“heard”pointedremarkscontaininghints.Heknewifhereactedhewouldbepubliclyhumiliated.Thefewtimeshetriedtopinsomeonedown,theintentwasabsolutelydenied.Sohefelthelpless:hehadtohidehisrageandshameunderaveneerofcontentment,buthewasinwardlyfilledwithhatredandvengeance.Whatenragedhimmostwasthatpeopledidnottalkabouthimbecausetheymorallydisapprovedhisdeed;rather,theyentertainedthemselvesbytalkinginthisob-scenewayandinsmuttyinsinuations.Graduallytheconvictionripenedthattherewasonlyonewayout.Hemustkill
himselfandhischildren,
outofpity
tosavethemfromafutureofbeingthetargetofcontemptandevilslanderand
totakere-venge
onthepeopleofMuehlhausenwho
of 00

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