Kaspar Hauser (30 April 1812 – 17 December 1833) was a German youth who claimed to have grown up in the total isolation of a darkened cell. His claims, and his subsequent death from a stab wound, sparked much debate and controversy both in Nuremberg and abroad. Theories propounded at the time identified Hauser as a member of the grand ducal House of Baden, hidden away because of dynastic intrigue. However, there were also allegations that Hauser was an impostor.Reinhard Heydenreuter: König Ludwig I. und der Fall Kaspar Hauser, in: Staat und Verwaltung in Bayern. Festschrift für Wilhelm Volkert zum 75. Geburtstag. Ed. by Konrad Ackermann and Alois Schmid, Munich 2003, pp. 465–476, here p. 465. In 2024, a scientific study ruled out Hauser's princely descent by comparing mitochondrial DNA haplotypes with the House of Baden.
Biography First appearance in Nuremberg On 26 May 1828, Hauser, then a teenage boy, was found wandering the streets of Nuremberg, then part of the Kingdom of Bavaria (now Germany), carrying two letters. The first letter was addressed to a Captain von Wessenig, commander of the 4th squadron of the 6th cavalry regiment in Nuremberg. Its heading read:
The anonymous author of this letter said that he had assumed custody of Hauser as an infant on 7 October 1812. The author said he had taught him reading, writing and the Christian religion, but never let him "take a single step out of my house." The letter stated that Hauser would like to become a cavalryman "as his father was." The letter invited von Wessenig either to take in Hauser or hang him.
The second letter was purportedly written by Hauser's mother to his former caretaker. It stated that the boy's name was Kaspar, that he was born on 30 April 1812 and that his deceased father had been a cavalryman of the 6th regiment. Writing analysts in later years concluded that the same person wrote both letters. The line from the letter "he writes my handwriting exactly as I do" led them to assume that Hauser wrote both of them.Ivo Striedinger: Neues Schrifttum über Kaspar Hauser, in: Zeitschrift für bayerische Landesgeschichte, 6. Vol., 1933, pp. 415–484, here p. 452
A shoemaker named Weickmann brought Hauser to von Wessenig's house. Once there, Hauser only repeated the words, "I want to be a cavalryman, as my father was" and, "Horse! Horse!" Any attempts at gaining more information caused Hauser to cry or simply repeat, "Don't know." Von Wessenig sent Hauser to a police station, where he wrote his name for the first time. While being examined by police, Hauser showed familiarity with money and the ability to say some prayers and a small measure of reading. However, he answered few of their questions and demonstrated a limited vocabulary.Ivo Striedinger: Hauser Kaspar, der "rätselhafte Findling", in: Lebensläufe aus Franken, III. Vol., 1929, pp. 199–215; here pp. 199–200 Authorities ultimately decided that Hauser was a vagrant and sent him to prison.Jan Bondeson: The Great Pretenders: The True Stories Behind Famous Historical Mysteries, W. W. Norton & Company 2004, p. 77
Hauser spent the following two months in Luginsland Tower in Nuremberg Castle, in the care of jailer Andreas Hiltel. Contrary to many later accounts, observers described Hauser as being in good physical condition and able to walk well; for example, he could climb over ninety steps by himself to his room. He had a "healthy facial complexion"police description, dated 7 July 1828; see e.g. Jochen Hörisch (ed.): Ich möchte ein solcher werden wie...: Materialien zur Sprachlosigkeit des Kaspar Hauser, Suhrkamp 1979, pp. 33–34 and was judged to be approximately sixteen years old but appeared to be intellectually impaired. Mayor Binder, however, claimed that Hauser had an excellent memory and was a quick learner. Various curious people visited Hauser to his apparent delight. He refused all food except bread and water.
Hauser's account of life in a dungeon
At first, most assumed that Hauser was a person with a developmental disability, who had wandered out of the forest. During the course of many conversations with Binder, Hauser told a different version of his past life, which he later wrote down in more detail.Ivo Striedinger 1927, pp. 200–201; for the primary sources, see e. g. Jochen Hörisch 1979
According to Hauser's account, he had spent his youth living in solitary confinement in a dark cell. He claimed that he found rye bread and water next to his bed each morning. At times, the water would taste bitter and drinking it would cause him to sleep more deeply than usual. On such occasions, upon awakening, Hauser noticed that someone had changed his straw and cut his hair and nails. Hauser claimed that the person he met was a masked man who visited him shortly before his release. The visitor taught him to write his own name, stand and walk. The visitor then brought Hauser to Nuremberg, where he taught him to say the phrase, "I want to be a cavalryman, as my father was" (in Old Bavarian dialect). Hauser claimed not to understand its meaning at the time.
Further life in Nuremberg
Paul Johann Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach, president of the Bavarian court of appeals, began to investigate the case. Hauser was formally adopted by the town of Nuremberg and its citizens donated money for his upkeep and education.Jan Bondeson 2004, p. 80 The town placed him into the care of Friedrich Daumer, a schoolmaster and speculative philosopher. Daumer taught Hauser various subjects and uncovered his talent for drawing.
Hauser appeared to flourish with Daumer, who subjected him to homeopathy and magnetic experiments. As Feuerbach told the story, "When Professor Daumer held the north pole [of a magnet] towards him, Kaspar put his hand to the pit of his stomach, and, drawing his waistcoat in an outward direction, said that it drew him thus; and that a current of air seemed to proceed from him. The south pole affected him less powerfully; and he said that it blew upon him."Anselm von Feuerbach: Caspar Hauser, translated by Gotfried Linberg, Allen and Ticknor 1832, p. 132
Cut wound On 17 October 1829, Hauser was found in the cellar of Daumer's house bleeding from a wound to his forehead. He claimed that while sitting in the outhouse, a hooded man attacked him, saying: "You still have to die before you leave the city of Nuremberg." Hauser said he recognised the speaker as the man who had brought him to Nuremberg in 1828. As was obvious from his blood trail, Hauser at first fled into the house to the first floor, then went downstairs and climbed through a trap door into the cellar.
Alarmed officials called for a police escort and transferred Hauser to the care of Johann Biberbach, a municipal authority. The alleged attack fueled rumours about Hauser's possible ancestry from Hungary, England or the House of Baden. Skeptics believed that Hauser had deliberately cut himself with a razor, then left it in his room on the first floor before hiding in the cellar.Fritz Trautz: Zum Problem der Persönlichkeitsdeutung: Anläßlich das Kaspar-Hauser-Buches von Jean Mistler, in: Francia 2, 1974, pp. 715–731, here pp. 717–718 Hauser had recently quarrelled with Daumer, who had accused him of lying. Hauser might have staged the attack to gain sympathy and avoid further reprimand from Daumer.Ivo Striedinger 1927, p. 201 and p. 206
"Pistol accident" On 3 April 1830, a pistol shot went off in Hauser's room at the Biberbachs' house. His escort hurriedly entered the room and found him unconscious, bleeding from a head wound. Quickly reviving, Hauser stated that he had climbed on a chair to get some books from a shelf. The chair had fallen and he reached to grab something to stop his fall. By mistake, he grabbed a pistol hanging on the wall, which then discharged and wounded him.
Again, people were dubious of Hauser's story. His head wound seemed too superficial to have been caused by a gunshot. He had also been recently reproached by the Biberbach family for lying.Fritz Trautz 1974, pp. 718–719 Mrs Biberbach commented on Hauser's "horrendous mendacity" and "art of dissimulation" and called him "full of vanity and spite." Having outstayed his welcome in the Biberbach household, the town of Nuremberg transferred Hauser in May 1830 to the house of Baron von Tucher.Jean Mistler: Gaspard Hauser, un drame de la personnalité, Fayard 1971, pp. 170–171 The baron later complained about Hauser's exorbitant vanity and lies.Walther Schreibmüller 1991, p. 53
Lord Stanhope A British nobleman, Lord Stanhope, took an interest in Hauser and gained custody of him late in 1831. He spent a great deal of money attempting to clarify Hauser's origin. He promised Hauser that he would eventually take him to England.
Stanhope took Hauser to Hungary on two trips hoping to jog the boy's memory. He claimed to remember some Hungarian words and had once declared that a Hungarian Countess Maytheny was his mother. However, Hauser failed to recognise any buildings or monuments in Hungary. A Hungarian nobleman who had met Hauser later told Stanhope that he and his son had a good laugh when they remembered Hauser and his histrionic behaviour.Jan Bondeson 2004, pp. 88–9
The failures of the two Hungarian trips led Stanhope to doubt Hauser's credibility. In December 1831 he transferred Hauser to a schoolmaster named Johann Georg Meyer in Ansbach, under the patronage of Anselm von Feuerbach. The last time that Stanhope saw Hauser was in January 1832, although he continued to pay Hauser's living expenses.
Life and death in Ansbach Meyer was a strict and pedantic man who disliked Hauser's excuses and apparent lies. By late 1832, Hauser was employed as a copyist in the local law office. Still hoping that Stanhope would take him to England, Hauser was dissatisfied with his life in Ansbach. When von Feuerbach died in May 1833, Hauser mourned his loss.Fritz Trautz 1974, p. 721
However, some authors point out that von Feuerbach had lost faith in Hauser by the end of his life. He wrote a note saying, "Caspar Hauser is a smart scheming codger, a rogue, a good-for-nothing that ought to be killed."Ivo Striedinger 1933, p. 449 However, there is no indication that von Feuerbach, already seriously ill, let Hauser know these feelings.
Fatal stab wound
On 9 December 1833, Hauser and Meyer had a serious argument. Stanhope was expected to visit Ansbach at Christmas, and Meyer stated that he did not know how he would face him.
Five days later, on 14 December, Hauser came back to Meyer's house with a deep chest wound. He claimed to have been lured to the Ansbach Court Garden, where a stranger stabbed him while handing him a purse. He was eager for authorities to find the purse he had left behind but did not ask about its contents. As he progressively deteriorated, Hauser muttered incoherently about "writing with pencil". Hauser died of his wound three days later on 17 December.
When a policeman searched the Court Garden, he found a small violet purse containing a pencilled note in Spiegelschrift (mirror writing). The message read, in German:
"Hauser will be able to tell you quite precisely how I look and from where I am. To save Hauser the effort, I want to tell you myself from where I come _ _ . I come _ _ _ the Bavarian border _ _ On the river _ _ _ _ _ I will even tell you the name: M. L. Ö."
Inconsistencies in Hauser's account led the Ansbach court of enquiry to suspect that he had stabbed himself and then invented a tale about being attacked. The note in the purse contained a spelling error and a grammatical error, both of which were typical for Hauser. The note itself was folded into a specific triangular form, in the way in which Hauser typically folded his letters, according to Mrs Meyer.