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119
Outside of Ansbach, however, these assertions were not accepted
as a sufficient explanation of the mystery.
King Ludwig offered a reward of ten thousand guldens for the
arrest of the murderer, and sent an official reprimand to the police
oficial of Ansbach on account of the lax performance of their
uties.
Hickel’s absence from the post of duty during those days of
greatest danger for Kaspar Hauser is in itself a suspicious circum-
stance, suggesting collusion with the chief conspirators, especially
as the object of his sudden journey was never known.
In consequence of a rumour that Lord Stanhope had been
seen near Ansbach on the day of the murder, that nobleman was
summoned to Munich, and answered the summons from Regens-
ourg, where, he said, he first learned the news of Kaspar Hauser’s
death through the papers. He made use of the opportunity to
denounce Kaspar Hauser as an impostor in an audience before
the King and the chief officers of the Government, and while he
was in Munich, Hickel was also summoned thither, and gave
similar testimony.
However, Stanhope did not succeed in clearing himself from
suspicion, and Queen Caroline gave him plainly to understand
that she considered him responsible for Kaspar Hauser’s
murder.
The particulars of these official interviews were not made public,
bat the result was that a commission was sent to Ansbach to in-
quire into the affair. The efforts of the commission ended, of
course, in failure, so far as the detection of the murderer was con-
cerned, but a great deal of information was elicited in support of
Kaspar Hauser’s assertions.
It was proved that the purse found in the park had never been
in his possession, and the handwriting in the billet was decided
by experts to bear no appreciable resemblance to the specimens
offered of Kaspar Hauser’s performance.
A number of witnesses testified to having seen, on the day of
the murder, a man answering to the description given by Kaspar,
and the same man was seen in Nuremberg the day before.