3 
Kaspar Hauser. 
nurse was not present, having been allowed to leave the palace to 
visit her own family, after putting her charge to sleep. She was 
in the habit of going out every day for a certain length of time, 
and on this decisive night she went as usual; but a strange 
anxiety, a presentiment of evil came upon her, and she returned 
to the palace at an earlier hour than was expected. Arriving at 
the door of the nursery she found it locked, and on demanding 
admittance she was told that she could not enter as the child was 
very ill. She begged earnestly to be allowed to go to the baby, 
as, if he were ill, he needed the breast more than ever. But she 
was sent away, and in despair she tried to obtain an interview 
with Grand-Duchess Stephanie, who was still confined to her sick 
chamber. Here, too, she was met by officials who refused to let 
her pass, saying that the Grand-Duchess was too ill to be 
disturbed. Finally, the nurse managed to see one of the ladies 
in attendance upon the Duchess, who, moved by her appeals, 
took her up a private stairway into Stephanie’s chamber. As 
soon as she approached the bed, the Duchess, almost distracted 
by anxiety, demanded news of her child, and complained bitterly 
because she was not allowed to enter the nursery, for fear of injury 
to her health. The nurse told how she, too, had been excluded, 
and the Duchess sent her back with one of her own attendants to 
demand admittance anew. But this effort also was unavailing. 
They were told that the child was dead, and the door was closed 
against them. Neither the Grand-Duchess nor the nurse were 
permitted to see the dead body, which was examined by persons 
who had never seen the infant alive, and then carried for burial 
to the royal vault at Pforzheim. 
The news of the sudden death of the Crown Prince was a 
matter of great surprise to the people of Baden, as the bulletins 
had at first announced that the new-born child was perfectly 
healthy, and every succeeding official communication declared 
him to be in a thriving condition. There was much talk upon 
the subject, but the persons who knew enough of the private 
history of the Court to entertain suspicions of foul play, knew too 
much to speak those suspicions openly.