Unknown newspaper, Year 61 , No. 170, page
3 from the archives
of the family Mannl
The execution of Grete Beier.
The last act in the great tragedy of the Beier family
took place this morning. The head of Grete Beier fell
under the blade of the Guillotine .
The father , dead, with the suspicion of perjury ,
the mother in the penintentiary, the daughter on the
scaffold.
The drama of this family was no longer capable
of a further increase, and
the whole shaking tragedy, which fell over the concerned
persons, was again
remembered this morning in the northern yard of the
Freiberg regional court
building. Those who were witnesses of these
dark moments, over which
laid a depressing silence, will never
forget it.
In the yard of the regional court building
about 200 gentlemen, under
them numerous officers of the local battalion,
law officers, different
members of the jury, teachers of the local
high school, physicians etc.
had gathered
In the corner at the wing centre the
Guillotine had been erected.
The lateral door in the wing of the public
prosecutor's office opened five minutes
before 6.30 p.m., and, led from the public
prosecutor. Dr. Mannl, who was in charge of
the public accusation in the murder trial
against Grete Beier, the judges under her
chairman Dr. Rudert, as well as the twelve
witnesses (to the major part gentlemen of
the local highschool) , Mr. Oberstaatsanwalt
Bernhard, the mayor Blueher and some other
gentlemen came out.
The public prosecutor as well as the judges
carried robe .
Some fearful seconds passed, the public prosecutor
spoke still few words
with the national executioner, who was waiting dressed
in black together
with its two assistants at the stairs of the Guillotine.
At precisely 6.30 a strident bell sound gave the
signal to the start of the
prisoner's last way. Everyone's look was directed
to the backside from
where , through flowering gardens, the condemned
was supposed to appear.
Slowly she came along , at her side her defender
in the robe, Mr.
Rechtsanwalt Dr. Knoll from Dresden, to her
left the prison parson in the
ornat, Mr. Pastor Schmidt, which gave to the
condemned woman words of
courage and comfort.
Grete Beier kept the hands folded and looked to the
ground , but she walked
upright the head slightly inclined forward.
Like during the two-day trial , nothing in
her face betrayed the feelings
of the murderess , she was completely calm - and
this stony calmness
looked almost frightful.
Slowly, almost hesitating she walked forward. On
her black dress, the neck
was exposed .
Thus she approached her prosecutor and the
judges. The public prosecutor
Dr. Mannl stepped forwards, with elevated voice spoke
he the following: "
Maria Margarete Beier from Erbisdorf was condemned
to death by the regional
court Freiberg. The judgement has become valid. His
majesty the king did
not feel compelled to make use from its power of
pardon .The judgement is
to be carried out therefore. Mr. Landesscharfrichter
Brandt, I transfer the
delinquent to you."
I the meantime te clergyman and the defender had
withdrawn.
The executioner and an assistant slowly led
the condemned to the scaffold
and the five steps up.
Grete Beier approached the scaffold, whose board
had been provided with an
supplementary step, in order to adapt it the small
stature of the condemned
.
Which followed now, took place very fast. The buckles
closed behind the
back of the delinquent. The board was tilted into
horizontal position.
Then the girl called out ! It sounded fearful, anguished,
like a long
retained despair; " Father, into Your hands I lay
my soul - - -Father!!"
then the ring at the neck closed and the blade
rushed down.
The executioner took off his hat and announced to
the public prosecutor:
" Herr Staatsanwalt , the judgement is executed.
"
The last act , from the instant when the
young woman left the prison
building up to the execution took only 3 minutes
.
The public prosecutor requested the people who were
present at the
execution to depart calmly. When the witnesses
of the execution left by a
side way, in which already waited the flower-decorated
hearse, which will
bring the body of Grete Beier to Dresden, a
huge crowd waited outside.
The body will be buried beside the grave of the father.
Grete Beier remained until her death an unresolved
mystery. Until her last
minutes she showed a self-control , which in the
same condition , a man
would hardly have proven.
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This is a translation of a german article found on
a website relating the
trial and execution of
Grete Beier on 23th July 1908 . She was 22 years
old .
------------------------------------------------------------------------