Vossische Zeitung
- Schröder sentenced to death
- The conversation in a Jura village
- And Kölling?
A death sentence against Schröder leads the page, accompanied by an acquittal on a separate charge and criticism of the earlier investigation. Below, the Thoiry communiqué describes Franco-German cooperation that still needs both governments’ approval.
Selected, image-checked first-page passages; partial reading, not complete articles or the whole page.
Translation
Schröder sentenced to death
The defendant is sentenced to death for murder in conjunction with aggravated robbery. He is acquitted of the charge of inducing perjury. For aggravated forgery in conjunction with fraud, the defendant Schröder is sentenced to six months in prison. He is also deprived of civic rights for life.
The conversation in a Jura village
German Foreign Minister Dr. Stresemann and French Foreign Minister Briand met for lunch in Thoiry. Their conversation lasted several hours and was conducted with the greatest cordiality. They examined in turn all the questions affecting their two countries and jointly sought the most suitable means of resolving them in German and French interests and in the spirit of the agreements they had signed.
The two ministers reconciled their views on an overall settlement, each reserving the right to report to his government. If both governments approve their views, they will resume their cooperation to achieve the desired results.
And Kölling?
The Kölling and Tenholt cases remain unresolved. The Magdeburg trial did not delve deeply into the problems of the preliminary investigation, but neither did it evade them. The presiding judge gave Rudolf Haas, long held under suspicion, an opportunity to remove the last vestige of doubt. The prosecution acknowledged this fact with a certain courage of confession.
Context
A verdict separates several accusations
The judgment did not treat the defendant’s conduct as a single undifferentiated case. Murder linked with aggravated robbery carried the death sentence, a forgery-and-fraud count brought imprisonment, and the perjury allegation ended in acquittal. The loss of civic rights extended the consequences beyond confinement. This structure explains why a short verdict could contain both conviction and acquittal without contradiction: it disposed of distinct charges.
Locarno’s agreements become a starting point
The Locarno framework of 1925 had already brought Germany and France into agreements on security and peaceful relations. At Thoiry, the ministers sought a wider settlement rather than treating each outstanding issue in isolation. Their friendly personal agreement still needed approval at home, which made the meeting a bridge between diplomatic initiative and government policy. The text’s repeated reference to both countries’ interests expresses the search for a bargain each could defend domestically.
Judgment does not end scrutiny of an investigation
The separate comment on Kölling and Tenholt asks what remains after the main trial. Clearing the suspicion surrounding Haas did not by itself settle questions about how the preliminary inquiry had been conducted. Praising the prosecutor’s willingness to acknowledge the result makes institutional self-correction part of the story. The court’s task of deciding charges and the public task of examining investigative conduct could therefore continue on different tracks.
Original
Todesurteil gegen Schröder
Der Angeklagte wird wegen Mordes in Tateinheit mit schwerem Raub zum Tode verurteilt. Von der Anklage der Verleitung zum Meineid erfolgt Freisprechung. Wegen schwerer Urkundenfälschung in Tateinheit mit Betrug wird der Angeklagte Schröder zu sechs Monaten Gefängnis verurteilt. Außerdem werden ihm die bürgerlichen Ehrenrechte auf Lebenszeit aberkannt.
Das Gespräch im Juradorf
Der deutsche Reichsaußenminister Dr. Stresemann und der französische Außenminister Briand trafen sich zum Frühstück in Thoiry. Sie hatten dort eine mehrstündige Unterhaltung, die in herzlichster Weise verlief. Im Verlauf dieser Unterhaltung prüften sie der Reihe nach alle ihre beiden Länder interessierenden Fragen und suchten gemeinsam nach den geeignetsten Mitteln, um die Lösung dieser Fragen in deutschem und in französischem Interesse und im Geiste der von ihnen unterzeichneten Vereinbarungen sicherzustellen.
Die beiden Minister brachten ihre Auffassungen über eine Gesamtlösung der Fragen in Einklang, wobei sich jeder von ihnen vorbehielt, seiner Regierung darüber Bericht zu erstatten. Wenn ihre Auffassungen von ihren beiderseitigen Regierungen gebilligt werden, werden sie ihre Zusammenarbeit wieder aufnehmen, um zu den gewünschten Ergebnissen zu gelangen.
Und Kölling?
Nicht erledigt sind die Fälle Kölling und Tenholt. Die Magdeburger Gerichtsverhandlung hat sich nicht in die Probleme der Voruntersuchung vertieft, aber sie ist ihnen auch nicht ausgewichen. Der Vorsitzende gab dem solange verdächtigten Rudolf Haas Gelegenheit, den letzten Rest des Zweifels hinwegzuräumen. Die Staatsanwaltschaft stellte diese Tatsache mit einem gewissen Bekennermut fest.