Born as the seventh and last child of his parents, Adolf was first trained as a locksmith then as a watchmaker who repaired grandfather clocks and pocket watches. He came to Lübeck in 1890 and married Katarina Seefeldt, who divorced him in 1910. His son was sent to a lunatic asylum for moral crimes, at the age of nineteen.
Seefeldt is said to have been abused by two men at the age of 12. He was first imprisoned at 25 years for sexual harassment of a boy. Psychiatrists diagnosed him as mentally unstable, which is why he spent most of his life in mental hospitals and prisons.
Serial murders
The traveler and watchmaker Adolf Seefeldt, also called "Sandman" or – because of his profession – "Uncle Tick Tock" and "Uncle Adi", abused and killed at least twelve boys during the reign of the Third Reich. As a crime scene he usually chose pine preservations with one exception. A commonality was found in the victim's clothing, who consistently wore sailor suits. Since all children were "sleeping peacefully" and showed no signs of external violence, the police were mystified by the circumstances of death. It is therefore possible that Seefeldt committed more murders that were considered natural deaths.
Contemporary experts speculated that Seefeldt had used his own homemade poison, chloroform or smothered his victims. According to Hans Pfeiffer, a well-known author of popular science books on authentic criminal cases, these theories were disproven with little effort. Pfeiffer suspected, however, that Seefeldt had put his victims into a hypnotic sleep, then probably performed oral sex on them and let them lie asleep in the woods, where he failed to awaken them from hypnosis. The children later died of hypothermia, which Seefeldt had accepted or intended.
The victims
His victims ranged from toddlers to 12-year-old boys: Kurt Gnirk (April 16, 1933), Wolfgang Metzdorf (October 8, 1933), Ernst Tesdorf (November 2, 1933), Alfred Prätorius (November 12, 1933), Hans Korn (January 16, 1934), Günter Tieske from Oranienburg (October 2, 1934), 11-year-old Erwin Wishnewski from Brandenburg (October 8, 1934), 4-year-old Artur Dill and 5-year-old Edgar "Eipel" Dittrich (October 16, 1934, both found in Neuruppin), 10-year-old Hans-Joachim Neumann (killed February 16, 1935; found on June 20, 1935), 10-year-old Heinz Zimmerman (February 23, 1935) and 11-year-old Gustav Thomas (March 22, 1935).[1] The investigative authorities assumed that the actual number of casualties was much higher, possibly claiming up to 100 lives.[citation needed]
Gustav Thomas case
The lawyer Wilhelm Hallermann summed the murder case of 11-year-old Gustav Thomas (found in a pine forest near Wittenberge), that due to microscopic examinations, the bloodshot pressure indicated strangulation.
The medical examiner Victor Müller-Heß came in the murder trial against Seefeldt with the claim that the murder victims were not poisoned, but instead strangled.[2]
Trial and execution
The Schwerin jury under the chairmanship of the district court director Karl Friedrich Sarkander and the advisory district court councils of Wilms and Weise consisted of butcher Ernst Hahn from Crivitz, secretary Wilhelm Schneeweis from Schwerin, Ortsgruppenleiter Friedrich Jahnke from Parchim, Mayor Ernst Dubbe from Leussow, engineer Otto Arpke from Lübtheen and city councilor Kreisleiter Buhr from Ludwigslust, negotiating the case on January 21, 1936. Chief prosecutor was Wilhelm Beusch, to whom Bishop Bernhard Schräder recalled in connection with the case of Vicar Leo Wiemker.[3][4]
In the presence of later war criminal and Reichsstatthalter of Mecklenburg, Friedrich Hildebrandt, railed against the accused in order to justify the eradication of such behaviour.[5] Adolf Seefeldt's defense lawyer was Rudolf Neudeck.[6] August Brüning (1877–1965) was a participating expert in the trial.
After the closing arguments of February 21, the verdict for the murder cases was announced the following day. Seefeldt was sentenced to death. According to the Niederdeutschen Beobachter, on February 29, 1936, Seefeldt is to have brought in an appeal. Neither a revision nor a revision procedure is historically documented; the judgment was enforced after legal force and refusal of the pardon occurred on May 23, 1936. The records of Seefeldt's conviction are poor. In addition to newspaper reports of his execution, there are only two memory protocols of conversations conducted in April 1936 at his cell in Schwerin.[7] The case of Adolf Seefeldt was discussed by J. Fischer and Johannes Lange in the Monthly Journal of Forensic Biology and Penal Reform.
Execution
Earlier, the executioner Carl Gröpler had visited him and "recognized the expected difficulty of the execution". Seefeldt was allegedly eager to be beheaded next morning by the guillotine.[8]
^Resistance to the Nazi regime in the regions of Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania (p. 39 and portrait photo p. 47), retrieved October 7, 2015
^Kompisch, Anne-Kathrin (2008). Wüstling – Werwolf – Teufel: Medienbilder von Serienmördern in der deutschen Massenpresse 1918-1945(PDF) (Doctoral thesis). University of Hamburg. p. 188.
^Kompisch, Anne-Kathrin (2008). Wüstling – Werwolf – Teufel: Medienbilder von Serienmördern in der deutschen Massenpresse 1918-1945(PDF) (Doctoral thesis). University of Hamburg. p. 210.
Matthias Blazek: Executions in Prussia and the German Reich 1866–1945. ibidem-Verlag, Stuttgart 2010. ISBN978-3-8382-0107-8
P. Böttger: Dogs in the service of the criminal police with special consideration of the Seefeldt murder case. Leipzig 1937
Kerstin Brückweh: Mordlust – serial murders, violence and emotions in the 20th century. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2006. ISBN978-3-593-38202-9 Auszugsweise online – Digitalisat
Erich Ebermayer: „Uncle Tick Tack. The boy murderer Adolf Seefeldt“. In: Robert A. Stemmle [Hrsg.]: Sexual crime (The New Pitaval; Bd. 13). München [u. a.] 1967, p. 11–38
Jens Haberland: „Adolf Seefeldt – an unsolved mystery“. In: ders.: Serial killers in the 20th century. Berlin 1997. ISBN3-930057-38-7, p. 125–129
Hans Peiffer: „The Sandman – Adolf Seefeldt (1933–1935)“. In: Wolfgang Schüler [Hrsg.]: Serial murder in Germany. Leipzig 2005. ISBN3-86189-729-6. S. 16–36 (online (S. 146 ff.))[permanent dead link], Retrieved on May 30, 2014
Ulrich Zander: "The hunt for the 'Sandman'" The trial of serial killer Adolf Seefeldt began 80 years in Schwerin. Wandering clockmaker killed twelve boys. In: Schweriner Volkszeitung / Mecklenburg-Magazin (29. Januar 2016), p. 24.
Frank-Rainer Schurich, Michael Stricker: The serial killer Adolf Seefeldt and modern criminals. Verlag Dr. Köster, Berlin 2015, ISBN978-3-89574-875-2
Frank-Rainer Schurich, Michael Stricker: The beast from the forest. Historical criminal case. Verlag Dr. Köster, Berlin 2015, ISBN978-3-89574-887-5
External links
Mysterious Murders: Adolf Seefeldt (www.planet-wissen.de)
Splendor and misery of the German Criminal Police, The Mirror of November 24, 1949
January 07, 2023
adolf, seefeldt, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, 2019, lear. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Adolf Seefeldt news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message Adolf Gustav Seefeldt March 6 1870 May 23 1936 known as The Sandman was a German serial killer Adolf SeefeldtSeefeldt s booking photo in 1935BornAdolf Gustav Seefeldt 1870 03 06 March 6 1870Potsdam North German ConfederationDiedMay 23 1936 1936 05 23 aged 66 Schwerin Nazi GermanyCause of deathExecution by guillotineOther names The Sandman Uncle Tick Tock Uncle Adi Adolf SeefeldCriminal statusExecutedConviction s MurderCriminal penaltyDeathDetailsVictims12 Span of crimes1908 1935CountryGermany Contents 1 Life 1 1 Early life 1 2 Serial murders 2 The victims 2 1 Gustav Thomas case 3 Trial and execution 3 1 Execution 4 See also 5 References 6 Literature 7 External linksLife EditEarly life Edit Born as the seventh and last child of his parents Adolf was first trained as a locksmith then as a watchmaker who repaired grandfather clocks and pocket watches He came to Lubeck in 1890 and married Katarina Seefeldt who divorced him in 1910 His son was sent to a lunatic asylum for moral crimes at the age of nineteen Seefeldt is said to have been abused by two men at the age of 12 He was first imprisoned at 25 years for sexual harassment of a boy Psychiatrists diagnosed him as mentally unstable which is why he spent most of his life in mental hospitals and prisons Serial murders Edit The traveler and watchmaker Adolf Seefeldt also called Sandman or because of his profession Uncle Tick Tock and Uncle Adi abused and killed at least twelve boys during the reign of the Third Reich As a crime scene he usually chose pine preservations with one exception A commonality was found in the victim s clothing who consistently wore sailor suits Since all children were sleeping peacefully and showed no signs of external violence the police were mystified by the circumstances of death It is therefore possible that Seefeldt committed more murders that were considered natural deaths Contemporary experts speculated that Seefeldt had used his own homemade poison chloroform or smothered his victims According to Hans Pfeiffer a well known author of popular science books on authentic criminal cases these theories were disproven with little effort Pfeiffer suspected however that Seefeldt had put his victims into a hypnotic sleep then probably performed oral sex on them and let them lie asleep in the woods where he failed to awaken them from hypnosis The children later died of hypothermia which Seefeldt had accepted or intended The victims EditHis victims ranged from toddlers to 12 year old boys Kurt Gnirk April 16 1933 Wolfgang Metzdorf October 8 1933 Ernst Tesdorf November 2 1933 Alfred Pratorius November 12 1933 Hans Korn January 16 1934 Gunter Tieske from Oranienburg October 2 1934 11 year old Erwin Wishnewski from Brandenburg October 8 1934 4 year old Artur Dill and 5 year old Edgar Eipel Dittrich October 16 1934 both found in Neuruppin 10 year old Hans Joachim Neumann killed February 16 1935 found on June 20 1935 10 year old Heinz Zimmerman February 23 1935 and 11 year old Gustav Thomas March 22 1935 1 The investigative authorities assumed that the actual number of casualties was much higher possibly claiming up to 100 lives citation needed Gustav Thomas case Edit The lawyer Wilhelm Hallermann summed the murder case of 11 year old Gustav Thomas found in a pine forest near Wittenberge that due to microscopic examinations the bloodshot pressure indicated strangulation The medical examiner Victor Muller Hess came in the murder trial against Seefeldt with the claim that the murder victims were not poisoned but instead strangled 2 Trial and execution EditThe Schwerin jury under the chairmanship of the district court director Karl Friedrich Sarkander and the advisory district court councils of Wilms and Weise consisted of butcher Ernst Hahn from Crivitz secretary Wilhelm Schneeweis from Schwerin Ortsgruppenleiter Friedrich Jahnke from Parchim Mayor Ernst Dubbe from Leussow engineer Otto Arpke from Lubtheen and city councilor Kreisleiter Buhr from Ludwigslust negotiating the case on January 21 1936 Chief prosecutor was Wilhelm Beusch to whom Bishop Bernhard Schrader recalled in connection with the case of Vicar Leo Wiemker 3 4 In the presence of later war criminal and Reichsstatthalter of Mecklenburg Friedrich Hildebrandt railed against the accused in order to justify the eradication of such behaviour 5 Adolf Seefeldt s defense lawyer was Rudolf Neudeck 6 August Bruning 1877 1965 was a participating expert in the trial After the closing arguments of February 21 the verdict for the murder cases was announced the following day Seefeldt was sentenced to death According to the Niederdeutschen Beobachter on February 29 1936 Seefeldt is to have brought in an appeal Neither a revision nor a revision procedure is historically documented the judgment was enforced after legal force and refusal of the pardon occurred on May 23 1936 The records of Seefeldt s conviction are poor In addition to newspaper reports of his execution there are only two memory protocols of conversations conducted in April 1936 at his cell in Schwerin 7 The case of Adolf Seefeldt was discussed by J Fischer and Johannes Lange in the Monthly Journal of Forensic Biology and Penal Reform Execution Edit Earlier the executioner Carl Gropler had visited him and recognized the expected difficulty of the execution Seefeldt was allegedly eager to be beheaded next morning by the guillotine 8 See also EditList of German serial killersReferences Edit Central file for the murder cases and teaching materials collection PDF Archived from the original PDF on 5 October 2013 Retrieved 29 July 2018 Der Spiegel THE GAME IS OUT THERE ARTHUR NEBE Splendor and misery of the German Kriminalpolizei Short biography retrieved August 29 2013 Resistance to the Nazi regime in the regions of Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania p 39 and portrait photo p 47 retrieved October 7 2015 Kompisch Anne Kathrin 2008 Wustling Werwolf Teufel Medienbilder von Serienmordern in der deutschen Massenpresse 1918 1945 PDF Doctoral thesis University of Hamburg p 188 Kompisch Anne Kathrin 2008 Wustling Werwolf Teufel Medienbilder von Serienmordern in der deutschen Massenpresse 1918 1945 PDF Doctoral thesis University of Hamburg p 210 Bruckweh Mordlust p 276 Blazek Executioner p 87 Literature EditMatthias Blazek Executions in Prussia and the German Reich 1866 1945 ibidem Verlag Stuttgart 2010 ISBN 978 3 8382 0107 8 P Bottger Dogs in the service of the criminal police with special consideration of the Seefeldt murder case Leipzig 1937 Kerstin Bruckweh Mordlust serial murders violence and emotions in the 20th century Campus Verlag Frankfurt am Main 2006 ISBN 978 3 593 38202 9 Auszugsweise online Digitalisat Erich Ebermayer Uncle Tick Tack The boy murderer Adolf Seefeldt In Robert A Stemmle Hrsg Sexual crime The New Pitaval Bd 13 Munchen u a 1967 p 11 38 Jens Haberland Adolf Seefeldt an unsolved mystery In ders Serial killers in the 20th century Berlin 1997 ISBN 3 930057 38 7 p 125 129 Hans Peiffer The Sandman Adolf Seefeldt 1933 1935 In Wolfgang Schuler Hrsg Serial murder in Germany Leipzig 2005 ISBN 3 86189 729 6 S 16 36 online S 146 ff permanent dead link Retrieved on May 30 2014 Ulrich Zander The hunt for the Sandman The trial of serial killer Adolf Seefeldt began 80 years in Schwerin Wandering clockmaker killed twelve boys In Schweriner Volkszeitung Mecklenburg Magazin 29 Januar 2016 p 24 Frank Rainer Schurich Michael Stricker The serial killer Adolf Seefeldt and modern criminals Verlag Dr Koster Berlin 2015 ISBN 978 3 89574 875 2 Frank Rainer Schurich Michael Stricker The beast from the forest Historical criminal case Verlag Dr Koster Berlin 2015 ISBN 978 3 89574 887 5External links EditMysterious Murders Adolf Seefeldt www planet wissen de Splendor and misery of the German Criminal Police The Mirror of November 24 1949 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Adolf Seefeldt amp oldid 1102794471, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
