The Nazis brutally introduced a new order in Germany that could not bear any disobedience, but ironically it was in the Third Reich that degenerates straight from horror and crime novels were prowling. The hero of our today's article raped and murdered at least twelve boys in two years. It was close, and no one would even notice his vile practice ...
It all started in February 1935, when in Schwerin (Mecklenburg) two young boys dressed in sailor uniforms that were fashionable at the time disappeared within a week. The situation put the police and the local prosecutor's office back on their feet, which decided to check whether there had been similar cases elsewhere.
What was discovered caused a real shock. It turned out that the bodies of six boys wearing sailor's uniforms were found in northern Germany in the last two years. It became obvious that a serial killer was behind the crimes…
Uncle Tik-tak
But how is it possible that no one has linked a series of murders together before? The answer is surprisingly simple and terrifying at the same time. All the children were found in desolate places with no visible signs of violence on their bodies.
Additionally, the deaths occurred in the fall and winter. Carefree officers decided that the children had left the house, and then, unable to find a way back, they fell asleep in the forest and died of a cold. Now, finally, everything started to fall into place, and the police undertook an extensive search for the degenerate.
The problem was, first of all, the very large area where the psychopath roamed, which clearly indicated someone who travels a lot on business. These are the people that the law enforcement focused on, arresting them after a few weeks.
Wittenberg's beauty has become the scene of cruel events.
On the surface, the matter seemed clear and the police were sure they had the right man behind bars. The people of northern Germany could breathe a sigh of relief… or so they thought.
The suspect committed suicide by hanging himself in a cell, while other young boys died at the hands of the mysterious murderer.
On March 23, another body was discovered near Wittenberg (Brandenburg), this time of an 11-year-old. The investigators finally gained a focal point - on the day of his disappearance, the boy was seen in the company of an elderly man in an extravagant hat, whose children called "Uncle Tik-tak" (German:Onkel Ticktack ).
Now things turned out quickly. On April 3, 60-year-old traveling watchmaker Adolf Seefeld was arrested in Wutzetz (Brandenburg), previously convicted of sexual offenses on several occasions.
He immediately admitted - in line with today's terminology - molesting minors, but at the same time categorically denied having anything to do with the murders committed.
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Only a pedophile or also a murderer?
Who was Adolf Seefeld? He was born on March 6, 1870 in Potsdam, as the youngest of nine brothers. He certainly did not have a happy childhood - his father was an alcoholic, and his mother was the oldest profession in the world. At the age of twelve, he was raped by two men, possibly contributing to his subsequent degeneration. He got married at the age of twenty, but after a year he broke up with his wife.
Prison in Schwerin. Currently there is a museum there (photo from the museum collection).
Four years later, he was imprisoned for the first time for insulting morality . It was the beginning of his long "career", as a result of which he spent nearly half of his life in prisons and psychiatric hospitals.
Initially, the objects of his perverse interest were both little girls and boys, but with time he focused only on the latter. The deviation was to lead him to the guillotine as a last resort. But let's not get ahead of the facts…
The prosecutor accused "Uncle Tik-tak" of raping and murdering 12 boys. The trial did not start before the court in Schwerin on January 21, 1936. Such a long preparatory proceedings resulted from a number of doubts.
First, Seefeld pleaded not guilty, and the experts could not establish how he killed his victims. Investigators concluded that they had been choked or given poison, but the autopsies performed did not confirm these assumptions.
Sam Seefeld, shortly before his death - after meeting alone with the Gestapo investigators - confessed that he had used the poison he had prepared, however, the circumstances of obtaining this declaration may raise reasonable doubts.
The fame does not fade away! Polish press about Seefeld almost two years after the trial. "New Voice", December 21, 1937.
The question is so mysterious that some believe that Seefeld induced the boys into deep hypnosis and left them in the forest until their death. Also, his motives were not fully explained.
However, the court was not going to show any mercy. When the trial finally started, all doubts were ignored. On February 22, "Uncle Tik-tak" was sentenced to death twelve times by guillotine; additionally, he was to be castrated earlier. The sentence was carried out on May 23, 1936 in the prison in Schwerin.
However, this did not close the case of Adolf Seefeld, who took his dark secrets to the grave. A complete list of his victims has never been established. It is said that the 12 found are just the tip of the iceberg. The watchmaker's sexual crimes could be up to a hundred and fatalities thirty.