Hole-fracture (Lochhruch) Produced hy a Blow with the
Cutting-edge of a Hatchet.
In Vicuna, in 1884, a banker and his two children were killed hy
anarchists. On the body of one boy there was found a roundish fracture
in the occipital region: on that of the other a regular rectangular
fracture (lochhrnch) with dentate edges, in the middle of the frontal
bone (illustrated in my texthook, seventh edition, page 457). On the
body of the father, however, there was found the wedge-shaped fracture
of the right parictal bone depicted in the accompanying figure.
It has a length of 4.5 em. and, at the base of the wedge, a width of 1.1
cm. Its apex is directed to the right and below. The forward edge of
the fracture is sharp, the posterior in its upper part indented ; the inner
table on hoth sides broken off. The fragments of the latter, as also the
section of bone from the larger fracture, were driven deeply into a
fissure-like laceration of the brain-substance. From the base of the
fracture another extends to the interparictal suture, and from the apex
still another, which latter runs forward and below to the middle fossa
of the skull.
It was evident that the injury was produced hy the cutting-edge of a
hatchet-like implement, and as the fractures of the skulls of the two
boys were of a totally different character, one might readily suppose
that two or three implements had been employed, or that the murders
had been committed hy two or three persons. There occur, however,
hatchet-like instruments (so-called beilstocke) which are commonly
employed in the households of Vienna. They possess, in addition to a
cutting-edge, a prominent back with a circumscribed four-cornered
striking-surface. One must, therefore, concede the possibility of all
three injuries having been produced with the one instrument and by
the one person — the cutting-edge being used in one instance, the back
of the implement in killing the boys. As a matter of fact, it was subsequently determined that one anarchist was the murderer. As others
kept a lookout, he committed all three murders with a so-called fokos (
a short beilstock or hatchet). He first killed the banker with the cutting-
edge of the implement, and then, as the buys came running to their
father, he felled each with a blow with the back of the hatchet.
Filed under: History, Hungarian | Tagged: murder witha fokos, nasty!
