The Shocking and Disturbing Case Of Paul Astein

Brief Case

#Masterworks - The only investment platform dedicated to art investing: https://mw-art.co/briefcase  Thanks to Masterworks for sponsoring this video! See important Masterworks disclosures: https://www.masterworks.io/about/disclaimer  Today we are looking at the case of Paul Astein from Germany who in the early 20th Century went to live on the island of Gran Canaria  Please remember to subscribe and hit the bell icon as well as leave a like and a comment for more videos every week!  Brief Case is a True Crime Channel focusing on old or lost cases that have been forgotten to history. If you have any recommendations for future cases that you would like to bring to light, feel free to reach out to me to: briefcaseuk@gmail.com  Music by CO.AG Music - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwZB4l43iTw&t=105s Music by Myuu -https://www.youtube.com/user/myuuji Music by Kevin Macleod - https://incompetech.com

Transcript

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01:26does carry an element of risk. Today, we are looking at a case from the early 20th century.

01:34So, sit back as we go to Gran Canaria.

01:40The Canary Islands have belonged to Spain since the late 15th century, but due to their strategic

01:46location, have a long history of conquest, and have at one time or another been occupied by France,

01:53Portugal, Holland and Britain. They are located in the Atlantic Ocean, 62 miles from the northwest

01:58coast of Africa, and 870 miles from the Spanish mainland. In total, there are eight main Canary Islands,

02:06the largest of which is Tenerife, followed by Fuerteventura, and then Gran Canaria. They were known to be the

02:13last port in Europe, and became established as an indispensable Spanish base for ships on their way

02:18to the Americas. Spanish galleons, traders, and conquistadores were frequent visitors, and the

02:25trade routes brought the island great wealth. Soon, they are attracting merchants and adventurers from all

02:30over the continent. Paul Einstein was one such visitor. He was not from the islands, or from the Spanish

02:37mainland. Paul was in fact German, having been born on the 8th of October 1891, in Brunswick, a small

02:45city in north central Germany. His family were conscientious law-abiding members of the community,

02:51although considered to be working class. His father came from the village of Amerid in Alsace,

02:57and worked as a locksmith. His mother had a hard upbringing, and had been widowed at a young age,

03:02before she married Paul's father. She mainly stayed at home to look after the small house,

03:07and care for the children. In the early 20th century, the German economy was growing,

03:13and this led to significant demographic changes. Between 1875 and 1910, the population of Berlin

03:20doubled, and other cities like Munich, Düsseldorf, and Frankfurt grew rapidly. By 1912, there were 15

03:28German towns with populations over 100,000. In 1871, there had only been eight. By the time

03:35Paul reached the age of 15, 60% of German people lived in towns or cities. When he finished his

03:41education, Paul also moved. He settled in Hanover, a large city, just 67 kilometers from Brunswick.

03:50Here there were far more work opportunities, and he soon found employment. Working as a typographer,

03:55he took rooms in a guest house at 14 Lieberstrausser Road, and quickly got to know his way around.

04:02He was well liked, and seemed to get on well with everyone. He was tall, with blonde hair,

04:08always dressed well, and those who met him, thought him to be a distinguished gentleman.

04:13They would not have believed that he had experienced such a humble upbringing,

04:16amongst the German working class. He was a determined young man, who had ambitions of becoming rich,

04:22and wanted to travel to other parts of the world. But although he worked hard, his lifestyle and love

04:28of fine clothes meant that each week, he only just had enough money to pay for his lodgings and basic

04:34living expenses. He needed a way of obtaining more income. He had become envious of the wealthy

04:40gentlemen who paraded themselves in the city. So in order to try and improve his circumstances,

04:45he started to engage in petty theft. Soon crime became his way of life. It was far more profitable

04:51than working, and it enabled him to buy expensive clothes and luxury items. At first, the crimes were

04:58mainly house robberies. He had gained some experience as a locksmith from his father, and this came in

05:03very useful, when he wanted to rob the homes of the wealthy Hanover residents. But things soon escalated,

05:09and his crimes progressed to fraud and armed robbery, the police needed to catch the person

05:15responsible. They were getting complaints from some very important members of the community,

05:19as well as from financial institutions who were becoming quite concerned. As they interviewed those

05:24who had been robbed or defrauded, the name Paul Einstein was mentioned by many of the victims.

05:30Although most described him as a charming young man, and did not believe him to be the person

05:35responsible. The police however considered him a suspect, and issued a warrant for his arrest.

05:41However, they were unable to find him. Despite this, on the 10th of February 1914, he was charged,

05:48and sentenced to five years and three months in prison. For the crimes he had committed in Hanover,

05:53Paul Einstein was now a fugitive.

05:59In July 1914, the First World War began, and there was much tension across the continent.

06:06Many Europeans left their homelands, and travelled to South and Central America.

06:11Paul had friends who had left Germany, and made their way to countries such as Mexico and Argentina.

06:16He had also heard many wonderful stories about the Canary Islands, with its lovely weather,

06:21and with the many ships that stopped there, on their travels between Europe and the Americas.

06:26It was also a very good commercial centre, and had a large and increasing population.

06:31He had read about Alexander von Humboldt, and Leopold von Wütsch, two famous German explorers,

06:37geologists and naturalists, who had written extensively about their travels to the Canary Islands,

06:42with its wonderful landscape, climate and geography. He decided that he should go there,

06:48to escape the war, and attempt to put his criminal past behind him. He arrived in the port of Las

06:53Palmas,

06:54which is located on the island of Gran Canaria, and as he was a wanted man back in Hanover,

06:59he used the name, Paul Bersteinhofer. It did not take long for him to settle,

07:05and he had no trouble in learning the Spanish language. He found accommodation in the town of San Mateo,

07:11situated in the mountainous central part of the island, 17 kilometres south-west of Las Palmas.

07:17It was a nice place, and there was a small German community. Paul always found it very easy to speak

07:22to people, and it did not take him long to start making new friends. Everyone who met him was

07:27impressed by his good looks, stature and elegance. With the money he had stolen in Hanover, he was able to

07:33have a comfortable lifestyle, and maintained the pretense that he was an educated, well-to-do gentleman. But he

07:40was aware that the money he had obtained through his criminal activities would not last forever,

07:45and he would have to do something to enable him to maintain the good name he had established during

07:50his short time on the island. So he declared that he was a doctor. He then started to travel to

07:56the

07:56neighbouring towns and villages in the areas around San Mateo, offering his services. Soon his fame grew,

08:03and he became a bit of a celebrity. When he visited the more remote mountainous villages, patients would queue

08:09up wanting to be seen by the young handsome German doctor. However, Paul was not a doctor. In fact,

08:17he had never had any medical training at all. When his patients began to realise that he was not who

08:22he

08:22claimed to be, they went to the authorities. The stories of the fake doctor reached for newspapers,

08:28but before any charges were brought against him, he left Gran Canaria and took a boat to the neighbouring

08:34island of Tenerife. Here he stayed in the Hotel Colón in Santa Cruz. It was August and very hot,

08:41but Paul stood out as he was always overdressed and wore valuable jewellery. He also gave out

08:48presentation cards, calling himself Pablo Rodriguez. The hotel owner became suspicious and reported him to

08:55the German consulate. Two weeks after arriving in Tenerife, Paul Einstein, or Paul Bersteinhofer,

09:02as he liked to be known, was officially expelled from the island. Realising that he needed to keep a

09:08low profile, Paul decided to visit the other islands. But as people's attentions were focused on the war,

09:14they soon forgot about the fake doctor, and Paul was able to go back to Gran Canaria.

09:22Dr Jose Ezequiel Navarro was a 50-year-old Spanish pharmacist with a degree in chemistry. He was

09:29originally from Valencia, but had lived for many years in Cuba. He had been a very successful

09:34gentleman, and had accumulated much wealth. He owned pharmacies in both Spain and Cuba,

09:40and planned to open two more, one in Las Palmas, and another in a town in the interior of the

09:45island.

09:45Senor Navarro was described as a handsome, elegant, well-dressed man, who took care of every detail

09:52of his appearance. He wore very smart suits, made from the best possible fabrics, silk socks,

09:59and handmade shirts. He also had expensive jewellery, including a prestigious gold watch. Strangely,

10:06he chose to carry most of his money on his person, placing it in a leather briefcase,

10:11that never left his side. He was familiar with Gran Canaria, as he had previously established a

10:16pharmacy in the town of Guia, in the neighbouring island of Tenerife. This was run by his nephew,

10:22Francisco Villaplana. When he arrived in Las Palmas, Senor Navarro stayed at the Hotel Universal,

10:29located at Leone Castillo Street. It was a grand hotel, very close to the Santa Catalina docks,

10:36where ships would stop from all over the world, to get provisions for their onward journeys,

10:41usually to mainland Europe or the Americas. He was excited about his new life on the island.

10:47With its wonderful weather, he knew that it would be less humid than Cuba. He was also a little anxious,

10:52as he was keen to start his new venture. Senor Navarro was a single, cultured, and well-travelled

10:58gentleman. He liked to socialise, and spoke several languages. Many people had commented,

11:05how easily he found it to make conversation with other guests staying at the hotel.

11:09On one particular day, he met a man, who introduced himself as Dr. Paul Bersteinhofer.

11:16He told Senor Navarro that he was from Germany, and worked on the island, serving the more rural

11:22communities. Senor Navarro was very pleased to speak with the doctor. He commented on his fine clothes,

11:28and his charming demeanour. They then started to meet up quite regularly. Senor Navarro would tell

11:34Paul's stories, about his life in Cuba, and his travels to other parts of the world. Paul would

11:40speak about his life growing up in Germany, and his friends who were fighting in the war. Of course,

11:46they would also speak a lot about medical matters. The war had seen significant advancements,

11:51in treatments and vaccinations for deadly diseases such as typhoid. New antiseptics had been developed

11:57to clean wounds, and people had become more aware about hygiene. Paul had noticed that the briefcase

12:03never left Senor Navarro's side, and eventually, Senor Navarro told his new friend that it was because

12:09it was full of money and jewellery. He said that he brought it from Cuba, so he could open two

12:14more

12:14pharmacies in Gran Canaria. Paul Einstein, the false doctor, thought that he could benefit from his new

12:20friend, so he told him of a wonderful investment opportunity. In the area of Pinos de Galdas,

12:26he said that he could make lots of money by growing almonds and selling them to the many traders who

12:31landed daily on the island. He had a gift for persuading people to do things they may not have

12:36wanted to do, and despite Senor Navarro's lack of interest in the project, he did not want to upset his

12:42friend, so agreed to go with him to take a look. He thought that perhaps, he may find the ideal

12:47location,

12:48to set up one of his pharmacies. However, this was quite a remote area, known more for its panoramic

12:55views of the whole of the north and west of the island. In the afternoon of the 2nd of September,

13:001918, they set off for Pinos de Galdas. They planned to stop and look at many of the towns en

13:05route,

13:06to see if there could be a place for Senor Navarro to open another pharmacy. On the first day,

13:11they traveled to the town of Aguillete, some 50 kilometers from the port of Las Palmas.

13:17When they left, they traveled to the small town of San Nicolás. Here Dr. Paul Bersteinhofer

13:23introduced Senor Navarro to five German friends, one of who was named Johann Ludwig. Johann worked as

13:30a butcher on board a German ship that was currently in the Santa Colina docks. He was already known to

13:36the townspeople for his brutish manner, and was considered to be a very unsavory character,

13:41not the type of person who would usually be seen in the company of a doctor. Despite Senor Navarro's

13:47lack of interest in the investment, he was enjoying the company of his new friends, and happy to get to

13:52know other areas of the island. He was impressed by the beautiful landscape, tall pine trees, and

13:58wonderful views, as they were some 1500 meters above sea level. The last leg of their journey began on

14:05the 11th of September, when they traveled to the town of Tejeda. The following day, Johann Ludwig

14:11arrived to accompany the two gentlemen to their final destination, Pinos de Galdá, to see the almond

14:17plantation. By now, Senor Navarro was anxious to see where it was. Although he had enjoyed the trip,

14:23it had taken longer than he had anticipated, and it had now been 10 days since they had left Palmas.

14:29Powell told him that it was not far from Tejeda, so they would be going in the late afternoon, but

14:35Senor Navarro was starting to have doubts about his friend's intentions. However, he was somewhat

14:40captivated by his youth and charm, so decided that he should indeed go with him, and see this business

14:46opportunity. They had a very pleasant lunch, which included more drinks than usual, and by the time they

14:52left to see the plantation, it was already dark. They took with them their horses, and of course,

14:58Senor Navarro held on tightly to his briefcase. They made their way through the narrow path,

15:04but by now Senor Navarro was getting very concerned, and began to suspect that his friend

15:10Powell and Johann wanted to rob and harm him. He pleaded to be spared, and for them to take the

15:16briefcase and go.

15:17However, Johann feared that if they let him go, he would just inform the authorities. He told Powell

15:24that he hadn't spent days travelling to a remote island spot, to later be arrested.

15:29Powell had already paid him an advance of 500 pesetas for this crime, so without further discussion,

15:35Johann hit Senor Navarro with a piece of wood, which knocked him to the ground. Powell then finished

15:40him off with a knife. Jose Ezequiel Navarro, the 50-year-old Spanish pharmacist, was dead.

15:47They quickly covered the body with a light coat of sand. The following day, they started their

15:52return journey to Las Palmas, with the money in the briefcase. They were on horseback, and stopped at

15:57the town of Arucas, where the hotel staff found their behaviour quite suspicious. They had purchased

16:02jewellery with some of the stolen money, and were acting rather strangely. In all, they had robbed more than

16:081500 pesetas in cash, 40 pesetas in silver coin, a gold watch, a chain, two gold rings with diamonds

16:16valued at 780 pesetas, cheques and shares valued at 75,000 pesetas. Johann Ludwig had also taken Senor

16:25Navarro's boots. It was strange that they had made a plan to kill the wealthy gentleman in a remote part

16:32of the island, but had made no real effort to conceal the body, which was soon discovered.

16:40On the 19th of September, the headline of the Ecos newspaper announced that an unidentified body had

16:47been found in the area around Pinos da Galdá, and gave a description of the corpse. After reading the

16:53article, the manager of the Universal Hotel contacted the police, and informed them of a guest who had left a

16:59few weeks earlier. He was concerned, as a gentleman had told him that he would be back in a few

17:05days,

17:05but never returned. The clothes found on the body, matched the clothes that the gentleman had often

17:10been seen wearing at the hotel. At first, the police believed that it was a gang of German nationals,

17:17living on the island, that had kidnapped and killed Senor Navarro. Four Germans were arrested,

17:22all of who were alleged friends, of Dr. Paul Bersteinhofer, the false doctor. They confessed

17:29that they had met Senor Navarro on the 6th of September, in the town of La Aldea. They said that

17:35on the 8th they accompanied the deceased, and Dr Bersteinhofer, to the town of Tejeda, where they met

17:41up with Johann Ludwig. They all said that after that day, they did not see the three men again. The

17:47case

17:47created great interest from the residents who lived on the island, as despite the thousands of people

17:53who visited each year from the ships that landed there, Gran Canaria had always been a safe and

17:59peaceful place. The police were sure that the people responsible would have left the island. But

18:05strangely, Dr. Paul Bersteinhofer and Johann Ludwig were instead celebrating their newfound wealth. They

18:13were both soon arrested, and placed in prison to await their trial. The trial began on the 2nd of April

18:191919, and was a sensational affair. The press and the public seemed very excited by the case, even though

18:26the outcome was never in any real doubt. Paul was charged, under the name Paul Einstein. Both men were

18:32found guilty of the murder of Senor Jose Navarro, and were sentenced to death. These sentences were later

18:38commuted to life in prison. However, they did not serve their sentences, as just a few years later,

18:45both men were freed, for reasons unknown. They then left the island. All the stolen goods that were

18:52recovered were passed on to the family of the victim. Hello everyone, and thank you so much for listening.

19:01As you know, I always value all your comments and feedback, so please leave any that you may have,

19:06and I hope to see you all again in the next briefcase.

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