Karl May in Bad Nauheim: A legal process and unexpected encounters!

In 1904 the well -known writer Karl May was found in Bad Nauheim and Friedberg. As the Frankfurter Neue Presse reported, but May's stay was not intended for a spa stay, but served to a court process and a friendship. On October 26, 1904, he traveled to Bad Nauheim with his wife and stayed in the Hotel Reichshof. Klara May documented her experiences during this stay, on which Karl May poached like the Mayor of Mainz Dr. Emil Göttelmann and the Baurat Dr. Carl Eser met.

As part of the stay, a court date took place on October 20, 1904 in a legal conflict, but the outcome of which remained without a decision. Karl May had often conflict with the law in the past and had served prison terms in his youth due to various offenses. It will report that the indictment against him due to insult from an article in the "Stern der Jugend". On October 26, 1904, a meeting between May, Eser and Göttelmann took place in the old bath house I, with Eser and Göttelmann a close correspondence with May. Klara May described Göttelmann as extraordinary and Eser as loyal and honest. Eser said goodbye to the Mays on October 31, 1904 at the train station with a rose bush.

background to May's legal disputes

Karl May was involved in numerous legal disputes during his life. According to Justment he had a good hundred processes in total. His first judicial experiences, including as a teacher, led to a conviction because he did not return a borrowed pocket watch. This conviction, which at that time led to six weeks in prison, was later considered unjustified and shaped May's path of life. In revenge for these experiences, he began a criminal career, which ultimately led him to a conviction for high -stacking and attracted four years of prison.

The experiences in court also found their expression in May's literary works, especially in the presentation of innocence and indictment. May's clashes with the legal system left not only personal, but also literary traces. For example, Jürgen Seul has captured the scientific examination of May's life in relation to legal aspects in a detailed biography, which deals with May's rise, his divorce process, publishing processes and his relationship with the press.