21:04
Faizan
"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind... "
--Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford (Colburn & Bentley, 1830)
Real-world mysteries make great puzzles. Attempting to solve them helps us to sharpen our minds. Furthermore, these mysteries are fun. However, the primary rule for this kind of puzzle-solving is to remain scientific and objective, lest one drifts into the realm of unsupportable conspiracy theory, for or against any official story.
In the wake of the "Summer of Darkness" on Turner Classic Movies, which honors the great film-noir detective and murder-mystery movies of the 1940s and 50s, I focus the lens of this series on the convergence of Law, Economics, and Murder Mystery. Almost everyone seems to enjoy a good mystery, with the exception of the victim, the perpetrator, and a few others. Many real-life mysteries are doomed to collect dust in the bins of history. However, a few of these mysteries have continued to intrigue us for more than a century. For example, the assassination of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy survive as perennial favorites in the public media.
Therefore, let us turn our attention to the Kingdom of Bavaria in the year 1886. Taking the role of forensic scientist in the case of Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm von Wittelsbach, I scrutinize the official story, consider contrasting assertions, and weigh the evidence that has come to light during the past 130 years. Many of us have heard of this personage as "Mad" King Ludwig II of Bavaria, a ruler who died suddenly on the dark and stormy night of 13 June 1886. All that we have as official fact is that Ludwig and his attending physician, Professor Bernhard von Gudden, departed alone for a walk along the shore of Lake Starnberg between 5:30 and 6:30 PM. A search party of castle staff discovered the corpses of the two men. They were found floating in waist-deep water along the shoreline, sometime between 10:30 and 11:30 PM, in a gale with heavy rain. However, the watch worn by Ludwig had stopped at 6:54 PM.
--Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford (Colburn & Bentley, 1830)
Real-world mysteries make great puzzles. Attempting to solve them helps us to sharpen our minds. Furthermore, these mysteries are fun. However, the primary rule for this kind of puzzle-solving is to remain scientific and objective, lest one drifts into the realm of unsupportable conspiracy theory, for or against any official story.
In the wake of the "Summer of Darkness" on Turner Classic Movies, which honors the great film-noir detective and murder-mystery movies of the 1940s and 50s, I focus the lens of this series on the convergence of Law, Economics, and Murder Mystery. Almost everyone seems to enjoy a good mystery, with the exception of the victim, the perpetrator, and a few others. Many real-life mysteries are doomed to collect dust in the bins of history. However, a few of these mysteries have continued to intrigue us for more than a century. For example, the assassination of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy survive as perennial favorites in the public media.
Therefore, let us turn our attention to the Kingdom of Bavaria in the year 1886. Taking the role of forensic scientist in the case of Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm von Wittelsbach, I scrutinize the official story, consider contrasting assertions, and weigh the evidence that has come to light during the past 130 years. Many of us have heard of this personage as "Mad" King Ludwig II of Bavaria, a ruler who died suddenly on the dark and stormy night of 13 June 1886. All that we have as official fact is that Ludwig and his attending physician, Professor Bernhard von Gudden, departed alone for a walk along the shore of Lake Starnberg between 5:30 and 6:30 PM. A search party of castle staff discovered the corpses of the two men. They were found floating in waist-deep water along the shoreline, sometime between 10:30 and 11:30 PM, in a gale with heavy rain. However, the watch worn by Ludwig had stopped at 6:54 PM.
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