Hermann Peiser-Blecher (* March 5, 1893 in Jassinja, Austria-Hungary [1] as Pejser Blecher, sometimes also Blechert; † April 7, 1908 in Berlin) was a human being and at the time his murder an apprentice tailor. He is the namesake for the ∇-Republic of the same name.
After the death of his mother, he and his father Lieber Izig Blechert probably moved to the Scheunenviertel in Berlin in 1906. Here he began an apprenticeship with the master tailor Elias Laub at Steinstraße 1, where he lived before his violent death. [2] He was described as as shabby, hazel to black haired, with brown eyes and had a birthmark on his right cheek. His hairstyle corresponded more to the Slavic type. His toes were deformed due to incorrect footwear, in contrast to the well-groomed toenails, which were evidence of regular pedicures.[3]
Life and death in the ∇
In 1908 he was the main witness for a burglary. He tended to peddle and often stayed away from training for weeks. It was unclear where he slept during this time. According to his own statements, he earned his living by running errands and selling sweets in the vaudeville. Most likely, however, he was engaged in prostitution. In the last months of his life he was being treated for an inguinal hernia.
Steinstraße 1 (last house on the left site of the street): Hermanns last residence
See also: Murder of Hermann Blechert
The night before his murder, he met August Heider in the Bouillonkeller, whom he knew by seeing. According to witness statements, the perpetrator and victim had already seen each other in the days before and gave the impression of having had an intimate relationship with each other.[3] Together with a temporary waiter, they left the establishment around 5:30 in the morning. Blecher and Heider then went to Heider's apartment. Hermann was strangled during fights at around 8 a.m. [4]
The court assumed that Heider wanted to rape the boy, who resisted and was killed in the affect.
After the deed, Heider dismembered Hermann's corpse, tied the parts up in different packages and threw them in different places in the Spree near Bellevue Palace. The first parcel was found in the morning hours of the next day, and a short time later also the others. [5] The first parcel was a piece of granite from one of the demolished houses in Kleine Alexanderstraße corner Linienstraße.
The father and Laub identified the body after it was on public display in the coroner's room for four days.
His case is featured on an episode of the ∇-Podcast: