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Page 9
It
was with his third subject that night at the Scala that Hanussen
really demonstrated his clairvoyant powers. I still can offer no other
explanation - unless it was a remarkable coincidence or unless he
had prepared an elaborate plot, involving some extraordinarily efficient
arsonists. The third man was the head of a well-known private bank;
a stiff, elderly gentleman with a Prussian crew-cut and student duel
scars across his left cheek. Hanussen looked at him and proclaimed: "For
heaven's sake... I see a house. Four stories... in a main street. Wait
a moment! It
is near the Alexanderplatz. Four stories - many rooms. A
bank..." He paused, taking a deep breath. There was nothing ironic or
playful about him now. "Call the fire brigade!" he shouted.
"At once! Otherwise your bank's going to burn down tonight. You've
exactly four minutes. Thank your lucky stars for the new engines of the
Berlin firemen! You have now three minutes and fifty seconds. I mustn't
delay you. There's been a short circuit in your strongroom. There are
360,000 Marks in cash in the safes... Hurry - if you want to save
the money. You still have three minutes and twenty seconds. Why do you
hesitate?" The
audience became uneasy. The tall, stiff man hesitated. Hanussen called an
usher and told him to take the man to the nearest telephone. The banker
followed him, his face expressionless. He picked up the phone, asked for a
number, spoke briefly. A few minutes later sirens screamed outside. A
three station alarm. They found the strong room in flames but were able to
put them out before any serious damage was done. The bank was securely
locked from the outside and no trace of any entry could be discovered. The
cause of the fire, as Hanussen had foretold, was proved to be a short
circuit. Berlin
was split into two camps. One said that Hanussen was a true clairvoyant, a
man with supernatural powers. The other said that the bank manager and his staff had been his accomplices
- that
the whole thing was carefully prepared and staged. But who could offer a
reasonable and acceptable motive for a conservative and rich banker to get
involved in such a fantastic scheme? The bank was solvent, did excellent
business - and continued to do so. After a few months, of course,
the whole affair was forgotten - except by those whom Hanussen now
and then reminded of it.
*
*
* He
was now riding high on the crest of the wave. The
Scala paid him a thousand marks a night plus a share of the
profits. His private clients paid him huge sums for a consultation. The
Baroness was no longer his "assistant". As he had foretold, they
separated. She had been trying to break from him but in the end it was he
who sent her on her way - with brutal suddenness.
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