Bio

Hermann Schwarz was born on November 28, 1887, in Märstetten. He had two sisters. His father died when he was young. After that he was raised by his mother in Gottshaus.

People who knew him as a child called him a "plague for his neighbours" and a "burden to his teachers." As he grew older, he was described as stubborn, lazy and vindictive. He was also said to threaten others and to take part in animal cruelty and poaching. He read a lot of pulp novels.

Schwarz was known to carry a loaded revolver with him. The revolver was probably a Schmidt 1882 service revolver. He also had a rifle, probably a Schmidt–Rubin 1911 service rifle. He joined the Militärschützenverein Märstetten. Through that group he acquired large amounts of ammunition by buying more cartridges than were needed for shooting exercises.

In February 1912 Schwarz moved with his mother and two sisters into a small apartment in Romanshorn. At that time he began to follow a local girl. A relative of that girl, an embroiderer named Wesel, reported his intrusive behavior to the authorities and asked for police protection after Schwarz threatened him.

In late August 1912 Schwarz was called up as a reservist for a military exercise. His mother told the mayor about his disturbed condition and asked for help. The battalion physician examined him and found him mentally unfit for duty. He was released from service on August 28 and returned home in possession of his service rifle and revolver.

After learning why he had been sent home, Schwarz became angry and threatened the mayor, Etter. During one night he went near the house of a woman he knew and smashed a window. Police were notified about his behavior. The Bezirksamt ordered that he be confined and put under medical observation.

Murder Story

On the evening of August 30, 1912, in Romanshorn, Switzerland, Hermann Schwarz opened fire from a second-story window of his apartment. He shot at people in the street and in the building. During the initial shooting and the following siege he shot a total of twelve men, six of them fatally. He then escaped into a nearby forest. While police and townsmen searched the area he killed another person. He evaded capture until the next day, when police shot and wounded him and took him into custody.

Earlier that day, at about 4:00 p.m., Schwarz bought eighty rounds of ammunition in Amriswil. At 6:00 p.m. two police officers came to arrest him. They met him in the hallway, he resisted, threatened them with his revolver, and escaped into his second-floor room and locked the door. When Anton Fritsch tried to break in, Schwarz fired through the door and hit him in the chest four times. People gathered outside the building, and Schwarz began shooting from a window.

Schwarz shot and killed several people during the evening. He fatally wounded Franz Xaver Weber with a shot through the heart, and he killed a 15-year-old Italian boy, Biagio Pedrollo. He fatally wounded typesetter Rudolf Thommen and innkeeper Friedrich Keller. Anton Fritsch was also killed. Several others were injured, including a letter carrier named Hugelshofer, police officer Stäheli, and Jakob Gsell, who was shot in the shoulder.

Armed townsmen and members of local shooting clubs tried to enter the building. They fired at the building and some entered, but Schwarz continued to fire from inside and from a window. He fired more than 100 times up to the point he escaped. Around midnight the building was stormed, but Schwarz had already left by climbing down in the backyard. He left his rifle behind and took his revolver with him.

After leaving the building, Schwarz hid in a nearby forest and continued to fire. The next day a large search was organized with police, firefighters, townsmen, and bloodhounds. Around 4:30 p.m. a firefighter saw Schwarz and fired at him from cover. Schwarz killed another firefighter and escaped. Later, at about 7:05 p.m., police and firefighters located him again on a meadow near a firing range. Police shot Schwarz, wounding him in the arm and leg and grazing his neck. He still had about 100 rounds for his rifle and 150 rounds for his revolver when captured. He was taken into custody on August 31.

A crowd of about 1,000 people escorted Schwarz to the police building and threatened to lynch him. He was examined by doctors in Münsterlingen and found to have auditory hallucinations and paranoia. During his time in the asylum his condition later manifested as psychosis. On February 20, 1913, the court found him to be insane, acquitted him on grounds of insanity, and ordered that he be institutionalized for the rest of his life.

Victims who died included Tommaso Dal Farra (died September 1), Philipp Enderli, Anton Fritsch, Friedrich Keller, Biagio Pedrollo (15), Rudolf Thommen, and Franz Xaver Weber. Injured persons included Bohrer, Jakob Gsell (shoulder), Hugelshofer, and Stäheli (knee). Several people received awards or aid for their efforts in catching the gunman and tending the wounded.