The Cunning Tailor

One of the iconic figures in Vienna’s criminal history was master tailor Ferdinand Wurzinger, whose extravagant lifestyle proved to be his undoing. Ferdinand Wurzinger came from a middle-class background. His parents had decided at an early stage that Ferdinand should learn the respectable trade of tailoring. But he had quite different plans, as he wanted to become a tightrope walker or an actor, which was not considered proper for someone of his station. After several arguments with his parents, he yielded to their will and completed an apprenticeship as a tailor. He was skilled in his craft. His tailor’s workshop flourished, as did his trade in fancy dress costumes. He regularly placed advertisements in the ‘Wiener Zeitung’ to attract new customers. They literally flocked to his shop. However, Ferdinand began to devote himself more and more to his numerous affairs than to the tailoring trade, which led to him accumulating a huge mountain of debt. To get rid of it, he hatched a daring plan. Ferdinand lived not far from the Mettlers. Mr Mettler was a minor court official who enjoyed a happy marriage. Believing the couple to be wealthy, Ferdinand lured his wife into a trap. He arranged a meeting at which a man made advances towards her. Ferdinand then blackmailed Mrs Mettler over the alleged tryst. Out of fear, the innocent Mrs Mettler paid up. First 10 guilders, then 50 guilders, until she finally confessed everything to her husband, who was able to corner Ferdinand in Jägerzeile during the next handover of money. Ferdinand promised Mrs Mettler two Parisian dresses so that she would not report him. The couple agreed to the deal. Yet Ferdinand was still plagued by his financial worries. He was heavily in debt to Brigitte Hollmann and the 72-year-old cook Theresia Dörfler, who both worked for a 91-year-old man whom Ferdinand intended to rob. He invited Brigitte Hollmann to the masked ball on 26 December 1817. Under the pretext of having forgotten something, he left the ball to go to her employer’s house. Theresia Dörfler opened the door for him. He accompanied her to her room for a chat, where he beat her unconscious with his fists and gagged her by stuffing a scarf into her mouth. He then stole 95 gulden from her before going into the old man’s room and making off with 2,465 gulden and 56 kreuzer right in front of him. He then fled. When Brigitte Hollmann returned home the following morning, she discovered Theresia Dörfler’s body and immediately alerted the police. They quickly tracked down Ferdinand Wurzinger, in whose house the loot from the burglary was found. On 6 February 1817, he was hanged at the age of 25.