Original subtitles

Just you wait a little while, The nasty man in black will come

With his little chopper, He will chop you up!

You're out

Stop singing that awful song

Don't you hear me?

Always that awful song

Just you wait a little while, The nasty man in black will come

What's the matter?

l told those kids to stop singing that awful song

But they keep singing it over and over

As if we haven't heard enough of that murderer

Oh, leave them be

lf they're singing, at least we know they're okay

Yes, l guess you're right

10,000 Marks Reward WHO lS THE MURDERER?

Since June 11, little KLAUS KLAWlTZKY and

his sister KLARA have disappeared

Evidence leads us to believe the children were victims

of a similar crime committed last fall

against the DOERlNG sisters

What a pretty ball!

What's your name?

Elsie Beckmann

Did Elsie come with you?

No, she didn't

Thank you

A thrilling new chapter! Passionate, moving, sensational

Just a moment, Mr. Gehrke

-Tell me, Mr. Gehrke. -Yes?

Have you seen Elsie?

Didn't she just come up the stairs?

No, she isn't here yet

She won't be long now. Good-bye, Mrs. Beckmann

Good-bye, Mr. Gehrke

Extra! Extra! Extra!

New crime!

Who is the murderer?

Because the police have not published my first letter

l am writing today directly to the NEWSPAPERS

Continue your investigations

Everything will happen

just as l have told you. But l have not yet finished

10,000 MARKS REWARD Who is the murderer?

Christ! Here we go again. lt's horrible

10,000 Marks The lettering is too small

We can't read it

Hey, you, read it out loud

-''The unknown murderer''. -Let him read! Hey! Quiet!

''The terror in our town has found a new...''

Certain evidence leads us to believe that the murderer

is the same one who has already killed eight children

We must remind you again

that a mother's first duty is to guard her children

from the danger which always threatens

Also, the danger is often hidden in some attractive bait

Candy, a toy, and fruit can be the murderer's weapons

True, true!

Come on! Come on! Read, read on

Okay, okay. ''The anxiety of the general public is very high

because the police have not yet completed their investigations

But the police are faced with an almost impossible problem.''

''The criminal has left no clue. Who is the murderer?''

What is he like? Where is he hiding?

No one knows. Still, he is one of us

ls it your neighbor?

Yes, that's right

Why look at me when you say that?

-You know very well. -What do l know very well?

-Think about it. -What are you saying?

l saw you go up those stairs behind that little girl

What?! You are crazy, you dirty swine!

Who's a swine? Me? Or a man who chases little girls?

You bastard! You swine!

Murderer!

Gentlemen! Gentlemen!

l'll see you in court. l'll see you in court

Now, now, gentlemen! Calm down!

Slanderer!

Trying to ruin my reputation

Slanderer! Terrible man!

The police listen to him! They're searching my house!

How awful! What a shame!

Searching a man's house because of an anonymous letter

Mr. Jager, calm down! We're only doing our job

When we are so upset? Scared about the children

Look, that's why the police must follow every clue

Any man in the street could be the guilty one

Can you please tell me what time it is?

Yes, my child

Now, my child, go home. Where do you live?

What's it to you where the kid lives?

Why were you bothering that kid?

But - but - l did nothing! What do you want with me?

Just you wait and see

Let me go! lt's an outrage!

-What's going on? -lt's an outrage!

What does he want?

Don't get so excited

Punch him in the face!

-Bothering children. -Acting like a big shot!

Let me go! l did nothing!

You wanted to get her alone, didn't you?

Yes, then kill her like all the others, right?

lt's the murderer! lt's him! Hold him! Call the police!

No police around when you need them. Officer, officer!

Move along please, move along now. Don't block!

You can catch pickpockets but you'd better get the murderer

What? ls he the murderer?

Move along now. Come on, get a move on

MURDERER WRlTES TO NEWSPAPERS

lt's a terrible scandal

This will have a bad effect

on public opinion, lnspector. lt's very serious

But, sir, we cannot stop the murderer from writing letters!

This man is a mental case

He gets a kick from

seeing himself in the papers

We immediately got in touch with the newspaper

They sent us the original letter. The lab is working on it

Of course, you can't get good fingerprints from a postcard

which went through so many hands

We'll compare the results with our archives

We must try everything to find a clue or a lead

Then, we'll send the letter to the graphologist

The very particular shape of the letters...

do you follow me?

indicates in this man a very strong and pathological sexuality

Some of the broken letters

reveal an actor's personality

which can be indolent or even lazy

ln the whole, the handwriting shows clear signs of insanity

Yes, lnspector, certainly. You and your men are very good

But, nevertheless, results, we must have results

Results!

Minister, my men are only getting 12 hours sleep a week

as well as searches on the spot, Minister

They start their shift already tired

Don't forget, this job is nervously trying

especially when the success rate is so low

The homicide officers work restlessly

They're always on alert

following any clue, even the slightest one

that may lead us to our man

Minister, consider their findings on the scene of the crime

We find, for instance, behind a hedge

a little white paper bag

Clearly it held the candy

ln a corner, we found some crumbs and some sugar grains

Within a radius of 2 kilometers, we have searched

in all the candy shops to find out where the bag came from

But in vain

Every day the search widens

but, of course, no one remembers anything

Nevertheless, we keep on searching, getting nowhere

without much hope of finding a solution. Our men...

What good is that? l know you're trying

but an unknown murderer terrorizes the town

A town of four million and your police are failing

Minister, you don't seem to understand the difficulties

Only on the way home of the missing child

we got fifteen different testimonies

Just listen: ''Testimony 1478 in the Beckmann murder case...''

-You know nothing. -More than you, Sir!

Gentlemen! Can't you agree what color hat

that little girl wore when you saw her?

Of course, lnspector, it was red

-lnspector, it was green. -lt was a red hat!

lt was a green hat!

Stop! lt's hopeless. Thank you, gentlemen

-Next witness. -Of course, lnspector

if you listen to a color-blind man!

The police have investigated over 1,500 clues

Documents fill 60 volumes. We have all available men

We have systematically combed all adjoining areas

Every thicket, every piece of undergrowth, every bush

in every hole, we might find something

We sent out police dogs. The best trackers are on the scent

to no avail. Since the murderer's first crime

police have inspected all the flop-houses every night

and checked the identity of every vagrant

Such measures hurt our popularity and make people nervous

But we watch all railway stations and raid the underworld hangouts

Despite all this, the police haven't succeeded in finding anything

The police. Get back!

Let me go, you dirty bastard! Let me go!

Please let me go, won't you? You son of a bitch! Let go!

Let her go, you filthy pig!

Quiet! Quiet!

The head cop!

Quiet! You'd like that, wouldn't you?

Police orders: nobody leaves. Get your papers ready

Quiet! C'mon kids, let's not be stupid

lt's Fatty Lohmann!

Loh-mann, Loh-mann, Loh-mann!

Loh-mann! Loh-mann!

Quiet! Quiet!

You'll wear yourselves out

lt would be better if you got the murderer

Yes! Much better!

Quiet! Be reasonable!

Spread out. All of you spread out. C'mon, papers out!

-l haven't got any. -Show me your papers

Please let me go, lnspector

Show me your papers

-l think we know each other. -Yes, we do

To the headquarters!

With all this mess, not a client!

Don't make any trouble. No papers and you go to headquarters

l am innocent

Don't talk nonsense

Quiet! Show me your papers

Don't push. lt's everybody's turn

-Have you got your papers? -l can't go around

with my birth certificate. That's asking too much

-Don't mess with me. -That's asking too much, lnspector

Headquarters for you

Look here, it's disgusting

Poor workmanship, old boy. You've had it. To headquarters

Better luck next time, Willie

Shut your face!

Next

Fancy boy

What's wrong?

Pop Lohmann's got him

''Unsolved burglary at a fur shop.''

Well, l guess l'd better take you down to headquarters

But... my papers are in order

Next

No luck, huh?

Papers

l have none

Headquarters

No luck

Next, come on, let's go

This is wrecking our business, Sarge, trouble every night

You can't have ten minutes peace anymore. Give us a break!

lt's no joke for us either, out every night

Of course, but you're drivin' away my clientele

and the guy you're looking for ain't here

Do you know how mad everyone is about this guy who's causing

a raid every night? 'Specially the girls. Sure, they solicit

but believe me, everyone is a little mother at heart

l know a lot of crooks, get sort of tender when they see kids

lf they catch that bastard they'll wring his neck

Ready to go, Sarge?

Good night

So it's the Crocodile tonight. Two loads for the nick

What's keeping Schranker?

ls it three o'clock yet?

l'll find out

Hello, the exact time, please. Two minutes to three

Thank you

There are more police on the street tonight than whores

Wherever you spit, cops

Even when you've got a broad, they don't leave you alone

They've gone nuts. All they think about is the murderer

l have a little six-year-old and every night l have to look under

the bed and in the closet to see if the murderer is hiding there

You can't even do your job. The police are everywhere

There's no privacy anymore. l'm fed up with it

Tell us something new

What's keeping Schranker?

Maybe he's been caught

Not him. He did a bank job in London. Scotland Yard trapped him

There he was, hands up, back to the wall, millions of cops around

two seconds later there were two corpses and he'd beat it!

The best man between Berlin and San Francisco

Six years they've looked and they haven't caught him yet

Haven't caught him yet, but dogs can kill wolves

Shut up

The suspense is killing me. He's always right on time

God be praised!

At last!

Well, hello! You've finally come. Good afternoon

Are you crazy? Close the curtains

Gentlemen, the meeting can now begin

According to regulations, l confirm that the leadership of

every organization in our union is represented

l assume you are all authorized to vote on behalf of your members

Good. Let's not be held up by procedure

We all know why we are here. Some non-member is screwing up

our affairs. Daily raids by the police for the child murderer

interfere with our business. We can't put up

with this pressure any longer in every hotel, cafe or pad

This state of affairs must not be allowed to continue

We have to put things right again or we'll all be ruined

Our funds are exhausted. We'll have to use money allocated

for our colleagues' wives who are being ''hosted'' by the state

Furthermore, our reputation is suffering

Gentlemen, the cops are looking for the murderer in our ranks!

When l run into a cop while on business, he knows the risk

and so do l. lf one of us dies, OK, that's a risk one takes

lt can happen. But you and l are not on the level of this murderer

Absolutely!

We are doing our job, we have to make a living

But this monster has no right to live. He must disappear!

He must be eliminated, without pity, without scruples

Gentlemen, our members have to carry on normal business

without being handicapped by nervous policemen

l ask you for advice

l suggest a closer watch on lD cards, systematic searches

and police raids. More raids, and much tougher ones

Spies. We need spies among the police to give us warnings

The girls must take a little more notice of the cops

We get into trouble because one of the girls has talked too much

to her cop boyfriend. Now the girls have to tell us what gives

We must be allowed to search any house, apartment, back yard

in order to find a clue

We have contacts, we have to make a statement to the press

we have to tell them that we condemn the bastard too

We should make it known that he isn't in the underworld

l'm sure it's a man who looks like he wouldn't hurt a fly

ln his normal state, he might even play marbles with the kids

or cards with his wife. Otherwise, murderers like Grossmann

or Haarmann couldn't live for years like they did

without their neighbors suspecting them at all

We have to get that across to the public. They must help

Don't talk to me about the public helping. lt disgusts me

just to hear them talk. Excuse me, Chief!

But it's the truth. Christ! Help from the public brings no clues!

Just a pile of letters with the most incredible accusations!

Quite true

Calls to the police the moment a garbage man crosses a yard!

But when we need accurate information, they can't remember!

They've seen nothing. That's help from the public for you

You're exaggerating a little, Lohmann

No, he isn't

Most of the people don't feel concerned

The majority of them doesn't realize

that a child disappearance is also their problem

l've got an idea! Let's get one of those guys, a telepath

one who finds handkerchiefs and pocketbooks that have been hidden

l don't think the reward is enough

Chief, we have to offer a real fortune for the murderer

None of this is getting us anywhere

-That won't do any good. -What's your idea?

Well, we just can't wait until the police decide to arrest the fellow

The difficulty in solving crimes like this comes from the fact

that the criminal and the victim are connected only by chance

An instantaneous impulse is the killer's only motive

We find the victim, we identify him, then we find out

when he was last seen. Then, nothing more

Children disappear

and you know what state we find them in

if we find them

And the killer... as we know, in this kind of crime

never leaves a mark behind

This is what makes our job so hard and our success so rare

The police have been looking for eight months

Now, they'll catch him only by luck

-We can't wait for that. -We'll be ruined before then

Then what will we do?

We'll have to catch him ourselves

Yes! We must. That's it

There is still one possible way! The guilty man must have

a record somewhere. A man that disturbed must have come

upon the law before. We've got to contact every clinic

every prison, every asylum. We'll have to make inquiries

about everyone freed as harmless but with the same

pathological condition as the killer

Every square foot must be permanently watched

From now on, no child takes a step without us being warned

OK, but how do we do it?

There must be people who can go everywhere, not be noticed

who can follow children without arousing suspicion

who can follow children right up to their front doors

People no one would suspect

But who? People like that don't exist. Who could do it? Who?

The beggars. The beggars' union can do it

-Sausage going up. -God! This cheese smells good

That finishes you

Stop snoring! You'll wake up the lice

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16

Now we must take the back yards

Yes, from number 1 to 88

Next

You are responsible for the courtyards in every block, 1 to 88

Right!

-What's next? -89 to 196 High Street

89 to 196 High Street. What's your union number?

3, 7, 95, Emil Dustermann

3, 7, 95, Dustermann, Emil

There you are, Emil. Maybe you'll win 15,000

Touch wood!

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen

Thank you

''When searching homes, we must look for any clue which could

establish where the murderer's letter to the papers originated

lf there is an old wooden table, if there is a red pencil

or writing paper of the same type. lnquiries must be discreet.''

ldiot

And here's a list of mental patients who have been let out

as cured or harmless in the last five years

Reports from every institute, private and public

And that's a list of their present addresses

Good morning

Does a Mr. Beckert live here?

What?

Does Mr. Beckert live here?

l'm afraid l can't hear you. l'm a bit hard of hearing

As if l couldn't tell. Does Mr. Beckert live here?

Oh, Mr. Beckert... Yes... But he has just gone out

Too bad, l wanted to see him

l'm from the lncome Tax office

Oh, good God! Tax people? Would you like to wait?

Yes, thank you

-Please take a seat. -Thank you

Like something to read?

Thank you. You're most kind

Tell me, Mrs. Winkler, does Mr. Beckert take this paper?

Mr. Beckert? No, he always borrows mine

Mom! l was looking for you

You don't have to do this! You know why

Good evening. What would you like?

Coffee

No... a vermouth... no, a brandy

There you are

Another one

The bill!

Two brandies. 1.65, please

Thank you very much

Number 24: Beckert. He does not take the Courier

A walnut table with a cloth. No red pencil or traces of one

No writing paper. ln the waste basket, a printed ad and

a postcard with flowers and ''Regards, Paul'' on it

but no address of sender. An empty cigarette pack

Ariston brand, a bag of candy with the candy store name on it

Wait a moment...

Ariston, did you say?

Ar-is-ton...

That rings a bell... Ariston

Hello. Get me the file on the Marga Perl murder. Hurry

Thank you very much

That's funny. l've heard that before

lt was... it was...

Hey! Henry!

What is it?

Listen a moment. Someone whistling. Can you hear him?

There

He's just stopped. Did you see him, the guy who was whistling?

-Yes, l can still see him. -Yes?

Yes. He's talking to a little girl and walking her down the street

-After him and don't let him go! -But why?

The day Elsie Beckmann was killed, someone bought a balloon

He was with a little girl

and he whistled just like that!

Damn it, man! Are you crazy throwing peels on the ground?

l might have broken my neck! Unbelievable

l should report you to the police, you're a menace to the public

Uncle

There! That's it. They found three cigarettes butts

at the scene of the crime. Aristons!

Yes, the cigarettes are the same, but there's no old wooden table

Of course, he could have written that letter somewhere else

Heavens, the windowsill!

You're right

Just a minute

A red pencil!

God, at last we're getting somewhere

Yes, yes, what? They have his trial!

-Have they found him? -The beggars found him

-He was talking to a little girl. -They put a mark on him

Can't you be quiet? What's that?

They are following the sign. He isn't out of sight for a second

He's being watched

-Uncle. -What is it?

You're all dirty

Where?

There, on your shoulder

Here, l'll wipe it off

-What's the matter? -Come on, let's go

He hasn't come out yet or we would have seen him

He must be in the courtyard, he didn't come out this way

He must be somewhere

Maybe he's hiding inside the building

Closing time!

He mustn't get out with everyone leaving

Christ! Here come the first ones already

Let's go out in the street

Keep a sharp lookout

Turn off the light or he'll suspect something when he comes back

What time is it?

Nearly 6:30

He must still be in the building, anyway, he didn't come out

Ok, Ok, yes... No, just a moment

The beggars have gone for more help to search the whole area

The murderer must still be in the building

What sort of place is it?

Nothing but offices. l don't know what's in the cellar

There's a branch of the savings bank on the ground floor

and from the first to the fifth, nothing but offices

above that are lofts

Look at that. lt ain't possible

Anyone there?

Anyone there?

What next? Anyone there?

Damn carelessness, all that trouble for one door

Yes, good

Looks like that guy is really cornered now

l think we should tip off the cops right away

-l agree. -Now then, listen carefully

Hello. Just a moment. What? Ok, call me right back

What is it? What's the matter?

Are you crazy or something?

The police? No. We're going to get that guy ourselves

Listen... now, the time is

8:00

Good. Then at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00!

Good evening. Did you know your gates are not closed?

What? But that's impossible!

l've only just... But it is

Open up, and no noise!

Are you going to open up?

Come on, get it open

Get a move on!

How many watchmen are there in the building?

Ok, so you don't want to answer?

There are two watchmen on their rounds

Bloody hell!

Damn it

Shit!

Careful with the lights. And don't walk like elephants

-What's the story? -He isn't in the basement.

We went through it and found nothing

Friede and Auguste are still going through the boiler rooms

Wait

That's the last one

Go up and join Emile. He needs help

Go on, get a move on!

Schranker sent me

Good. Listen carefully

lt's a new type of time switch

Here's a general plan here. lf the time switches aren't set

they automatically go off at the nearest police station. Get it?

Have you got it?

What do you think l am, some kind of a nut?

-He isn't in the boiler room. -Fine

We moved all the coal

Are you nuts?

What if the door is wired up? Want to get the police here?

Well, we have to get in if we're going to search the whole place

But not by the door, you ass! Use the office on the floor above

Go through the ceiling

Right, let's go

Hey! What's up?

Hey! Answer me. What's happening? Paul - tell us

What's going on?

l heard some banging!

-What did you say? -What's the hurry?

l must see Schranker!

He's in the attic! l heard him knocking. He's in the attic!

Keep quiet

Get on with it, then

He must be there

There's the switch

Force the locks

Come on. Hurry up!

l've got him. He's in the attic

l heard someone hammer l told Schranker immediately

He's up there with 8 men. They'll get him any moment

l just came down to tell you

lf l hadn't been alert, we'd have looked for him for hours

Look out! The watchman!

3... 1... 4

314

Let's get out of here!

The cops will be here any moment. The watchman rung in

Let's get out of here!

Stop! Quiet! We've got 5 more minutes and 6 more

compartments to search. Carry on. Get on with it. Only hurry!

Out of the way. You can't do it that way

He's not in here

Next door!

Come on. Quicker

Not here either

Come on, keep it up! Next door

Quick! We've only got about 3 minutes left

Hurry up! Quickly!

This one hasn't got a padlock, he must be here. Go on, open it!

lt's locked from the inside, let me do it!

Hurry up, only one minute left!

Here he is, here he is, the dirty bastard!

Get going, hurry up - Everybody out!

Go on - move! Hurry up, quickly!

Christ! Get out while you can, you fool!

-Anybody left? -A few up top, they're on the way

No reason for you to wait for them. With or without that guy

lt doesn't matter, get away. What are they up to? Christ!

Bloody hell! At last! Thank God!

Hey! He's not down here. Who's pulled up the ladder?

Who's pulled up the ladder?

Bunch of morons

Hello

Hands up

How can l put my hands up when l'm trying to hang onto the ladder?

Get out of there

For once, l'm innocent

As a newborn babe

This will surprise you, Franz, but l believe you

Well, then everything is in order. l can leave then

One minute

Cigarette?

Oh, boy

l'll take your word for it

On condition you tell me

who was the man you were looking for and found there?

l don't understand, lnspector. A man, you said?

l know nothing about that. There must be some mistake

l know nothing, nothing at all

Of course. Only l don't understand why you are covering up

for the gang who left you in the lurch. Funny friends!

Leaving you right in it and running off. Bah!

That won't wash with me, lnspector

After all, l'm not risking very much

Maybe a little bit of damage. But nothing was stolen

Of course, something was stolen. ln fact, a good deal

What? Stolen? How much?

lf you talk, l'll tell you

l've already told you, l don't know anything

All right. Well, think about it. lt's amazing what one remembers

when one is left alone for an hour or two

Take him away!

Send the night watchman in here

Get the watchman Damowitz

Sit down

Now then, you said in your statement - Listen carefully

You may have to repeat it under oath

You clearly heard

one of the burglars say to another, ''we've found him

l've discovered the guy. He's in the attic.'' ls that correct?

Yes, lnspector. Yes, l'll swear to whatever you want

Right. You may go home now. But please be ready to testify

Of course, lnspector. Good day, lnspector

Tell me, is lnspector Lohmann in the building?

He's talking to someone? No, it doesn't matter. l'll come up

What? Good. Hasn't come in yet. You're watching Mrs. Winkler?

Come in

We've surrounded the whole block

lf he wanted to get home, he'd run into us

Now you have to wait

l'll be in my office if you have some news

Hell...

What do you want?

l wanted to ask you a favor

Disgusting

l wanted to ask you

Anyway, read a bit of that

-Reports? -Yes

Burglary in an office block

Bennostrasse?

That's a very quiet neighborhood

Perhaps it's not as quiet as all that

Hell, this is becoming serious

Did they intend to empty the whole place, then?

What can they have been looking for in the coal?

Look at that. lt's incredible

Good Lord!

This is madness!

Ah, now it makes sense. They were after the safe

Good God! What's it all about?

l don't understand it at all

They haven't even attacked that one. Are they all crazy?

Well, l'll be damned!

Well, what have you got to say? Nothing stolen, but a man taken

Fantastic!

And Franz the burglar was arrested. lsn't talking

Frightened, evidently. Actually, l know him well

He's one who'd rather jump from the fifth floor

than get mixed up in a murder

Could we set a trap for him?

Could you help me, Lohmann?

l see what you're getting at

Let's take a look at this Franz

You're wanted for questioning

What? Four people for me?

Come on

The murder squad? lnspector Karl Lohmann

What do you want with me? What's the murder squad want?

Yes, old boy, your case has been passed over to me now

But why? What for?

You did your work a little too well

One of the watchmen

Dead?

Planning and assisting with a murder. lt's a bad show, Franz

l can't go on with it. l don't want to have anything to do with it

l'll tell you everything, everything l know

Very wise, but unfortunately too late

lnspector, it can't be too late... Please, lnspector

lt isn't possible! Listen, l'm going to tell you everything

Even who we were looking for in that damn building

Well, then

The child murderer

What? What? Who?

The child murderer, lnspector

Wait

This had to happen to me!

Of all people

Sit down

Now, we're going to have a little talk

lf you want to, lnspector

And mind you, don't lie. OK, let's start

What have you do to with the murderer, and where'd you take him?

Well, lnspector, you know the old

distillery of Kuntz and Levy?

-The one that went bankrupt? -Yes. Since then

the building's been abandoned and nobody cares

What do you want with me? Let me go! Let me go!

l've done nothing to you, let me go, you swine!

Let me go!

What do you bastards want with me? What do you want?

Help!

Help! Let me go. l want to get out. Get me out of here

Let me out!

You will not get out of here

But gentlemen, l don't even know what you want me for

l beg you, set me free. There must be some mistake

No, no. No mistake. lmpossible. There's no mistake

No mistake

Do you recognize it? lt's a balloon like the one you gave

little Elsie Beckmann!

A balloon like that

Where did you bury little Martha?

But l never... l never even knew her

You never knew her?

And what about this one?

And this one?

You didn't know this one either, huh?

Stop him, stop him... Don't let him get away

Let me go!

You have no right to treat me this way!

We'll show you what right we have!

You have no right to hold me here

Right? Someone like you has no rights. Kill him!

Yes, kill him!

We must treat him like a mad dog. Crush him!

You talk of rights. You will get your rights

We are all law experts here

from 6 weeks in Tegel prison

to 15 years in Brandenburg

You will get your rights, you will even get a lawyer

Everything will be done according to the rule of law

A lawyer? A lawyer? l don't need a lawyer

Who is accusing me? You, maybe? You?

Just a moment. lf l were you, sir, l'd keep quiet

Your life's at stake, in case you didn't know it

Who are you?

l have the dubious honor of being your defense counsel

But l'm afraid it won't be much use to you

But, but... Do you want to kill me? Murder me, just like that?

We just want to render you harmless

But you'll only be that way when you are dead

But if you kill me, it'll be cold-blooded murder!

l demand that you hand me over to the police

l demand to be handed over to the jurisdiction of common law

That would suit you, wouldn't it? Then you'll invoke paragraph 51

And spend the rest of your life in an institution at state expense

And then you'd escape, or else get a pardon, then

there you are, free as air, with a law-protected pass

because of mental illness, off again, chasing little girls

We're not going to let that happen

We must make you powerless. You must disappear

Yes, disappear!

l can't help what l do

l can't help it, l can't...

The old story, we never can help it in court

What do you know about it? Who are you anyway?

Who are you? Criminals? Are you proud of yourselves?

Proud of breaking safes or cheating at cards?

Things you could just as well keep your fingers off

You wouldn't need to do all that if you'd learn a proper trade

or if you'd work. lf you weren't a bunch of lazy bastards

But l... l can't help myself! l have no control over this

this evil thing inside me, the fire, the voices, the torment!

You mean to say that you have to murder?

lt's there all the time, driving me out to wander the streets

following me, silently, but l can feel it there

lt's me, pursuing myself

l want to escape, to escape from myself! But it's impossible

l can't escape. l have to obey it. l have to run... endless streets

l want to escape, to get away

And l'm pursued by ghosts. Ghosts of mothers

And of those children... They never leave me

They are there, always there... Always, except when l do it

When l...

Then l can't remember anything

And afterwards l see those posters and read what l've done

Did l do that? But l can't remember anything about it

But who will believe me? Who knows what it's like to be me?

How l'm forced to act... How l must... Must... Don't want to

Must! Don't want to, but must! And then... a voice screams

l can't bear to hear it

l can't go on

The accused has said that he cannot help himself

That is to say, he has to murder. As this is the case

he has pronounced his own death sentence

Someone who admits to being a compulsive murderer

should be snuffed out, like a candle

This man must be wiped out, eliminated

Perfect! Just what l think!

l wish to speak

The defense lawyer will speak

Our very honorable president, who is, l believe, wanted

by the police for three murders -

That's got nothing to do with it

...claims that because my client acts under an irresistible impulse

he is condemned to death

He is right!

He is mistaken. Because it is that very fact that clears him

Just a minute, enough!

Mad old drunk!

ls this very obsession which makes my client not responsible

And nobody can be punished for something he can't help

-Ridiculous! -Do you suggest

that this brute should get off?

l mean this man is sick. A sick man should be handed over

not to the executioner, but to the doctor

Can you promise he'd be cured?

What use are asylums, then?

And what would happen if he escaped?

Yes. Or if they released him as harmless? And what if

the compulsion to kill returns? Another man-hunt for months

Paragraph 51 again. The asylum, then another escape or release

Then the compulsion all over again, and so on, and on

No one can kill a man who isn't responsible for his actions

Not the state, and certainly not you

The state must see that this man becomes harmless and no longer

is a danger to his fellow citizens

You've never had children, huh? So you haven't lost any

But if you knew what it's like to lose one... Go ask the parents!

Ask them what those days and nights were like when

they didn't know what had happened. And then when they finally knew

-Ask the mothers! -She's right!

Do you think they'll have mercy?

-She's right. -l'll say she is

-No mercy! No pardon! -Give the murderer to us

Kill the beast!

-Crush the brute! -Kill him! Beat him!

All that won't silence me

l won't allow a crime to be committed in my presence

l demand that this man...

that this man be granted the protection of the law

l demand that this man be handed over to the police

-To the police! -Filthy stooge

ln the name of the law

ln the name of the people

This won't bring back our children

We, too, should keep a closer watch on our children