Dead man walks

The old student register of Helsinki University includes information about Josef Benjamin von Pfaler who was mugged and robbed by Anton, Gabriel and Gustaf on Eriksgatan street Spring 1852. All were punished by death enforced by loss of the right hand. The sentence sounds exeptional harsh because Mr. Pfaler seemed to survive the robbery. According to the Helsinki University register he left his office at the university in 1854 and died March 12, 1863, in age of fourty-one.

It is of course possible that the incident had some impact on his health but he still lived more than ten years after the robbery. Thus, the information given by the Transbaikal Archive of Chita is not correct. The answer may be found in the explanation part of the trial documents of Summer 1852. They are kept in the Finnish National Archive, Helsinki. The next step will be to browse the papers there.