Isabella Mueller (crime writer)
A true family tragedy that ended with the death of a tyrant took place on November 22, 1923, in the Danube metropolis of Vienna. That night, 46-year-old restaurateur August Fritschko, better known as Revolver-Gustl because he always carried a loaded gun with him despite it being illegal, was murdered. This bear of a man was not only an alcoholic, but also a violent offender known to the authorities, who regularly terrorized not only his guests, but also his wife Marianne and his 14-year-old daughter Hildegard when he was drunk. The burly giant was murdered by his wife’s aunt, the 70-year-old, white-haired and frail Marie Picka, who was so unsteady on her feet that she needed a walking stick. But first things first. August Fritschko was a restaurateur who had to sell his coffee house in Vienna’s 2nd district, Leopoldstadt, due to his alcohol addiction and outbursts of rage. He then bought a restaurant with his wife Marianne at Clementinengasse 11 in Vienna’s 15th district, Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus. Marie Picka, who had raised Marianne, also moved there. She not only helped out in the kitchen, but had also invested all her savings in the restaurant. However, due to August Fritschko’s violent outbursts, the guests stayed away, which is why they had to sell the restaurant again. Everything was already packed in boxes and suitcases. It was their last night in Clementinengasse. While Marie Picka, who would henceforth live in a retirement home, slept in the kitchen for the last time, Marianne spent the night with her daughter Hildgard in the room next door until they were awakened by August, who had returned home drunk as a skunk. He wanted to lie down on the boxes with their fragile contents, which Marianne tried to prevent. A fight broke out between the two, during which August became violent towards Marianne, who called for help. Marie quickly rushed to her aid, stabbing August three times with a knife while he strangled her until he fell dead to the floor. Marie was arrested. The death of the drunkard August Fritschko was reported in the newspapers for weeks. In 1929, Marie Picka was tried and sentenced to one month of strict arrest because she had acted in self-defense. Since Marie Picka had already spent two months in pretrial detention, this was taken into account in her sentence, so that Marie Picka was able to leave the courtroom a free woman. Justice had prevailed after all.
