After 200 Years, Scientists Identified the Skeleton of a Legendary Outlaw. The Truth Was There All Along.
Genealogical research found a living descendant of Schinderhannes, and researchers used his mitogenome to confirm the identity of the skeletal remains.
The skeleton of Schwarzer Jonas, the man who Schinderhannes' skeleton was originally thought to belong to, is now lost to time.
Notorious for blackmail, extortion, and even murder, Johannes Bückler—more commonly known as Schinderhannes—was one of the most infamous criminals in all of Germany during the late 18th century, and was responsible for more than 200 crimes during his reign of terror. However, his life of crime came to a halt in 1802 when he was arrested in Mainz (which, at the time, belonged to France).
Just over a year later, in 1803, Schinderhannes and 19 other criminals—including a man who he schemed with, another criminal nicknamed Schwarzer Jonas (Black Jonas)—were sentenced to death. The following day, the delinquents were executed by guillotine in front of 30,000 onlookers.
However, Schinderhannes' popularity didn't end when he died. Many of the bodies were eventually sent off for scientific research, and the skeletons of Schinderhannes and Schwarzer Jonas were given to the Heidelberg University anatomy department a couple of years after their execution. But, at some point during the early 19th century, the two skeletons were accidentally mixed up and misidentified—a snafu that has persisted for over 200 years. Now, a new study analyzing the sets of bones is correcting the record, and the skeleton long assumed to be the remains of Schwarzer Jonas may actually belong to Schinderhannes.
Published in Forensic Science International, the team behind the study was composed of interdisciplinary experts from around the world. Researchers used a variety of methods to piece together the identities of the skeletal remains, labeling them Ind1_SJ (for Schwarzer Jonas) and Ind2_SH (for Schinderhannes).
Most impressively, isotopic analysis revealed Ind1_SJ spent early childhood in a region characterized by geologically old sediments. According to the study, these were common in places like Taunus and Hunsrück (both mountain ranges in Germany), which historical evidence suggests Schinderhannes was both born in and travelled through.
The study also matched mitochondrial DNA from the same specimen to a maternal descendant of Schinderhannes. According to the paper, a great-great-grandnephew volunteered a cheek swab, and his mitogenome (DNA found within mitochondria) both matched the profile of Ind1_SJ and was distinctly different from the other subject.
Radiological analysis also proved to be significant, aligning closely with historical records of events. Researchers found evidence of the thickening of the ulna (arm) and the tibia (lower leg) in the remains of Ind1_SJ. Historical sources claim that Jonas once broke Schinderhannes arm during a heated argument, and sources also confirm that Schinderhannes injured (possibly even fractured)his leg when jumping out of a tower to escape arrest. The body, as they say, keeps the score.
'All of these results, coupled with a careful analysis of historical documents, pointed to a possible confusion of the two skeletons,' Sara Doll—curator at the Anatomical Collection of Heidelberg University—said in a translated press release.
The study also helped disprove some historical inaccuracies. According to the paper, there are no reliable contemporary descriptions or artworks of Schinderhannes, as most renderings were done after his death. Genetic analyses suggest the outlaw had either brown or black hair, brown eyes, and pale skin, painting a better picture of what he would have looked like.
Schinderhannes' skeleton has since been removed from the Anatomical Collection of Heidelberg University for conservation purposes, but spectators can still view a replica. Even in death, the notorious criminal spent more then 200 years eschewing his true identity. But it seems that he's finally met his match in modern genetic science.
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