In 1910 the first international hunting exhibition took place
in Vienna. Visitors were also invited to the exhibition via special
posters in the compartments of passenger trains. In July 1910 an
incident took place at the Ljubljana train station. An unknown
person scribbled on the posters insults to the emperor and his
court such as “an ass”, “a brothel” (Hurenhaus) or “a circus” (Affentheater).
After the disclosure of the criminal act of an insult
to His Majesty, which according to § 63 of the 1852 Penal Code
was punishable with one to five years of close arrest, an extensive
investigation was launched by the provincial court in Ljubljana.
Critical remarks about the emperor were strictly prosecuted
until the decline of the Austrian monarchy. Cleaners and other
workers with access to passenger train cars became the suspects.
The investigating judge questioned many suspects and witnesses,
and two legal experts – graphologists – were called in to perform
a handwriting test (Schriftprobe) with the suspects and provide
an expert opinion. Both concluded that Rudolf Schönemann,
a painter with the imperial royal Railways, had scribbled the
insults on the posters. There followed numerous inquiries about
the suspect, which presented Schönemann as a patriot disposed
to Germanness who had never shown anti-dynastic disposition
nor belonged to any political organization. Unfortunately, it
remains unknown whether charges were brought against him.