“Adolph Hitler, once the demi-god of the reactionary extremists, was released on parole from Imprisonment at Fortress Landsberg, Bavaria, today and immediately left in an auto for Munich. He looked a much sadder and wiser man today than last Spring when he, with Ludendorff and other radical extremists, appeared before a Munich court charged with conspiracy to overthrow the Government. His behavior during imprisonment convinced the authorities that, like his political organization, known as the Völkischer, was no longer to be feared. It is believed he will retire to private life and return to Austria, the country of his birth,” the New York Times reported on December 21st, 1924, confident in the belief that the rabble-rousing art school reject with iconic facial hair had recognized the error of his ways. Too bad they didn’t have more room for the newsbrief to speculate on what kind of private life the bachelor would pursue back home, like if he would open up a boutique lederhosen shop or maybe a chocolatier called “Heil Fudger!”
Still great to see Times at it a century later, using a delicate but deft hand in carrying latest on the exploits of similarly unique and iconic political figures with intensely dedicated supporters.