Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-09-03
A MODERN BLUEBEARD.
He has Eleven Wives and Beats ihem
AII-The Story of his Lost Wife-A
Rife of Fear, Aches and Bruises.

He has Eleven wives and Beats ihem
AII-The Story Of his Lost Wife-A
life of Fear, Aches and BRUISES.
From the Dubuque Times. 9th.
Three years ago there was no happier
girl in all Milwaukee than Mary Schroe.
der Her parents were in comfortable cir
cumstances, and refused their daughter
nothing that could add to her comfort and
happiness. One day she met Chris. Gan
tenbein, and was introduced TO him. He
had just served two years in the Wisconsin
penitentiary for having committed bigamy.
bat he did not tell Mary of il. He had
handsome face he had not pleasant voice:
he had ugly eyes, 20 she did not love him.
But in a month or two he proposed mar
riage. lie had told her parents of his great
property in the city Of Dubuque-how rich
lac was; Mary should have every luxury,
plenty Of servants aHd no wOrk-she should
have horses and carriages at her command !:
she need not even walk ifshe did not chose
10 walk. So when Mary said "no, ! will
not marry you" her parents said yves, you
shall marry him, and we will have a rich
son-in-lawp She married him. She came
10 Dubuque with him. There was no car
riage 10 receive her at the ferry landing.
She walked with him clear up into the
fifth ward TO his brothers house Thereshe
learned for the first time that he was not
onlynot rich, but was very poor. Somebody
furnished him a little money and he started
a saloon. Soon he moved into the build
ing at the corner Of Fifteenth and Iowa
streets. Customers came to him, and he
commenced prospecting. Alas for Mary
lie commenced getting drunk, too, and 10
beat her. Her home was a perfect hell TO
ker. She was in constant fear Of her life
and she says that time and again, when she
asked for money 10 buy food, she has been
answered by a blow and a kick. She be-
came a mother, and then her torrents Of
heart were doubled, for she knew of her
inability to protect the child in his mo-
ments-Or rather hours-of passion. Thus
she has lived for three years-subject to
more kicks than kisses, more blows than
blessings hundred fold more.
This life Of torment eliminated last
Saturday. Gautenbein got drunk. Several
times during the day he whipped his wife
In the evening, with her child in her arms,
she told him there was no bread in the
house, and nothing for the lutte one to eat
He swore a terrible oath, and said he would
give her bread Picking up a dog chain
he wound it about he neck, knocked her
down on the floor, and then dragged her
by the chain across the long room. Then
he caught hold Of her long hair and dragged
her back again. Then he took the chain
and beat her over the head and face with
it, kicked her, and at last picked up a
butcher knife and iabbed her cheek with
II. She screamed murder, and the neigh
bors and passers-by rushed in and rescued
her. All this time the child lay on the
floor, screaming at the top of its voice.
Officer Herkes arrested Gantenbein and
took him to Jail.
Yesterday he was brought before Justice
Foltzer for examination. He plead guilty
10 assault with intent TO do great bodily
harm, and was held to bail in the sum of
$500
1t was revealed in the court room that
Gantenbein has lead life worse than that
of Bluebeard of old, save in the crime Of
murder. He has been married TO no less
than eleven different women, every one Of
whom has received terrible beatings at his
hands. For bigamy he was confined two
years in the Wisconsin State penitentiary.
Oae, and possibly two, Of his former wives
are living in this city, though his present
wife never knew it till last Sunday. Thus
has this monster lived for a dozen years
luxuriating with wives, and for exercise
MASKING their faces and bruising their
bodies. 1t is a relief to think that he has
found a stopping place in his career, and
that for a few months, at least, women will
be ont Of reach Of his maulevs. His wife
intends going TO her people, who are now
IN Missouri, and proposes to apply immedi-
ately for divorce from her unnatural
spouse.