Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-01-27
Mysterious Abduction Case i'm Mich
3"' "'" igan.


Fl 4 mysterious abduction case is just
now agitating the Michigan people re- t
siding on the Lake Huron shore. One
Of the principals in the affair is Albert
MOlitor, q wealthy lumberman, who re-
sides at Rogers City, on Lake Huron, a I
short distance above Alpena. Molitor
has had rather romantic career, being
an illegitimate son of King William Of
Wurtemberg. His mother was sew
ing woman to the Queen, and was mar
ried to man named Molitor just pre-
vious to the birth of the child Of the
King. Her maiden name was Fran
cisca Schmidt. Upon arriving at
mans estate, the illegal Royal de
scendant was installed in the War De-
partment at Ludwigsbrg; but, engag-
ing IL an attempt to procure extra plans
of the fortress of Uhlan, he was arrested
and imprisoned, and finally ordered to
leave the country; which heidi. Com
ing to America about the time of the
breaking out of the Rebellion, he en-
listed, and did good service for his
adopted country, having been attached
TO the staff of Gen. Sigel. After the
War he located at Rogers City, in Presque
Isle county, and by industry sue
ceeded in amassing snug little fortune
in the lumber trade While at this
place, he sent to Germany for an old
love,-one Hortensia Carle,-who
came on and was duly installed as
housekeeper. Failing to wed her, as
he promised. she left his roof and
went to Detroit, where she subsequo ntly
made a complaint, and caused the al
rest of Molitor on charge of being the
paternal ancestor of an infantile incum-
brance. A preliminary examination
was had, which resulted in the defend
ant being held for trial at the higher
court, and bail was furnished by him
for his appearance. A few days since,
under color of All arrest for some cloth
ing taken from Molitor's residence, the
woman, with babe six weeks old, was
taken by force from Detroit to Bay
City, and thence toAlpena, where stop
was made Tor the night, and since that
time neither the woman nor child has
been seen. Rumors of foul play are
afoat, and considerable excitement
exists.
Singular Fact in Crime Statistics.
The discovery of remarkable fact in
crime statistics was recently made by
DR.. Harris, of New York. His atten-
ton was called to county on the Up
per Hudson, where was shown an extra
ordinary proportion of crime and power
ty to the whole population-4o0 Of it's
40, 900 being in the poor-house. In an
investigation of the records the doctor
found continual recurrence of certain
names. This led him to look into the
genealogies of these families, and, after
patient and honest search he found that
from girl named Margaret, who
was waif upon the county
seventy years ago, and was
permitted to grow up nobody knew
how-from her two hundred recruits to
the subsequently established alms-house
had descended. In one generation of
her miserable issue there were twenty
children, seventeen of whom survived
to maturity. Of these nine served in
the penitentiary for high crimes an
average Of fifty years, while the others
were habitual inmates of jails and poor
houses. Through six generations the
whole number of the descendants OF
this girl Margaret has been nine hmm
dred. Two hundred are criminals as
shown of record, while large number
have been idiots, imbeciles, lunatics.
prostitutes, and paupers. All Of which
shows how crime may be generated.