Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-13
SYSTEMATIC MURDER
Meyer Poisoned Men for Their Life
Insurance.
ALONG CAREER OF COLD D-HELRTEDCRIME
Capture of One of Americas Most
Notorious Criminals.
TRACKED FOR TWO YEARS.


DETROIT, MICH, July 1s-Last night one of
the most notorious criminals in America fell
into the hands Of the police, and today at Chi
cago New York and Toledo viii begin legal
war for his custody.
Two local detectives, guided by Detective
Julian Of New York and two Pinkerton men,
arrested Henry G. w. Meyer at l2s Clifford
street on suspicion. Julian and the Pinkerton
men have been on his track for two years and
finally cornered him in Detroit, collecting in
the meantime evidence which, they say, viii
cause Meyer to suffer the death penalty.
Julian says that Meyer graduated from the
Chicago Homeopathic School in 1873, and his
operations began . year later, when he poisoned
his first wife.
"a Then he poisoned an old man named Glider
man and married the widow, poisoning her son
and finally herself.
Meyer then moved from Chicago to New
York, where he went into partnership with
man named Brant, their scheme being TO beat
the insurance companies. Brant was to take
out heavy insurance, become sick and appar-
emily die. corpse being procured from some
other source and used to get the insurance.
Brant took some medicine to render him un-
conscious, and then il is charged that Meyer
poisoned him, collecting the insurance.
In tome way Meyer persuaded an Indianapolis
girl to accompany him to Toledo, where he also
poisoned her. Chemists have analyzed the
poison he is accused Of using, but have failed
to find out what II was.
He is said to have collected $1,000 that is
known from insurance companies and the de-
tectives feel confident there are more cases 10
hear from.
MEYERS CAREER IN NEW YoRK.
NEW York, July lS-Poioe Inspector No
Laushlin learned from Detroit last night fthe
arrest there Of DR.. Henry T.Meyer and his wife,
who are wanted here - well a. in other large
cities in the United States for poisoning peo-
pie that they might get the insurance money
on their victims lives.
So far there is only one case against the
prisoners here. but it is . strong one, and for
that reason Meyer and his wife viii be brought
to this city and tried.
> This one case shows that Meyer and his wife
are two Of the blackest-hearted criminal that
the police ever handled. and considering that
there are at least dozen charges Of the same
nature against them in other cities, ,theirhatur
must be more than beetial.
Requisition papers are now being prepared
here and will be forwarded at once 70 Detroit
After Meyer left the west he met Q woman
who proved Q good accomplice and who was
known as his wife. The two are believed to
have worked together on many cases in New
York, but the only one which the police have
any positive information about happened ON
March 20. 1892 On that day there died ct No.
$40 East 18th street . man named Gustav A j.
Baum. He and q woman known a. his wife
lived there alone. The wife was very attentive
else near him. The attention, however was
only part Of q plot, for the alleged wife Of
Gustav Baum is Marie Meyer, the woman ar
rested in Detroit The cause Of the death of
Baum was given IN the physicians burial certif-
cate as 'chronic dysentery."
r. 49, n. l.
the Office of the Mutual Life Insurance Company
and had his life insured in his wife's favor for
$1,000. The wife collected the insurance money
the day after the man was buried and then
disappeared.
DR.. Gillette, the physician Of the
his death and became suspicious. When
the alleged wife disappeared 90 suddenly he
began to work on the case, with the aid
of detectives. The detectives learned that
Baum's wife hac an accomplice in some medi-
cine man. They learned that the medicine
man disappeared from the city about the same
time as the woman did. For year the work OF
the detectives and the insurance people went
quietly on. Inspector Mclaughlin did not say
this morning how the prisoners were traced,
but there has undoubtedly been some smart
detective work.
ALWAYS A WOMAN IN THE CASE.
Similar cases to the one in New York had
come to light in Chicago, Toledo and Detroit
There was always q man and woman in the case
and their description Tailed with the alleged
Mrs. Baum and her medical adviser in New
York.
About two weeks ago the Mutual Life Insur-
ance people decided to hold an autopsy ON the
body Of Gustave Baum The body was taken
from the grave and the examination was made
by Prof. Doremus, Coroner Schultz and Deputy
Coroner Watts. The result showed that there
was still antimony in the intestines. Antimony,
strong mineral poison, would produce Just
such effects as were shown on Baum at the time
of his death.
Detectives Trainor and Won Gerickle were
then given the case. They established to Q
certainty that Baum's alleged wife had given
him poison which had been prepared By Or:
Meyer. The detectives learned yesterday that
the Meyers had turned up in Detroit and Q
telegram to arrest them was sent
Coroner Schultz when seen today said that
he would have the requisition papers for Meyer
prepared this afternoon The coroner cor
rected the statement made about the time of
the autopsy on Baum's body. II was made, he
said, one year ago, and ever since then the In
surance people have had detectives on their
tracks.
zoLA ourpoNE-
The coroner said that, without 3 doubt there
was q marriage ceremony between Mrs. Baum"
and Baum.
"The case" said the coroner, "is the most
remarkable ever handled. 1t bea6 anything
that Zola ever wrote. I believe that in the
Baum case the Meyers took Baum, in q measure,
into their scheme. believe that they induced
him to feign sickness for week or 50. saying
that after that time they would introduce .
dead body which the insurance people would
be deceived into believing was Baum'a Baum
became sick sure enough, but it was no
feiened sickness. physician was called
tinually plying the man with sntimony and
telling him all the time that he would be over
his sickness in . reasonable time. The part Of
the scheme not told to Baum BY the Meyers
was that he was really to die. The physi-
clan who attended Baum never saw Meyer, al
though Meyer lived in the house. The Meyers
gave Baum . decent burial and then skipped
with the insurance money. ! have heard Of the