The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-07-17
Dr. Meyer and Wife Charged With
Wholesale Poisoning in
New York.
Their Object Was to Got the In
surance on Thor Vic
TINS Lives.
One Of Their CosfeGsratss Killed with
the same Objeot in visw-Ar-
rested IN Detroit.

NEW YORK, July l6.-Supt. Byrnes 70.
ceivsd u telegram to night from Detective
Sargesnt Van Gerishten. saying he left De-
troit this afternoon In company with his
prisoner, DR.. Henry Meyer. who with his
wife 10 charged with Wholesale poisoning
and insurance frauds. Detective II tainer
remained in Detroit to watch Mrs. Meyer,
the doctors wife. until she is permitted BY
the doctors attending her TO Wavsl. Tho
crime with whish the couple arc charged 10
the murder of their learned and ingenious
fellow thief, Gustav II. N. Joseph Baum.
The authorities declare that thsy have am
pie evidence to warrant the conviction Of
the pair OF murder In the 6rst degree.
Their victim was their confederate, IL 10
said, IN swindling the life insurance COM
paniss by poisoning persons whom they had
just been insured. or by themselves feign-
ing illness and substituting stolen eoEpsss.
Although general accusations Of murder
are plsatlfully made against them, NO Dc.
tails were related except about the dsstfuo-
tionJof Baum. This tragedy and those that
are in some measure linked with IL form
one Of the weirdsst criminal histories ever
written.
MOyVS OuO uAo W1Os WIN DuuAA uNN q
confederate named Winner. came to thia
city late in January. 1892. According TO
the police. they had lived for years BY
poisoning and matrimonial swindling.
They were ell German but Winner. who
was 6wsde. He had served two yeaTs In
Me Illinois state p;ison ut Joliet for using
the mails to scatter fraudulent matrimonial
adver tisemsnts. Meyers wife was comely
young woman. hardly 26 yesrs old. with
Baum was apparently 80 years cid. with .
foreign air. He spoke English very we'll.
In fact. tho whole party. although Of for
eign birth and training, found NO di1iculSy
in making themselves comfortable.
Baum apparently knew nothing Of the
part hs was to play In the tragedy whose
lieved that all hs had 10 do was to play the
sick man and be nursed by some reputable
physician. who must be a stranger. Insur-
anse policies, he knew, had bssn written
upon his life in Chicago to the extent Of
some $4,000. but 40 hs understood the
profitable comedy. he had only to disap..
pear when his feigned illness had reached
It's climax. Then the corpse was to be put
into his bed. strange physician would
sign the death certifcate and the,e would
be fine nook funeral to be followed by q
gathering of the swindlers and division
Of the spoils. To make the fraud more
plausible. Baum. whose real name was
band Of Mre. Meyer. Four life insurance
policies had been made ravable to his
''widow." Baum had already been mixed
up in Meyers other murders, the police of
this city say. but he had no suspicion Of
trsachery. He. too, had suffered imprison-
men. IN Chicago ?, for svindliDe' and he
About Feb. l. 1892, the party rentsd foul
looms at 320 West Thirteenth street from
Frank Shastfer. Baum, IL 10 now charged
was being dosed with minute quantities ot
antimony all this time. This virulent gen
sral poison 10 cumulative. Tiny doses Of il
are stored up in the system and when
ulstss and then i,ritstss the intsstines and
other organs. After time dyssntery seti
In. More antimony is put into tho sys-
tenn. the intestinal disturbances continue
until tho patient grows weaker. He take'
to his bed. the flesh wastes from his body
leaving him weaker every day. At las
denth seizes him. Baum's case precisely
den. stranger to them. was brought intt
the case, Baum visiting him At his Office
The doctor prescribed the ordinary pre-
scription for the symptoms Of dysentery.
Al this time very little WAS seen of Meyer
but WINNER, o black bea dsd fellow, soor
| became 10nllIlAf WIN al tuc u0lRuDOCes uuC
to them he said concerning Baum's illness
He 10 sick. He is qnite u talented fellow
You know; but. we'll. he says himself tha
he 10 100 years in advance of his age. And
as for having a doctor-vou know how tina
sort Of man is." This was to prepare tht
neighbors for what was TO come. Bauu
took to his bed and continued to grow
worse. DR.. Minden called every day, bat
| Eo matter what medicine he gave IL did nc
good. He asked Mrs. Meyer, the supposed
wife, TO allow a consultation. bus she OBJ
jected on the score Of poverty. Finally
Baum died and WINNER called on DR.
Minden for certificate. which he gave.
| Shortly after Baum's death Ms. Meysl
col lected $1,000 from the. Mutual Life In
surnnce company. the same amount from
ths Washington Life and $1,000 from tht
New York Life. Th GO months later tht
insurance companies became suspicious o1
the haste in collecting, and determined tc
investigate the matter. Baum's body wai
quietly exhumed and an autopsy made
| l ha stomach Was found to contain a larG,
quantity Of antimonv. The result Of the
autopsy was communicated to Inspector
Mclaughlin and his men were put on th'
casn. In the meantime. Meyer and th'
woman had heard of the investigation snt
hurriedly left the city. They did not ave,
wait to collect a $1,000 check from th'
Etna Life Insurance.
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