New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-14
MURDERED FOR GAIN.
TALE OF POISONING
DIR. HENRY MEYER AND HIS WIFE ARE
CHARGED WITH THE TERRIBLE GRIMES.
THEY MURDERED MEN AND WOMEN TO GET
THE INSURANCE on THEIR LIvEs-THEIR
LAST VICTIM WAS KILLED IN THIS
CITY - THEIR CONTRADICTORY
Sr0pIIS AYI.D THIN
BETRAYED THEN

CITY THEIR CONTRADICTORY
STORIES BETRAYED THEM
ARRESTED IL DETROIT.
The arrest in Detroit OF DR. Henry Meyer and
his supposed wife Mary brings ont a shocking
story Of the poisoning Of men and women for the
purpose of collecting insurance upon their Ives
In thc llQht of the facts collected by In" dctec-
tvcs the man appears as cruel AMI calcnla'lh3
scoundrcl who has not hcstated TO XIII nlmD'r
of persons for money, and the woman Is portrayed
as second Lucretia Borgia. The mans career
Of crime is said to have begun In Cdca2o Ill 1873,
when he poisoned his iirst wife lie had pech
graduated n year before at the Chicago Iiomoeo-
pathic School, but had not been able to Obtain
much practice as a physician. After getting rId
| of his wife he poisoned man named "cu'r'nl"
| in order TO marry Gcdcrmans widow. Then he
noisoned the womans child, and later the woman
| borsolf Another woman who fell into ms tolis
was taken 10 Toledo and poisoned for the lnsur-
| ,rcc ON her life The woman who lately has peel
| known as his wife formerly lived III Indianapolis
and accompanied him tO Chicago few years ago.
| She became his willing tool in the POISONING oi
men for money Associated with them III chicago
| was Ludwig Brandt, a German WHO hau n'@uc
| nrccarious living by writing stories for ""fnai
| nancrs and magazines. friend OF Brlhd'' haneu
| WINNER also became interested III the INSURANCE
| frauds. .,
| iow THEY CARRIED oN oPhRAIIoNS,
I-uder assumed names Brandt and VIM
mcr would have their lives insured III Hc,''"
counanics Then they would fall sick, taking
noisor IN small doses at the insigation OF Dr.
| uover in order 10 deceive physicians who were
called 70 attend them. At the proper time the
| cor,sas of othor men were obtained and pI.''u o"
,s tbc bodies Of the men who had been SICK. Inc
bodies would lc buried with show Of grief NY MIS-
| Nc,-or who nosod in turn the widow OF Brandt
and of WINNER She also would coll'ct the III
surancc money In order to got bodies TO pass o"
As those Of Brandt and WINNER the poiso''iS
| killed Germans whose appearance 'alil'u o'o''''
! with that OF the accomplceS .,
| II was for the supposed poisoning OF brah"''
| undcr the name Of Gustaye a. j. BAUM Ill "'''
| city that Never and his wife We're arr'S'''' III
| Detroit on Wednesday. There is poSSio"nH
tba, Brandt is still alive, but the detectives VINO
bavo been investigating the remarkable cas-" thlnK
that Brandt actually killed by his conicder-
| atcs with slow poison -.
| Under the name of Baum. Brandt had hls nv
insured by four companies on August d. i''i'
rho rolices were obtained at offices in Chicago
for the following amounts N'"-lorN i"'''
81 900: Aetna Life, 81 900; Mutual Life. S'','oo
|
that he was soon 10 be married, and had the
polcics made out in favor of his WIFE
THEY PLAN TO MURDER BAUM
F,r,he, ,, carr, out the scheme Of fraud, the man
| vos married :, Mrs. Meyer February IL, lSo?'
| la, ,bc Roy + Werner at No. IS Park-st, 'hl-
caro- the woman representing herself 10 be Emil"
RATHER. a nicce Of DR. Meyer. Late in the sam"
| mon,h tho newly married coupl" came 10 this
city and hired rooms on the first noor oi III" Hat
house no. 32O East Thirt"cnth-st.. where th'y
| wcr. known as Mr.. and Mrs Baum. Dr' Meyer
and the man WINNER followed them 10 the HAT
and lived there with them The coni"drrat"S dd
not associate with other persons in the house.
, few days after their arrival in the city, or
alout March !. 1892, the poison"rs took their
no\t step 10 pave the way for IN" deception OIL
th, insurance companies. Baum went to -" Dr
Simeon L. Mindcn, of No. 2lS last lW"iitIl-Nt'
who then had an Office IN ST. Marks Place, ana
asked f,r medical advice for intestinal trouble.
DR. Mindcn prescribed some medicine, ahd biu'h
wont AWAY. Two or three days later Winner
went to call the physician 10 th" Hat IN lhr
toonth-st.. saving that Baum was sick IN bed Dr'
undcn went 10 visit tine patient, and WAS
,eto,,shcd AZ the chang" in laumS appearance.
Tie man WAS cmaciat..d and had other symptoms
~ chronic dysrntrry. \ chan" OF medicine was
prcscribcl, and DR. Mnhcn began 10 visit the
n,ti.nt daily. but Baums condition seemed To
| change for tho worse
EAI.M DIES by INCHES.
As the lays went by and the patient sc'hl'i -
10 sinking slowly but surely, DR.. Mind"n took
, medical student with him to look al Baum ll'
| also changed tie prescriptions ACCORDING I" III"
host light ne could obtain but Baum cont'hu''
., ro,, worse Mrs Baum seemed IN be- an at
tontiy. nnrs.. and the medicines prescribed by 'h'
musician disappeared gradually, as II they wi'
',,iuc administered to the patient according |"
orders.
nr Nindcn had no suspicion Of fraud. EV"h
,vo or three strange things that happened i'l'"
to arous. any mi-givings in his mind. Al 'lrN
visits 10 the fiat he was admitted with some u''''
afcr Mrs Baum had looked ont into the hall ana
,old him to wait ~ other times he heard tl'
voices Of men in the rooms adjoining. but he an
not Get a glimpse of them 1t length, whH
mo told Nrs Baum that he feared her hnShan"
,yould NOT recover he WAS surprised AZ her lack
If feeling. He hntct that il would b" well q
call other physicians in consultation, bUt sIie SI
she could not afford to pay for specialists
IL believe that yoG doing all that can Dc
done to cure him." she said. in German ~ ','
phvsician understood that she could not spraN
Fnolish. "and il would be useless 10 have another
doctor. If it il the Lords will that my husband
must be- taken from me. ! must submit
In the latter part OF the month DR. Nihd'h 'o''
Baum that he was likely to die, and aiVls'u MN
To transact any necessary business at once p''"
received the intelligence with surprlSin@ rohpo'u'
"Thcic is one thing wish yon wo"'' "o ~,
r me when | am dead, Ii" said. :" wish you wou''
-ce that the insurance papers on my me arr 'H"'
properly, IN order that my wlic VIII "''' "
trouble in getting the Insurance. money -
called hs wife and she showed to Di' M'""'" Wv
insurance policies.
THE WIPES uEAITLESS ACTIONS.
THE insurance money is all she VIII nave "i'c'
| am gone. B1Gm Sa l.
Dr. Mindcn promised 10 see that the paPci' "'i'