The Washington bee., 1893-07-22
A MODERN B0RGlA.:
THE STARTLING GRIMES or -
MEYER AND HIS WIFE ="

Killing Victims Whose Lives b.
Insured-He Murders Wife. Cbns
wants and Friends to Satisfy His c.,
New York, July 1S.-The arrival r.
from Detroit OF Detectives Geriobs1re tere
and Trainer with DR.. Henrv . -
Meyer, who, with his wife, is cbS,a;
with poisoning Ludwig Brandt ree0 oneel
up O chapter in modern crirno NP5IS tS1
rivals the Middle Age doings OF T,rira. ,,laF
ly Borgias of Venice. N-'Al'e-
The exposure of the crimes of NJ.
and his wife was due to the afran1nt' e e
collect from the Mutual Life Tngrro,,o' y
Company, of this city, q $500 life ~
surance policy on one Gustav Hnir,s1t "a
Maria Joseph Baum, who died IN LIZ
city in April, 1892. Baum. whose rno1 r--oI
name was Ludwig Brandt. hook -Tnl N"l
his policy In Chicago. Evidence GU ~.
to show that he had entered iDf0 a
conspiracy with DIR. and Mrs. Mevar
to defraud insurance companies H.
travelled from place to place. takjns
out life policies in different names IN
April, 1892, Meyer and Baum came on
to New York, and here the latter Voc
taken sick at a hotel and subsequprtI,
died. 1t will be shown that Mayar
poisoned Baum by the administrators
of antimony, being assisted in the wnrlr
by q Swede named WINNERS. Nerae
and his wife subsequently called IT the
office of the Mutual Life Insurance
Company in New York, the Iattor
claiming to be the wife of Baum. and
claimed the payment of the pOlicv
The suspicious Of the officers of the
company had been excited by an in.
Quiry into Baum's record, and thpv
therefore questioned his pretended wife
sharply. She broke down and Never
endeaYored to straighten the case up.
but only caused deeper suspicion. The
result was an inquiry that led to the
disinterment of Baum's remains. and
an autopsy by Prof DOremus revealed
the fact that he had died of poison.
Further inquiry into the career Of
Meyer and his wife revealed sufficient
evidence to show that they We're pro-
fesStonal poisoners who for q series Of
years had been working frauds on life
insurance companies.
Meyer is charged with at least FIVE
murders in the course Of his career.
The indications are that he poisoned
his first wife, his own child, Henry
Gilderman, of Chicago; Ludwig Brandt.
In New York, an alleged wife in To
ledo, and that he tried to poison vari.
Gus other persons.
DE-. Henry @. B. Meyer is a native Of
Minden, Prussia. His age is about
forty When he came to this country
is not deAntts4y settled, but began prac-
tice as q physician in Chicago In 1878
He married, and soon afterwards bis
first wife died under circumstances
which look suspicious enough in the
light of subsequent events, but which
attracted no unfavorable comment at
the time. An insurance on her life was
promptly paid.
Among the young doctors patients
Was q well-tO-dO grocer, Henry Glide
man, who had a store in North Sedg-
wick street Gildeman died suddenly in
1883, leaving some property, an tnsur-
ance on his life and q buXom widow.
BY marrying the widow shortly after
wards the doctor acquired both the
property and the insurance money. Not
long after the marriage his first wifes
son was found dead in the bathtub.
AS he had been in excellent health up
to his sudden taking off the matter
created much talk. The police now
deemed 1t time to interfere. DIR. Meyer
was arrested, but as no tangible evi-
dence could be found against him he
was discharged. The insurance money
was paid over, and the nine days
wonder became very tame thing %
O fortnight.
Then the wife found herself suffering
from q slow complaint which threat.
eped her life. Believing that she was
being poisoned she left her home and
her husband and procured o divorce.
She Is still alive, but her constitution
Is shattered, and to this day she be-
Heves that her life was attempted.
About the year 1888 he met his pres
ent wife In Chicago. Her maiden
name was Gressen. She was the daugno
ter Of q thrifty, elderly German Of the
north side, who had accumulated con-
siderable property. 1t was soon dis
covered that the old gentleman'S narne
had been forged to a heavy life insuf-
ance tn the Germania Life Insurance
Company. He was slowly dying, but
when removed from Meyers charge
recovered his health. A warrant was
issued against DR.. Meyer. He fed the
city, but was arrested in Denver
where he went under the name 0l
Dennis Oswald; was taken back 70
Chicago, tried and acquitted.
Then followed the poisoning ol
Brandt in this city, for which crime
Meyer is likely to be brought to Judg
ment. Meyer turned up later at TO
ledo, where he induced his servant
girl, Mary Neiss, to impersOnate DIE
wife in taking out hfe Insurance
policy. She became very sick, ana
suspecting Meyer wished to poison heF
fed from his house. He subsequently
secured another servant, whom he %
sured, and who died soon Afterwards
On his attempt to collect the insurance
an investigation was made and ne neI
from Toledo.
The Mutual Life Insurance Compan!
was pursuing its Investigations, no"
ever, and Meyer was arrested In De
troit upon warrant issued by Corohe
Schultz, of this city. 1t is beheVel
that bis trial Will result in other St&rI
ling revelations.