Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-01
STARVED HAVING THOUSANDS.
The Tragic Freak of an Old German
I'm Kansas.
nee of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
OBERLIN, Kan, November q, 1894.
The death CT Otto Weibler, an old Ger
man bachelor which occurred In this coLn-
ty few days ago, was announced in the
local PAPER in five lines. This old man has
a remarkable record, and the most extraor-
binary event of his career is the fact that
he deliberately starved himself to death.
For two months he lay on rough cot in
his sod cabin on Painter creek, with no
one to minister to his wants hut his adopt
cd daughter, Margaret an orphan girl old
man Weibler took to raise when he Lett his
home in Pennsylvania, in 1879, to locate in
Kansas.
Weibler was a miser, and il is now stated
left over $4,000 in money to hks daughter,
which he had buried in the ground near
his sod cabin. The greater part Of this
he brought With him from Pennsylvania,
where in his young manhood. he made
money rapidly in coal mining enterprises.
Tie day before his death he called Mar
garet to his bedside and told her he must
die. He gave her his blessing and told her
to go to a certain place near an apple
tree and she would find large rock.
Underneath that she would find in an
earthen lar buried in the ground his for
ture She obayed him and alone went in
search Of the treasure. She was sEepttcal
and believed the old man to be highly,
but the money was there-gold, silver and
greenbacks. amounting in all to Sl,620.
She reported her discovery to the dying
man, and as he sank into repose he told
her to leave it there until he was laid
away in the country graveyard, and then
to take ii and return to her ne live state,
Pennsylvania. She left yesterday for Brad
ford.
During his two months illness old man
Weibler would not consent 10 have a ply
stefan called. He was afraid he would
be poisoned He was greatly prejudiced
and believed that half of the medicines
administered by physicians was poison.
He refused also to take nourishment pre-
pared by his daughter. He did not think
she would poison him, but he believed the
merchants who sold the goods wanted to
kill him because of his pecularties and
eccentricities, and that they would contain
poisonous substances. This was simply his
delusion and the result was death from
starvation.
A Friend of Carl Schurz.
Before Weiber came to America he was
a personal friend of Carl Schurz, and ac-
compsnied him in his flight from Prussia
to Switzerland. He was born near Cologne
in April, 1880. He was educated at the
University of Bonn, where be was a class
mate of Schurz. In 1S4T the two men left
the university, and when Schur3 commenc-
ed the publication of revolutionary jour
nal during the troubles of 1913. Weibler
Joined him, and gave his time and talents
to the enterprise When Schurz was forced
to flee in consequence of his failure to in
cite an Instruction which he had been in
strumontal in arousng Weibler accom-
panied him, and the two men entered the
revolutionary army then raging in the
south of Germany. They participated In
the defense of Rastadt. and escaped 10
Switzerland on the surrender of that fort
ress. They finally returned secretly to Ger
many.
Weibler was with Schurz on the night of
November g. 1850, when the latter succeed
ed in liberating his friend and former edi-
torial partner from the fortress of Shan
dau, and together the three wandered TO
Scotland. They remained there only a
short time when they went TO Paris Here
Weibler decided to turn his back on his
native country, and set sail for America.
Made "a Fortune I'm Coal.
On the Goth day of December Weibler
landed in New York city. He had little
means but he was ambitious and indus
trious. He settled near Bradford, Pa,
where he prospered beyond his most san
guine expectations. He engaged in coal
mining, and within a few years made a
small fortune. In 1879 he closed out his
business interests and came to Kansas,
taking homestead in this, Decatur, coun-
ty, where he continued to make and hoard
up money In the stock business. He de-
clined to affiliate or associate with his
neighbCrs and would not allow his adopt
ed daughter to receive attentions from the
young men of the community. She was
thus forced to share his life of solitude on
the bleak praries of Kansas, but she did
not realize ten that she was laying up
treasures which would in later years Sc
cure to her every comfort that money can
buy.