The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-25

Mission street. o God, how many nights have
we had to go on the street; how many nights
had we to close ourselves up, and wept when
going to m US y w11
to put me in an insane asylum If other people
had not kept you from doing 1t. Better this
death than to be placed in an insane asylum
with clear senses. Now you have your liberty;
you can live with low women In certain
houses as you were used to do Do you think
you will enjoy that better than to live in an
honorable way with your Iasml,yr 1 than .S
to death year ago. does not need to expert
ence all this. BY day and by night we will
appear before your eyes and cry Triple MUIR
dererp Your conscience will be awakened
and will haunt you, as you have driven, by
meanest methods a true, honorable, diligent
wife to death. 1 once worried you, but l par
don you and will ask God to pardon you for
ali we have suffered. But remember one
thing-we are the third family you have driven
TO ruin. Remember that woman you have
brought away from her home In vienna and
have left in misery in America Remember
your wife and child in Texas, whose maledic-
lions will follow you. / knew nothing about
these unhappy people until was long married
to you.
Ny last wish Is. leave everything the way
have arranged and put us in one grave. Take
a plain, cheap coffin; no flowers, and never
come to visit our graves. You hated us in our
life, and shall not claim to have an affection
for us in death. Louisa, my angel, shall be
buried with us. Please pardon me that have
taken along the baby, but think 1t will be
better off than if 1t were to live an orphan, like
the boy in Texas, without father. | swear be-
fore God Almighty, who will judge me in. a
short time that you have abused your wife,
who was as good and true to you as child.
Good-by. Don't forget your unhappy wife.
despair, to which you have driven me, for you
were my husband and your will may be done.
The Louisa referred to in the letter was
the daughter of Mrs. Schmidt and the step
daughter of the man who is accused of
being the cause of all the trouble. About
q wear ago CDR" Schmidt was in Europe
on what was called q professional visit.
He and his stepdaughter Louisa had never
been good friends, and when the latter
heard he was on his way back to San
Francisco she shot herself through the
heart, and in letter stated she could no
longer stand the cruelty OF her stepfather.
After the inquest on the remains of her
daughter Mrs. Schmidt secured the re-
volyer and it was with that weapon that
she took her life yesterday. The child re-
ferred to in the letter is her little 6ve-year-
old son, the only witness of the tragedy.
All that could be learned from him was :
'sMamma was in hurry all morning. Then
she took up the pistol and there was a big
bang and the water all ran out of her
breast. I was frightened and hid until
sister came"
To her eldest daughter the mother wrote !:
Dear Child: You know everything about the
way Schmidt tortured me and the way Wald-
heimer laughed about me and ridiculed me,
and that he played this trick on me.
At last my heart broke. could not close my
eyes day or night. Every day had to endure
worse insults. Pardon me that you must GO
once more to this trouble. Oh, God! I would
like to take you along that you might be freed
of all this. But cannot hurt even an animal
So much you must suffer; stay with your
father Dietrich and be good.
The true mother heart cannot care for you