The Anaconda standard., 1895-12-23
A VICTIM OF FATE
The Sad Story Of Max Trautwein's s
Struggle to Redeem the Past q
WAS HOUNDED TO DEATH
His Was a Very Remarkable Case
of Depreciation and Re-
turn Again to USE
fulness.

Spokane Spokesman Review: An In
] teresting story remains to be told about
Max Trautwein. who committed suicide
at Wallace Tuesday morning. 1t will
be recalled that he was recently par
doned out of the Walla Walla peniten-
tiary. af
Trautwein, before he was sent to the
penitentiary. was one of the most COM
plete physical and moral wrecks from
the use of drugs that had ever come
under the notice of the Spokane police.
He was pitiable object. Although on
ly 20 years old. he looked like a man OF
so. His form was bent. his face thin
and haggard, and his weight was re-
duced to 115 pounds. 1t was believed
that IL he could be cured no case of
the drug habit was hopeless.
Trautwein returned to Spokane as
hne looking specimen of physical
manhood as any one ever saw. He
weighed les pounds, was as straight as
an arrow, and his cheeks showed the
glow of perfect health. He declared he
had no more desire for the drug than
IL he had never experienced its use.
Drs. Olmstead and Potter were delight
ed, and the police. not one of whom
was able to recognize the man whom
they had arrested so times for petty
thefts committed for the purpose of
procuring money with which to buy the
fatal drug, gave him an ovation, SO
happy were they to see fellow drag
ged from the lowest depths of degra-
dation and completely restored to man
hood. His case was accepted as posi-
tive proof that the worst cases of the
drug habit can be cured. and was also
regarded as good evidence that the best
way to effect a permanent cure is to
confine the patient where he can not
get the drug, and deprive him of Ii at
the start, as is done in the penitentiary.
once in great while the patients
physical condition is so weak that de-
priving him of the drug all at once
causes death. but such cases are rare.
They all think they are going to die,
but they seldom do. a I.
Trautwein's arms were covered with
blue marks, caused by injecting NOR
phine with a short needle, and these
marks he would have carried to his
grave, no matter how long he might
have lived. After his death these marks
were noticed, which naturally led to the
belief that he was "fiend" at the time
of his death. The news of his death
caused much regret here, where many
were acquainted with his strange his
tory.
HISTORY OF THE CASE.
while we have not been able to
prove, owing to the untimely death of
Trautwein, that II is possible to cure
completely and permanently the worst
cases of the drug habit and to rescue a
man from the lowest depths of degra-
dation and make him once more a re-
spected and useful member of society
DIR. Potter and myself have no reason
10 regret the part we took in the case
OF this unfortunate man." said DIR.
Olmstead yesterday
AS will be remembered, Trautwein
was sent to the penitentiary for steal
ing some things out of my Office In
October / received a letter from him,
informing me that he was about to
make an application for pardon. hav-
ing been completely cured of the NOR
phine habit, and asking me IL / would
oppose him in the matter / wrote him
that III his case was as he had stated to
me, and that he had truly reformed
l not only would not oppose his effort
petition and would get others to sign
II. He sent me a letter from the war
den which bore out all he said
Il signed the petition and then took
IL over to the court house, where / got
county officials and a large number of
lawyers to sign IL. / then turned IL
over to DR.. Potter. who secured a lot
more signatures. About that time /
learned that Governor McGraw was
coming here to attend the fruit fair, so
L waited till he came and called on him
at his rooms at the hotel and gave him
He was much interested, and almost
before l knew IL Trautwein was free. |
IL was probably granted more promptly |
than any other pardon was ever grant |
ed In this state, and no pardon was
ever better deserved.
A GREAT SURPRISE
"One day Trautwein surprised me by
walking into my Office. He held out
his hand and asked me IL / knew him.
! told him had no recollection of ever
having seen him before. Why I'm |
Max. he said. Max who? inquired, |
not even then being able to place him,
not knowing the pardon had been |
granted so quickly. Why. Max Traut- |
wein,' he replied. He did not present |
the slightest resemblance to his former |
self. After talking with him | was
convinced that his cure was complete,
and that he was naturally honest, and |
determined to help him get a new |
start in life: l had confidence in him. |
and believed that with a fair show he |
would live down the past and become |
a useful member of society. / tele-
phoned to Mr.. Culbertson and asked |
him IL he could give a man work, tell 4
ing him that l was interested in him. |
He told me to send him up and he
would give him work of some kind. / \
did not at that time tell him who |
Trautwein was.
GIVEN WORK AT BURKE.
THE hext day 1 sent him to Burke,
giving him money to pay his expenses.
as he was penniless. / told him to |
write TO me frequently and tell me how /
he was getting along, and I have
heard from him regularly ever since /
he went there. When Mr.. Culbertson
came down again told him all about
He was surprised to learn
that he was an ex-convict. and said /
he thought of putting him to keeping I
books. l told him / had great faith I'm
Trautwein and believed he could be
placed in a responsible position with
perfect safety. When Mr.. Culbertson
went back. he put Trautwein on the
books. and being a fine bookkeeper he
gave satisfaction from the start. -
In all his letters to me he expressed
a fear that some ex-convict who knew
him would come along and tell all
about his past life. In the last letter
| received from him he made reference
TO this same thing, and my theory is
that an ex-convict who knew him saw