The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-11


Wife Reads the Account of the Death of
Man in a Paper and for Some Cause
Believed Him to be Her Husband, Which
Theory is Proven by the Receipt of a
Letter-Why He Left Wichita-Loan
Company Deny Wife's Prayer
Henry Knecht lies in a grave in the
cemetery at Harrisburg, Pa
Many of the readers of the Eagle will
remember we'll the man who prior 70
July, 1898, conducted a repair shop near
the Occidental hotel and whose strange
and mysterious disappearance caused
| considerable comment at the time, and
until this week his whereabouts has re-
manned a dark mystery TO his family
and his friends.
No excuse could be found for the
mans disappearance, while a few days
after his departure a loan company of
this city took charge of the effects of
his shop, and also the household furni-
ture of his residence at &c Riveryiew
avenue. By the mortgage the family
were left in almost destitute circum
stances.
On examination Of the mortgage,
which had not been signed by his wife,
it was found that Herman Knecht had
signed the jaurat as a single man, and
a note was afterwards found from him
addressed 10 his wife declaring that he
had signed the mortgage while under
the influence of liquor, and had been
threatened by the company with Grim
inal prosecution and hence had fed.
1t seems that the fear of prosecution
hung with him and when he returned TO
Ix-oo, a n To
Henry Miller, and his friends were I'M
able to hear from him.
Different letters were sent throughout
the country but no tidings of the man
could be ascertained until the notice
Of "a man dying in a hospital for some
cause, she could give no reason why,
lead her 10 believe that the man who
died was no other than her husband.
She applied to DIR. ST. John who address,
ed the superintendent of the hospital
and in return the following was receiV-
ed:
Harrisburg, Pa, Jan. 3, 1895
''Dear sir-Your letter of Dec. p was
received. In reply will say that Henry
Krecht. alias Henry Miller, died in the
city hospital Nov. IS, 1895, and the body
placed in charge of Michael s. Keller,
No. 724 Race street Harrisburg, Pa. He
died of consumption. His salary was
first $1S per week, but later reduced to
SIS per week. He had no money 10 his
credit but has some clothing at the
Windsor hotel, where he owes a small
amount for boarding.
Hoping that this will prove satiSfac-
tory, and apclOgizing for my delay in
answering, l close with the compliments
of the season, and wish you a happy
New Year and many of them. Very
respectfully, a S. ANDERSON,
Superintendent"
A reporter for the Eagle called yes
terd3y afternoon at the residence of
Mrs. Knecht, at Gle RiverView avenue,
and was given the letter published above
She said that the only fault of the man
was that he would occasionally drink
and when under the influence of liquor
was extremely reckless, and thinks he
was persuaded to sign the mortgage to
pay a gambling debt.
When she found that the household
goods had been mortgaged, and know
ing that the mortgage was worthless,
she says she went TO the company and
asked time to save the furniture, and
that she would pay the debt by taking in
washing, but that they would show her
no mercy.
She would not give up, and despite
the hard times her and her two children
have by hard work fixed up their home
and are highly spoken of by all the
neigihbors. She feels certain that her
husband must have left some money as
he was Industrious and very saving.
A letter was found among his effects
addressed to her in which he spoke Of
having almost money enough to send for
the family and get new home, but
where the money was left she has no
means of knowing.