The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-22
TRAPPED HIS WIFE
How Herman steinke Got
Evidence of Her Guilt
Told in Court.
FRIGHTENED HER ALLEGED LOVER
The Correspondent, a Fat Pianist,
Tells the Vice hancellor
All About 1t.

Chancellor Stevens had another di-
vorce case before him this morning. Her
man Steinke filed bill against his wife
Matilda for a divorce upon the ground OF
unfaithfulness He set forth that he and
his wife were married in Grundberg, Prus-
sia, on January Is, 1879. They have three
children, the Oldest being sixteen years
old. and the youngest eight years. About
fifteen years ago they came to this coun-
try and settled in Brooklyn, then they
moved to Hoboken, which has been their
legal residence ever since. He then
brings the charge directly against his
wife and names as correspondents William
Gunther Richard Schmidt and others ito
your orator unknown" Mrs. Steinke
filed an answer denying her husbands
charges of infidelity and set up by way of
cross bill general charges of cruelty and
inhuman treatment. She only particular
ICES once, and that was on the occasion
of the birth of her last child, when. she
alleges, her husband was exceedingly
angry at the event and swore at her
most viciously. He also put revolver
to her head and threatened to take her
life another time. The first witness was
the complainant, who testified to the
truth ,ef the facts set forth in his bill.
He spoke with strong German accent
and rambled so from his subject that 1T
was a difficult matter to keep track OF
his evidence.
He said he had heard that his wife was
going with man who played the piano
in saloons and that she and the man were
going to open saloon, so he started out
to do little detective work, although he
did not express himself that way. He
went from saloon to saloon in Hoboken,
but did not find his man until one night
when he was introduced to Schmidt by
friend of his who told him that Schmidt
was a piano player. Witness invited
Schmidt to have drink and while they
were sitting at a table. Steinke said to
Schmidt that he would be a good man to
open a saloon, as he could entertain the
public by playing on the piano. Schmidt
replied that that was all right, but he
did not have any money with which
to open such a place. To this
Steinke said he told Schmidt that
he ought to find widow with money
enough to open the saloon, as there was
enough around In fact he knew just
the woman that would suit Schmidt.
Schmidt replied that he had woman al
ready and produced letter from her,
which Steinke Immediately recognized as
the handwriting of his wife. He snatehed
the letter from Schmidt and told the lat
ter that it was from his wife. He asked
if Schmidt had any more, and Schmidt
said that he had. Steinke then told him
that if he did not give them up to him
he would have him arrested for breaking
the marriage laws, and pictured, in the
choicest German, the terrible things
which they do to such offenders in this
country. He succeeded in frightening
Schmidt to such an extent that Schmidt
willingly gave up the letters and wrote
one to Mrs. Schmidt telling her that
she must not write to him any more.
The letters, quite. bunch of them, We're
then offered in evidence and marked for
identification. They are written in Ger
man and are full of expressions of love
nothing in them incompatible with in
nocence, except two, one written soon
after Schmidt had been frightened into
making a confession, in which she re-
| proaches her dear Richard" for betray-
| ing 1.-The whole affair" and breaking his
| oath to her, and one written after her
| husband had begun his suit for divorce
| in which the writer speaks of it all being
| over soon, when they will be able to unite.
| She says she loves him even though he
| did betray her once and she hopes he will
| be good in the future. The letters. were
| admitted to be in Mrs. Steinke's hand
| writing. Several times while giving
! his testimony the witness laughed
| at some of the most revolving
| incidents of the case, and he was Joined
| by his wife and their friends in the au-
| dience.
| Richard Schmidt was the next witness.
| He is a big fat phlegmatic German who,
! although he has been in this country two
| years. could speak no English. young
was used as interpreter. Schmidt said
| that he first saw Mrs. Steinke in sa-
loon where he was playing the piano;
| She was then with man. He exchanged
| glances with her but did not speak to
| her Soon afterward he was introduced
| to her in the Union Hill Schuetzen Park
| by a lady who was a mutual friend. They
/ danced together and sat drinking to-
! gether in the saloon under the
pavilion. Suddenly about ten O'Clock
! they discovered that the people who had
| come there with Mrs. Steinke had gone
/ home and he was obliged to take Mrs.
| Steinke home. When they arrived at
! the house she invited him In and he ac-
| cepted the invitation. They exchanged
love condolences" as the witness eX-
pressed it, and he was guilty as charged
| by the husband. He told of another
similar incident and corroborated
| Steinkes account of the meeting in the
saloon, where he gave Steinke his wife S
| letters He admitted that the reason he
| had betrayed Mrs. Steinke's confidence
| in him was his fear of arrest and punish
| ment. The case is still on.