The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-08-14

WAS He A PRETENDER
Baltimore Man Writes Letter
Concerning
HERBERT 8. SIMPSON
Initiated Writing of Baltimore
Lawyer Perfec tly.

iiisilAlOO ~ itat'So - O"'ei'''SiS
Lawyer Perfec tly.
The suicide of Herbert B. Simpson, or
Gustave Ravene, as it appears from the
letter below, caused a great deal of spec
uIation as to this peculiar and eccentric
young mans real history and identity.
The published account Of his death and
the unusual accomplishments to which he
laid claim and which he proved to the
satisfaction Of nearly everybody who
knew him here, brought letters here from
an attorney. Herbert B. Simpson of Bal
timore. whose life and name and stand
ing the strange young fellow here had
paralleled or fraudulently assumed. Mr..
Howard. Simpsons administrator, asked
Mr.. L. Gertes, who is employed at Cash
Henderson's and who knew Simpson very
well, TO write the Baltimore man some
thing of Simpsons career since he came
to Wichita. The question OF the genu-
ineness of Simpsons claims having be-
,
| speculation, Mr.. Gerteis was asked TO
give the Baltimore mans statement for
publication, which he agreed to do only
on consent Of Mr.. Simpson, which he OBJ
| tanned yesterday.
The letter follows and in it Mr.. Stimp-
| son refers to the young man known here
| as Herbert Simpson only as Gustave Ra-
vene:
Baltimore. Aug. 9, 1900.
Mr.. Louis Gerteis, Wichita, Kansas.
My Dear Sir: wish to thank you for
your letter in regard to Gustave Ravene.
1 knew Ravene very well in Washington,
where as a protege of DR.. Emil Bessels,
he was a frequent visitor to the Smith
| sonian Institution, where I then held
position. His mother was an opera sing
er in Germany, where it is said she met
! a Count, or Marquis de Ravene (whether
| fictitious or not 1 do not know whom
| she claimed to have married. Gustave
was the son. For some reason they sep
arated and Madame Ravene came TO this
country, where she met DR.. Emil Bes-
sells during an engagement at a beer gar
den in Washington. She soon became the
housekeeper of DR.. Bessels and engaged
set for the wedding the doctor was taken
violently ill., too i'll TO perform the cere-
mony. On the second date he was called
away from town on urgent business; on
the third date set the bride did not wake
up on the morning of the wedding. 1t
was proved at the inquest that she had
been in the habit Of taking arsenic for
her compexion, and while there were
very grave suspicious connecting the doc
tor with the increased dose taken, moth
ing was done, and he very shortly after
wards left the country Six months later
we heard of his suicide in Germany
Ravene left Washington about the same
time and ever since he has been n wan
derer living principally by his wits. The
last time l saw him was about four years
ago when he happened to be in Baltimore.
1t was almost impossible for Ravene TO
tell the truth about anything and it was
his greatest delight to tell the most Won
derfu stories, for the purpose of seeing
how far people would believe him. So
far from having a college degree, he new
err graduated from any college, and with
the possible exception OF Columbia in
Washington, where he was for a short
time, he never was a student of q col
Iege. His college degrees, like his Legion
| of Honor, his friendship for Lombroso
medals and scientific articles were SIM
ply visions of an unrestrainer magma
/ ton. l knew of several Of his articles
published in obscure periodicals in this
country, and in Italy, but they were
merely penny-a-liners, or Of no scientific
value whatever. Ravene never studied
! law in the sense Of a man wishing 10
practice, and whatever knowledge he may
! have had was simply picked up here and
/ there He never was at the University of
/ Virginia and l doubt If he ever was
within the state. 1t is needless TO say
J that the legislature of that state never
changed his name to Herbert 3. Stimp
son, that in fact he simply secured
certified copy of my admission 10 the
bar either in Virginia or the district of
Columbia, a simple thing, and then pre-
scented it to the court at Wichita, with
his usual audacity. claiming to be the
person named therein. He evidently
thought he could do so with safety in
Kansas. but he knew I was too well
known in Virginia, Maryland and the
District Of Columbia To ever practice the
game so near home. To show his au-
dac.ty in matters of this sort: He wrote
a letter to the Smithsonian Institution
! from Kansas, signing my name and ask
/ ing for certain valuable books. The au-
thorities OF the institution. while sur
prsed to hear l was in Kansas. the sig
nature being so identical 10 my own,
promptly sent the books TO him. The
signature was so good an imitation that
would not have hesitated 10 have ac-
knowledged it as my own.( If it had been
presented to me. You surprise me very
much by saying you have books showing
| his enlistment in the army; confess 7
never gave him credit for sufficient eour-
age. but I expect it was a question of do
ing that or starve. His use OF my name
has naturally been extremely embarrass-
ing to me, not so much on my own &C
count as the fact q the suicide being
published all over the country. the ac-
count identifying him 50 closely with my
self, and bringing in my father, making
it extremely difficult for me 10 have the
matter corrected. Would you kindly ask
Mr.. Howard as Raveaets administrator
II il IS not possible to have an entry
made upon the records Of attorneys q
your court showing that the certificate
Of Herbert 3. Simpson upon which Ra-
vene was admitted 70 the bar. was TO,
presented By Herbert Simpson but by
Gustave Ravene. would highly appre-
ciate the honor Of belonging 10 the Kan
sas bar. but I would hardly ike 70 do
so by proxy ! wish 10 thank YOU again
for your courtesy in this matter. which