The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-06-10
Two of Him
Strange Turn in Case
OF Famous Suicide

N4e 81 dhSe case of Aaron WOlfSOhI
Oh Chlcaga, San Francisco and St. Loui.
VINO was reported to have committed
SUICIDE or been killed some months ago
seems to be fair sample of the phenom-
ehon- Wolfsohn is neither Dr. Jekyn mol
MI Hyde. In either exemplification oil
Alnisef he appears not to have attained
the suave dignity of the one nor the con
summate villiany Of the other. Wolfsohn
so it seems, was an average specimen
whether he masqueraded as L. Reuter-
Aaron WOlfsohn, Arthur Wolfsohn. A
Wuifson, or somebody else.
.WolfsOhn's story is that Of a man sun.
posed to be dead and buried. suddenly
coming 10 life again at a distant place ~
deny that he ever lived 1t has nuzzlad
life Insurance agents, handwriting expert4
anc judges Of the law. There are facts
dn~the- case Incompatible with any straight
'theory ana positive conviction of any
Kind is bound TO ru nafoul Of what looks
IKE positive evidence to the contrary.
Orolhdrliy' when man commits suicide
N boarding house wha-e he Is well
known and takes no particular pains TO
conceal his identity it is an easy matter
to prove that he is dead.
Not so in the case Of L. Reuter-. or Ar
thur Wolfsohn, or Aaron Wolrsobn. or
whoever the unfortunate may be who is
now buried in the cemetery at Los Anpe-
les. Cal
Al the time Of the suicide, lily 10, 1893
II seemed SO clear that Aaron Wolfsohn
was dead that the New York Life Insur-
ance company paid $4,000 into court for
the benefit Of his estate without cavil.
A Jews weeks ago it seemed to be equally
wen proved that Wolfsohn is alive and
wen, and the insurance company got its
money back. A man that looked like
Wolfsohn and who was identified as Wolf
SOM by persons who had known him for
his lifetime committed suicide in a Los
angeles boarding house. A few weeks ago
man who looks like Wolfsohn comes n
this country from Europe. asserts thar
be is Wolfsohn, is identified as Wolfsobn
Who IS Wolfsohn's double? Or if Wolf
sohn is dead, who is the man now living
and bearing the features Of the dead
qan2
Aaron Wolfsohn took out a policy for
$4,000 life insurance in the New York Life
insurance company at Los Angeles. Cal.
on March IS. 1S99 The agent insuring him
Was ,. A. d. Jones. The policy was made
payable to Wolfsohn's estate He was m
married, and his nearest relative was his
Gather, Benjamin Wolfsohn. of No. rs
Lucas street, st. Louis Wolfsohn loved
Mrs. May O'Neil Of Los Angeles. and was
engaged to marry her
On July 10. 1893. a man committed sui-
eide by inhaling gas in Mrs. Collins
geles, where Mrs. O'Neil lived. Mrs. OMEN
was IN San Francisco at the time When
she returned to Los Angeles she positively
identified the body as that of Wolfsohn.
sne paid the funeral expenses and heaned
MS coffin with flowers She had known
him from childhood, and pointed out how
she Identified the body. The landladv
MIS- Collins. also identified the body as
mat Of Wolfsohn. No one had been aware
that Woffsohn was in Los Angeles. on
hotel register, however, was the name
l. Reuter-, Chicago" and in the dead
man s effects was a diary signed Il. Reu
ter In spite of this Mrs. O'Neu in |
Slsted that the suicide was Wolfsobn and |
letters were produced showing the start
ing similarity between Wolfsohn's hand !
writing and Reuters. Letters written
under the name of Reuter- foresbadowed
suicide. and it was argued that Wolfsohn.
always masquerading under false names.
took that means Of cuncealing his iden-
tity
The testimony Of Mrs. O'NeiI and others.
win documentary proof OF death, salts
led The Insurance company that Wolfsohn
was dead, and it paid over $4,000 to the
public administrator at Los Angeles 10
be handed to Woifsohn's heirs upon ap-
olication.
a 1e" days aiterward Edward O'Bryan.
IN attorney for the insurance company
II chicago, received a letter stating that
or the sum of $500 Wolfsohn himself
Would be produced. About the same time
sale x Sale attorneys for Wolfsohn's
amer IN ST Louis. heard that Wolfsohn
vas alive in Chicago. They wired to the
lome office in New York The result was
notice from the insurance comsanv To
he public administrator at Ias AneeIes
iirecting him not TO pay the $4,000 IN
Noiisohn's heirs pending an investiga don.
Jones the agent who had insured Wolf
ohn, and Or. carl Kur,z, who had made
ne medical examination Immediately
vent over the proofs of death again. ana
Investigated more fully than before the
IDENTIFY Of the man found dead in Mrs
Nells home. They were convinced be-
end doubt that the dead man was Wolf
Ohm Meanwhile Attorney O'Bryan. IN
'hlcago, waited for the new WoIfsobn N
urn IN Though the rumor that Wolf
ohn was alive was spread carly in An ,
uSt the nina did not appear in Chicago
mn the middle Of November. He ex ,
ialned his absence by saying that he had ,
ass returned from Europe. He swore 10
Bryan that he was Wolfsohn. and his ,
hptafance set at rest any doubts as TO ,
neither ne was alive or dead. But in the {
1ednumo 1t was necessary for the in 8
uFance company to bring proof that
oilSohn was alive IA order to recover I
he $1,000 which had been paid. I
Attorney Edward O'Bryan Of CHICAGO / :
presenting the New York Lie comnsn,
ems to san Francisco with the man vyb5 ! $
aimed To be the real WolfsohD in th. q
5sh. After talking to the new Wolfs ,bn
gent Jones at Los Angeles ana Dr.
0rt1, the medical examiner. said they
aa been mistaken in regard to the dead | t
IAN being Wolfsohn. and identified the y
We man as the one they had insured I'M v
er that name
hut Mrs. O'Neil. Wolfsohn's nancee. and t
irs. Collins. the landlady. repudiaied the !
e~ man. and declared him an imposto~. j.
rs. % Nell insisted upon seeing him. and
le new WoifsEhn declined 10 meet her +
e declared that they had never been 4
i''oH.'d friends; that he had never writ d
n 10 her. that be was not engaged 10 p