The San Francisco call., 1903-12-07
POISON ENDS
ROMANCE Of
AN HEIRES5
Pathetic Sequel to
an ElOpement
in Chicago.
Cab Conveys Lifeless
Girl Back to Her
Relatives.
Rosa Bemis' Sensational
Marriage Has a Tragic
Finale.
Special Dispatch to The Can.


CHICAGO, Dec. 6.-With the shrOud-
in a cab, Frederick Ganka, whose
elopement three years ago with Miss
Rose A. Bemis, heiress and niece of
Henry V. Bemis. president of the Be
mis-Richelieu Importing Company and
former proprietor of the Hotel Richie
lieu, stunned West Side society early
this morning as he drove from the
Saratoga Hotel 70 the home of Mrs.
Katheryn Woodruff. AIS Washington
boulevard, the grandmother Of Mrs.
Ganka.
This was the Homecoming Of the
beautiful 1S-year-old girl, who is be-
lieved TO have adopted suicide as the
happiest solution OF a shattered rO-
nance. Wrapped in blankets and borne
by the young husband and two hotel
employees, the body of the young wOm-
an was carried from a parlor il the
Saratoga Hotel to a waiting cab in
Dearborn street. The body of the sui
eide was placed in the vehicle in a
sitting POSTURE Ganka climbed in after
it, and the weird ride to Washington
boulevard was begun. On arrival at
the former home of his wife Ganka,
aided by the driver of the cab, carried
the body into the residence Of Mrs.
Woodruff.
HUSBAND IS ARRESTED.
Peculiar circumstances in connection
with the death of the girl prompted the
arrest of Ganka early in the forenoon.
Criticism was aroused by the late noti-
fication to the Coroner and the police.
Detectives from the central station ap-
pretended Ganka. The disheartened
and frightened young man was later
released at the instance of Bennis.
Ganka at the time Of his marriage
was a shoe clerk in a local department
store. When Is years OF age Miss Bemis
eloped with Ganka to ST. Joseph. Mich
Ganka himself was only 20 years old,
and the affair caused a stir among Mrs.
Ganka's relatives and friends.
There is little doubt that the result
ing unhappiness caused the girl to take
the poison which caused her death this
morning. Letters left by Mrs Ganka
bear out this theory.
Last July Ganka and his wife sepa-
rated, and later Mrs. Ganka fled bill
for divorce. alleging cruelty. After a
visit to her grandmother last evening
Mrs. Ganka called her husband from
his place of employment on the pretext
that their baby was i'll. Then she told
him that nothing was the matter with
the baby, but that she had fled suit
for divorce and wanted to know IL he
would contest the case. Ganka said
that he would not. Then he asked his
wife to go to theater. She agreed.
PREPARES FOR HER DEATH.
Both went to Gankas home. at S54
Jackson boulevard, and while he was
changing his clothes IL is believed Mrs
9anka purchased the poison at a near
by drug store.
Later they went TO the theater and
then to the Saratoga Hotel. Mrs. Ganka
left the DarlOr which her husband had
engaged and went to the ladies' dress
ing-room- Alarmed by her failure to
return, Ganka went to seek his wife.
He found her lying on the floor suffer-
ing agonies from the poison which she
had swallowed. A physician was called,
but he arrived too late TO save Mrs.
Gankas life.
She died at 5 O'Clock this morning.
and soon afterward the body was
wrapped in blankets by Ganka. and
taken to the home Of Mrs. Woodruff.