New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1904-08-10
SPRINGS The PRIZE ''PIPE'
Pioneer Press Prints Wonderful
Tanke Yarn.
Credits Murderer With Deserted
Wife in Austria.
Gives Pathetic Tale of Her Pc
tition For Pardon.

4 the st. Paul Pioneer Press. The
canard treats of theconyicted murderer
of John Wellner, and credits him with
having a deserted wife, and ssage6
and destitute parents living in Or
tenegg, Austria. The wonderful yarr
is as follows:
aMrs. Maria Tanke of Ortenegg
| Austria, has appealed to Presiden1
Roosevelt to secure the pardon of hel
husband, John Tanke, who is serving
/ a Life sentence in the Minnesota state
penitentiary at Saltwater for the muir.
| der of John Wellner of LIE Sueu1
county.
Mrs. John Tanke, once the wife OF
Tanke's victim, and married to Tanke
after her husband had been put out OF
the way, is serving. a life sentence in
the same prison because, to save Tan
Ike from the hangman's moose, she con-
fessed that she alone had killed her
| husband.
| zone woman, an unlawful wife, to
save the man from death, condemns
herself to living death; another wo-
man, a deserted wife, pleads formercy
for the same man that he may come
back and care for his parents, who,
aged and destitute, need their son.
/ s'The Tanke murder was one of the
famous crimes of Minnesota, and
though John Wellner was murdered
years ago, it was not until May, 1902,
that John Tanke began to serve his
life sentence. Wellner was a wealthy
farmer in LIE Sueur county, and John
/ Tanke was his hired man. Wellner
was found murdered, and his death
was followed by the marriage of his
widow and his hired man. Meanwhile
the authorities were working, and after
a time Tanke and his new wife were
arrested, charged with the murder.
The case dragged through the courts
for years. Mrs. Tanke was released
and Tanke was found guilty and SEN
fenced to be hanged.
| "Then came Mrs. Tanke S confession
| that she alone had killed Wellner and
that Tanke was innocent of all con-
nection with the crime. Her confession
sent her to Saltwater for life and
| brought new trial for Tanke, which
resulted in his joining the woman in
prison.
"And all the time Tanke's legal wife
| was in Austria.
s'The deserted wife's appeal for her
husband comes to the Minnesota state
board of pardons through President
Roosevelt, to whom it was sent by the
Austrian authorities.
1.-THE petition, dated at Ortenegg, is
written in German and was translated
on separate sheet Of paper by the
officials of the department. of justice al
Washington. It is signed by Maria,
who says she is the wife of the prison.
| err, and by Johann and Maria, who
say they are his parents.
/ 'The petitioners say that Tanke was
in a state of mental hallucination when
he committed the crime, that he has
bitterly repented, and that the pris.
oner's parents, being in a destitute
condition, need their son. Letters ex.
planning the destitute condition of the
Il parents and a certificate from the loca.
authorities at Ortenegg stating thai
1 Tanke had always conducted himsel.
as a aW-abiding citizen, are enclosed
in the letter to President Roosevelt
i A more distorted version of the
Tanke trials could hardly be con
ceived. The scene of the crime is
i placed thirty miles or more from where
| it was committed and Frank Tanke is
Icalled 'sJohn'' throughout. The story
of relatives in Austria is even more
ridiculous. Frank Tanke is not ar
Austrian and never was in the country
in his life. He came to America Wher
a small child and was reared in New
Ulm, where his parents now live
Naturally he has no deserted Wife
and the entire story of the appea
sounds as though manufactured from
whole cloth although it may be a cas-,
of mistaken identity and the petitioner
have acted in good faith.
4 Marriage Licenses.
Emil F. Buenger New Uln
Louisa Vogelpohl New Uln
Joseph Rickerl Springfield,
Terese Reiter Springfield
: Anton Zischka New Uln
Clara Baar New Uln
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