New Ulm review., 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 a Pardon.
/ About the limit in the line of spipe''
stories was perpetrated yesterday by
the st. Paul Pioneer Press. The
canard treats of the conyictedmurderer
of John Wellner, and credits him with
having deserted wife, and ssaged
and destitute" parents living in Or
tenegg, Austria. The wonderful yarn
is as follows:
ssMrs. Maria Tanke of Ortenegg,
Austria, has appealed to President
Roosevelt to secure the pardon of her
4 husband, John Tanke, who is serving
/ a life sentence in the Minnesota state
penitentiary at Saltwater for the mur-
der of John Wellner of LIE Sueur
county.
ssMrs. 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
ke from the hangman's s moose, she con-
fessed that she alone had killed her
husband.
| "One woman, an unlawful wife, to
save the man from death, condemns
herself to a living death; another wo-
man, a deserted wife, pleads for mercy
| for the same man that he may come
back and care for his parents, who,
aged and destitute, need their son.
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 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
1 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
1 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
4 sent her to Saltwater for life and
i brought a new trial for Tanke, which
resulted in his joining the woman in
| prison.
| "And all the time Tanke's legal wife
1 was in Austria.
''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
i Austrian authorities.
'sThe petition, dated at Ortenegg, is
written in German and was translated
on separate sheet Of paper by the
officials of the department. of justice at
Washington. It is signed by Maria,
who says she is the wife of the prison
er and by Johann and Maria, who
| say they are his parents.
ssThe petitioners say that Tanke was
in state of mental hallucinatio on 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
parents and a certificate from the local
authorities at Ortenegg stating that
Tanke had always conducted himself
as a law-abiding citizen, are enclosed
in the letter to President Roosevelt. /"
A more distorted version of the
Tanke trials could hardly be con
ceived. The scene of the crime is
placed thirty miles Or more from where
it was committed and Frank Tanke is
called John" throughout. The story
of relatives in Austria is even more
ridiculous. Frank Tanke is not an
Austrian and never was in the country
in his life. He came to America when
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 appeal
sounds as though manufactured from
whole cloth although it may be a case
: of mistaken identity and the petit oners
; have acted in good faith.
81 Marriage Licenses.
5 Emil F. Buenger New Uln
) Louisa Vogelpohl New Uln
Joseph Rickerl Springfield
Terese Reiter Springfield
! Anton Zischka New Uln
7 Clara Baar New Uln
/ rl.s. yYyspg gV..ko. M /