Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-05-25
DR.. Charles H. Hoffman Fur
nishes Slight Clue to E. L.
Dubois Mysterious Past
likely SON OF GREAT GENERAL
And h Germany Army Officials of That
Rank Are Wealthy. and It is Evident
That Dubois Three Wives Are Ac-
tuated by Such Belief in Their Claims
70 Division of Estate.

DeS MONIES, May dO.--l ilfeS WIVES VI
Il. L. Dubois, recently deceased,
learned today that they have not up
10 this time known the real name OF
their husband. E. L. Dubois. f. L.
Dubois. the contractor, who died last
Thursday morning at o'clock in this
city, and who has since been proved
q bigamist, masaueraded for years In
this country under a name which 1t
Is believed he assumed when leaving
his native province in Germany.
DR.. Charles H. Hoffman, the noted
oacteriologist and chemist, who was
asked to resign from the faculty OF
Drake University because he refused to
reveal his true identity, is one OF the
very few persons in Des Moines VINO
has any knowledge whatever of the
real Dubois prior to his leaving his
native country and coming to Amer
lea.
Il am satisfied that his name was
never Dubois until he left Germany,
said DIR. Hoffman Il knew that he
was a German and not Frenchman
the minute / set eyes on him. Often
as rule we were interrupted by his
wife, who was very nervous about his
speaking to me in German, language
which she does not understand
According to the scraps of inforrna-
ton which DR.. Hoffman obtained from
: Dubois while he was treating the con-
! tractor, just prior to his death, the
much married man is the son of one
of the great generals of the German
army.
Dr. Hoffman and other friends have
no doubt that Mrs. Dubois No. ). now
that her husband has passed away, IS
in possession of letters which will
throw some light upon Dubois, real
name and character These letters are
believed to he with Mr.. Dubois private
papers, which have not been located
since his death.
The attorney for Mrs. Dubois No.
has made every effort TO locate these
papers, but in his effort he has been
baked by the absence from the city
of Mr.. Turner, partner with Mr.. Du-5
Bets IN the contracting business. Mr..
Turner has not yet appeared In the
city. Strange as it seemed at the
tirae Mr.. Turner left the city prior to
the hour of the funeral. His sudden
leave taking was satisfactorily eX-
planned, however, by the statement
that Ne had been called to Indiana by
the serious illness of a relative. Until
these papers are found 1t Is probable
shat no additional light will be thrown
upon the mystery of Dubois past. It
will probably remain for the immediate
present as sealed as is the book OF the
fasf of Dr. Charles Hoffman, the man
who knows the key to some OF Du-
Bois' hidden past.
The persistent efforts of three wives
TO establish their claims to division
OF Dubois estate are actuated by the
belief that there is large sum OF
money coming from Germany
some day to be dealt out to his heirs
Discussing this subject DR.. HOFFMAN
said today: ut stands to reason that
if Dubois father is 4 German general,
there viii be some money coming
some day. No soldier in Germany
who ,attains the rank of general is
poor. In this country almost any one
can be colonel or general or major,
but those titles are OF far greater dm-
port in my native country. ! have no
doubt that the father of Dubois,
whoever he may be, is worth many
thousands OF dollars. j do ne know
whether he Is living or dead. | could
Imagine from what province he hailed
from for there was a distinct provin-
ciaI accent to Dubois speech. That
was what first led me to believe that
Dubois is an assumed name"
Wives No. 2 and No. 8. who are stop
~ fyea nf ha
Seventh and School streets, were very
angry today when they read a report
that they had been saying very un-
complimentary things about wife No.
il They denied in toto the use of the
Language attributed to them and ex-
pressed the kindiiest feeling for Mrs.
Dubois of Denver.
Wives No. 9 and intend to remain
with each other for several days yet.
MO. 2 has given UP her quarters at the
Graefe house and moved out to the
Seventh street residence, baggage and
all.