davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1906-05-13
Death aroused Suspicion.

Certain It is that Leone K 1uenter
le dead. On April 9. she gave birth
rn daughter. Ten days later. on
April Is. she died. practicany without
edicaI attendance and under cir
instances which aroused the sus-
rsrion OF the authorities. Dr. William
% Swan. medical examiner for Md
.Iesex county. decided that an autopsy
was desirable. It IS said that the au-
rorsv revealed the fact that Mrs.
Nuontcr's death was not the price OF
motherhood. The stomach and intes-
zines we're badly lnfamed. He sent
,'.e v,scera 20 Prof. ". F. Whitney.
or Harvard. state chemist OF Msssa-
chusette. for analysis. and Dr. Whit
rey's report was TO the effect that
,l.e woman had died OF slow arserlcaI
poisoning.
Meanwhllc. DIT. Swan had given
certificate OF death from gastric duo
dcnitis' and Nuenter had had the
body embalmcd and taken Il 70 Chi
caro. wbore both his wifes family and
MS own live. for cremation. But he
Shipped It and had It cremated IN Ig-
rorance % the fact that the vital or
cans had all been removed. that. as
District Attorney George A. Sander
son. of Cambridge. put It. he had The
frame Only in the casket that he took
10 chicago
Prof Whitney's report declares un-
hesItatiugly that death was caused by
arsenic administered in comparatively
small doses. Arsenic belongs TO the
class OF cumulative poisons. Mrs.
Mucntvr was not IN a condition to OBJ
tain arsenic and take Il had she by
chance been delirous and desirous OF
committing suicide. There IS sbso-
.utely no reason TO suspect any one
OF the few who attended her In her
last mness. she died OF arsenic pofs-
cuinE. and there was no orc else bun
ha- husband WHO could have admins
tered the poison. Therofore Nueurer
IS wanted for thc marirr ~ hi- wife.
And his friends say III he did 1t,
The Washington times., 1906-05-13
Muenter's Arrest
Police Circular Demanding MuenterS s Ares
ERICH MUENTER
WANTED FOR MURDER

who died
poisoning
Chicago
by his two children md
OF him follows Age IS
inches: pounds;
mustache; good jointed
and educated in
in Chicago and afterward the University OF
Lawrence Kan as instructor About he
instructor
1906 when he left Chicago taking
body Of his wife Leone whom he
above
If found please notify and Will
for him. F. B. PULLEN
OF Police
The Washington times., 1906-05-13
Sister SCOTS Soul Theory.

His sister. Miss Bertha NIuents-,
who came on from Chicago 70 look
after his interests AZ Cambridge. who
engaged a lawyer. advertised for her
brother n papers all over the country
and finally gave the Cambridge author
it'es the slip and went back 10 Chi
cago, taking all Muente-'s papers with
her. says '-NonsenseI ny brother -
not insane: 7 do not believe he has
committed suicide At the right tine
he will come forward and refuts All
these charges. There has been no
murder committed" She maintains
that when he reached Chicago hs was
IN a perfectly normal frame OF mind,
except FOR the grief natural 70 a man
who has Just lost his wife
Meanwhile she has made no attempt
70 account for his absence. The 20
lice and the general public that has
been following the case. account fo- II
on one % three hyDothesesdeatA By
suicide or otherwise; insanity; or
guilt And the police when they ind
him admit that they VIII stiIl have 20
prove that he ever had any arsenic,
and that Re administered q. And hav-
Ing proved that they vii have left
unanswered the question as % why hs
dc it-unless thsy accept ths sug-
Eestion OF feliow-students that he did
It 20 prove a theory. and that Ms.
Muentsr was sacrificed n the interests
OF science.
In any event the Muentsr case Is
an interesting addition 20 the Harvard
series of remarkable murders. and as
usual Harvard IS accused OF doing It's
best 70 hush the matter Up. TO clog
the wheels q justice. and all that sort
OF thing. The first was the historic
Parkmsn case. when IN 1880. Dr.
George Parkmaa was murdered BY
Prof. John White Eastman. and ths
body destroyed IN the laboratory fur
neces- Eastman was hanged-ths no
tive was not picturesque He murder
ed HIS fellow professor simply because
he owed him money which he could
not pay. Then. IN 1900. c. F. Eastman,
a Harvard lecturer. was accused OF
the murder OF his brUther-ir-Iaw.
Richard Grogan- He undoubtedly shot
Grogan- as the result OF a family
quarrel. but he claimed seIr-derenss
and was acquitted. Now comes the
Muenter case. The police say he mur-
dered his wife That remains 70 be
proven. But II he dld-why, No so-dld
motive Ike a debt. no bad blood en-
gendered by a family quarrel explains
this murder-if it Is murder The
only motive that seems 10 explain
things IS that OF science run mad
a wife sacrificed 10 a soul theory.
The Washington times., 1906-05-13

OF an Autopsy'S being performed on
any one he cares fox. Above all.
there Is his disappearance. his failure
30 return and face the music even
though his sister appeared 20 him 20
do 50 ard assured him his friends
would stand by him. That. and that
alone. convinced old GIoritz Krenlbs
that his son-in-law was responsible
for his daughters death.
On the other hand II has not been
establishes that Muenter bought anv
arsenic 20 druggist can be found
who sold MIN any. II he got g. re
got IT from the Harvard laboratories.
which he may have done. though no
body knows thzt. he did And Mrs.
H1snter. the authorities say. died OF
arsenic poisoning
On ihs other hand. NIuenter and his
wife sS=vs apparently devoted to one
another. She was interested IN his
interests. and studied continually along
the Inea OF his studies She was
q
bread winner 10 the family resources.
They were both OF German extraction.
with racial traits In common. Muenter
Was not a sport" not a man OF
vicious habits: not given 70 Illicit love
affairs His whole habit Of liss was
an argument against the murder
theory. The idea that he needed his
wife's insurance won't hold water. II
wss only $1,000; and while be did put
IN his claim when he found that there
were certain formalities % be OBJ
served before he could collect. he drop
ped the matter. Hs was in no imme-
diate need of cash for the Cambridge
undertaken who prepared the body for
shipment 70 Chicago. says that
Muenter insisted or paying him al
once, saying that he dld not care %
have any loose bills around, and took
out a big roll OF money 10 do so.
And so the case rests-without proof
that Muenter either procured or ad-
ministered arsenic without anything
IN his circumstances or lie that
seems strong enough motive for
murder And Yet, apparently. Mrs.
Muenter was murdered; no other per
son than Muenter Is even remotely
suspected His friends have. however.
suggested a possible motive. motive
which. TO the ordinary mind. would
argue insanity n ha sr,-e ana ,s% q
motive which may have been strong
enough to impel Erich Muenter to
murder his beloved wife. the mother
OF his children-which may even have
impelled her 70 consent 20 her own
death in the belief that through Il
The Washington times., 1906-05-13

and the discovery % arsenic in the
dead woman's organs There is
story OF escaping gas during his wife's
Illness after the birth OF their first
child. Of no significance till one re-
members her death ten days after the
birth or the second There Is the i'm
mediate cremation Of the body. Muen-
ter being IN ignorance OF the removal
OF organs which would betray him.
Cremation would hide a crime: but
then many people believe In cremation.
and II does not always hide crime.
There Was the fact that Muenter was
alone with hts wife. for some hours
before and some hours after her death.
not in itself suspicious. but --; ther
again. there is the fact OF his siren
nous objection to an autopsy. though
20 be sure any nan d.slikes the idea
The Washington times., 1906-05-13


I'll a month ago tutor
OF German a. Har-
ward University. He IS wanted by
the Cambridge police. and az their
Instance the police OF the entire
country a-e looking FOR him, for
the murder OF HIS wife. Leone K.
Muenter. But almost as badly as the
police want TO find Muenter do they
need TO advance some adequate mo-
tive foT the murder which they say
he has committed. II Erich Muent-r
d!d. as charged. cause his wIfe's death
by slow arsenical poisoning. why did
he do It?
All sorts CT reasons have been ad-
vauced. His wife was Insured and 10
needed the money. But she wus IN
sured FOR very Httle-nothinE Ike
enough 70 be worth risking the gallows
for. Another woman. maybe. It may
be. of course, but there IS no particular
reason 20 think so. 40 evidence OF
her existence has been brought 10
light. and such an accusation as that
made against Aruenter - a veritable
sea-chlisht for illuminating the dark
places in mans career. insanity?
p-elL iu general way. It Is admitted
that any MAJ who does that sort os
tIing is insane.
I;9t in this instance some of those
vio knew NIueuter best have advanced
most picturesque theory OF man
ted beyond the borders OF reason by
the spirit of scientific research. They
say that the German tutor had given
himself UP 10 the study OF the occult;
that he was P mystic OF the mystics.
and that II is not improbable that he
sacrificed his wife IN an attempt 20
prove a cherished theory. They point
out that Muenter IS a German. and
that the German scientists. above all
others. lose themselves IN the mazes
of theory and speculation. and that he.
IN particular. had brought himself 20
believe. that IN the moment OF dissolu-
ton the soul passed from the body in
the form Of an exquisite and visible
mist md may have sacrificed HIS
wife's body In a mad desire to see her
soul,
The Washington times., 1906-05-13

which he didn't It must have been to
test that cherished theory Of his.
The Washington times., 1906-05-13

Christian Science reader. who says
that Mrs Muenter complained that
some beef tea that was given her the
day before her death was bitter and
didn't seem 10 taste right. All the
testimony is 20 the effect that Muen-
ter appeared full OF tender solicitude
for his wife To be sure Muenter was
alone with her when she died. When
he called the nurse. who had gone 20
rest at his suggestion. her patient had
been dead several hours She was as
tonished and could not explain II. as
she had not considered The sick woman
I'm any immediate danger
~ ~
SeUerdi Sinister Circumstances.
There are several circumstances. not
IN themselves suspicious. that became
20 IN the light OF subsequent events.
The Washington times., 1906-05-13

the body was cremated that evening
The next day funreal services were
held Nfuenter asked to be excused
from attending. and announced hts in
tention OF calling on Prot Owens. Of
the University OF Chicago. He did not,
however. reach the Owens residence.
He disappeared. On April %, when
Chief OF Police Pullin. OF Cambridge.
issued his circular calling for Muen-
ter's arrest. Muenter could not be
found. He was reported as hiding in
various places-in Lawrence. Kan,
where he had previously taught: in
Chicago. where he had many friends
with whom he might have taken re-
fuse; not TO mention his three sisters.
Mrs. Max Gundlsch. Mrs. ". 3. Farm
er and Miss Bertha Muenter in Non
rovia. a suburb OF Los Angeles. where
his mother lives. and in Cambridge or
Boston. where. during the last two
years. he has made many friends.
None OF those who were I'm the
Muenter home before Mrs. Muenters
death saw anything 70 arouse their
uspicions--except a Mrs. Fales.
The Washington times., 1906-05-13
lie Sisters Appeal TO Her Brother
10 Return and Face the Music


is OF the Cambridge
not talk Friends stand
support you.
The Washington times., 1906-05-13

he would enter some higher phase of
life. II is said that the husband vas
believer IN the perceptions OF the
mind or soul beyond the ordinarily
conceded limits OF the senses: that
merely fcr the Intellectual or scieu-
tifo satisfaction of behoIdinK the
eme-sence from her physical body OF
her astral shape he was ready 10 gre
her 20 death and himself to the gzi-
lows
The Washington times., 1906-05-13

PAGE SEVEN
The Washington times., 1906-05-13

Y v 7 ANTED-A man; and .
"a motive
The man IN the case
Y " Is Erich Muenter. un-
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23
MAY CHANGE MEETINGS NAME

The grand parlor of the Native Sons
of the Golden West will take place at
Ventura June 25. The delegates from
Los Angeles will leave Sunday for the
north. The delegation from this city
will include j. Calvert Wilson, J. Rush
Bronson, Anthony Schwamm, j. w.
Krause, Martin Nolte, e. r. LOWE,
E. T. Barber, w. j. Durm, H. j. Le-
lande. Albert Sittell, F: A. Stephen
son, J. N. o. Rech, w. F.. Bryant, E.
O. Edgerton, H. Brooks, Bert Farmer
and H. G. Lichtenberger.
1t is proposed at the grand parlor to
change the name of the organization
from "parlor' to mission" 1t Is held
by the members that mission" is more
truly illustrative of the spirit of the
order. H. C. Lichtenberger will in
troduce the motion to make the change
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23
CELEBRATES RELEASE
FROM LIBBY PRISON
THROUGH THE HERALD
DETERMINES DATE
Refugee From San Francisco, Who
Was Wounded at Malvern Hill,
VIII Eight the War Over" Today.
Records of His Post Burned

D. McSweeney a veteran of the civil
war and a refugee from the San Fran
cisco fire, will celebrate the forty
fourth anniversary of his release from
Libby prison today. Besides hav-
ing been imprisoned Mr.. McSweeney
was wounded in the battle of Malvern
Hill, the last battle of the seven days
fight in which McClellan's retreat was
effected. Injuries to his hip on that
occasion left him with his left leg
shorter than the right after passing
through successful operation in the
Camden street hospital i'm Baltimore
Mr.. McSweeney enlisted February IL,
1862. He served in many battles but
always, until he was at the front In
the battle of Malvern Hill, escaped shot,
shell and bayonet. At Malvern Hill he
was wounded in the hip and taken pris-
oner and kept in Libby prison for
twenty-five days, all the time suffering
with the pain of his wound.
Released Through Exchange
Mr.. McSweeney says his release from
Libby prison on June 23, 1862 was eff
fected through an exchange of prison.
ers by the contending forces. Imme-
diately upon being set free he was
taken to the Camden street hospital
where he was given the much needed
attention and an operation performed
upon him which left him crippled. He
was discharged from the Camden street
hospital on December z, 1862. The dis
charge from the hospital also consti-
tuted an honorable discharge from the
army.
on January 4, 1868, Mr.. McSweeney
moved TO San Francisco. The rest OF
his life has been spent there.
Mr.. McSweeney visited the Herald
office yesterday i'm an effort to deter
mine the date of the third Tuesday In
November, the anniversary of his re-
lease. Mr. McSweeney was overjoyed
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23
OPEN BIDS FOR
SCHOOL HOUSES
BOARD OF EDUCATION TO MAKE
AWARDS
Martin Madden Offers to Erect an
EIeven-Room Building at Euclid
and Stephenson Avenues
for $2e, ,534

The new school buildings, the con-
struction of which has been so much
delayed, are at last about to be built.
1t is expected work will begin shortly
after the board of education awards
the contracts on the bids, which were
opened yesterday.
One contract has already been let
and the work Of construction is going
on. Bids have been made upon four
contracts and the bids opened, but they
have not as yet been awarded. 1t Is
expected that this will be done when
the bids for seven more school build
ings are opened Monday noon.
Bids were opened yesterday for the
construction of the following buildings,
the contractor having the lowest bid
is also given:
A four-room annex school building
at Jefferson and Key West streets.
Olof Johnson made the lowest bid of
1924.
Euclid and Stephenson avenues. Mar
tin Madden submitted the lowest bid.
which was $2S5S4
The lowest bid for a four-room annex
to the Gates street school was that of
j. C. Blair & Son, who bid $7S24.
B. d. Kronich submitted the lowest
bid for the four-room addition to the
school at Thirty-ninth street and Bud
long avenue, 1t was $11,000.
For the erection of a four-room
school building on West Vernon ave-
nue. between Grand and Hope. Olof
Johnson bid lowest. His offer was
$7S74. The next one upon which bids
were received was the eleven-room
building to be erected at Fifty-second
street and Hooper avenue. Ed Arnal-
steen was lowest with bid of $4,000.
He also submitted the lowest bid on
the school to be built on Twenty-fourth
street near Western avenuee. 1t is to
be a siX-room building, and the yowest
bid was that Of Mr.. Arnaelsteen, who
bid $11,6S5.
When all the contracts are let there
will be nineteen school houses In the
course of construction in a few weeks
In addition there will be the science
hall, which viii be erected near the Los
Angeles high school. Bids for painting
the old buildings were also opened yes
terday. The contracts upon which the
bids were opened yesterday will be let
Monday, presumably to the lowest bid
ders.
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23
LOsEE ADMITS
RECEIVING $500
SAYS CONTRACTOR OWED HIM
THIS SUM
Denies That Charles Corbeley Ever
Gave Him Any Bribe--Case
Will Go to the Jury
Today

81 never received a thousand dollars.
The statement that / received $500 from
Charles Corbeley is false. l admit that
| received the latter $500 from Con-
tractor Loynes, but it was simply the
payment of a personal debt"
Such was the statement of j. b. Losee,
former trustee of Long Beach, yester-
day, as he faced the jury in depart
ment one of the superior court and in
his own defense against the charge of
having accepted a bribe. denied ever
having had anything to do with the
alleged grating transaction OF the
beach city.
The court room was crowded yester-
day with 200 people from Long Beach
who were anxious to hear Losee's side
of the case. Ever since the trustee was
arrested at the instance of District At
torney Fredericks, last December,
Losee has refused to make any state
ment regarding the case.
Testify as to Character
During the day the defense produced
as witnesses nearly a score of prominent
men of Long Beach who testified as to
Losees good character. No splotch had
ever before appeared on his good name,
according to their statements.
Even Mayor r. A. Emo, who Will be
tried within week on similar charge,
came lOydlly 10 the ITOill iif uSiSheV VI
his friends reputation.
1t was late In the afternoon when the
defense placed Losee on the stand. The
old trustee walked to the witness chair
with his head held high and not the
slightest sign of nervousness.
AS he sat there and told quietly and
deliberately of all the incidents leading
up to the alleged graft in the political
ring at Long Beach he showed no more
nervousness than If he had been testi-
flying in some other mans case and
the Impression he made was favorable.
Are old-Time Friends
II had known this man Corbely for
a long time" said Losee sorrowfully in
speaking of the chief witness against
him who had at one time been his
trusted friend.
"Time after time / loaned him money
and required no security on 1t. He was
a good young fellow and was working
hard and the best l had was his for the
asking.
When the time came for letting the
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23

Do you love music7 II so sst q
Taik-o-P Phone free OF The Herald.
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23
Unite Belts at L5c

Womens white embroidered belts with
fancy gilt buckles in a number Of designs.
Special Saturday.
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23
MINING EXPERT TELLS
OF NEvADA'S PROSPECTS
SAYS OUTLOOK FOR MANHATTAN
is EXCELLENT
Man Who Took a Million Dollars
Out of Goldfeld in One Day
Talks Of Great Future for the
State

Manhattan is destined to become
one of the most substantial low grade
ore camps in the west" said b. j..
Reilly of Fairview. New, yesterday
when seen at the Hotel Alexandria.
$50 far as has been discovered Man
haitian will never become camp OF
high grade ore. Indications and results
of the several mines that are in opera
ton there are that it will always be
a camp that is money-making propo-
sition. but from good class of low
grade ore.
"Fairview has made wonderful
showing of high grade ore, but 1t is
as yet somewhat early to make pre-
dictions for this camp"
Mr.. b. j. Reilly is the imam who
took 81, 1000 900 worth OF gold out of
Goldfield in one day." when that camp
opened several Jears ago. What Mr..
Reilly doesn't know about Nevada
hasn't been discovered say mining
men OF this city who are acquainted
with the miner.
During the past few years Mr.. Reilly
has devoted all of his time to the study
of the state of Nevada. He says that
as a whole the state has wonderful
future before 1t.
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23
HELD ON BURGLARY CHARGE
Man Accused Of Robbing Three Jap
anese Said to Have Bad
Rec0rd

Hilario Garcia, charged with bur
glary, and with a prior offense against
him, was held under $500 bonds to
answer the charge July 10.
Garcia was arrested last Sunday
after he had been found by three Jap
anese who said he had robbed them of
$2S at 27 North San Pedro street.
1t is said by the police that the man
has a record in San Quentin, and de-
tailed account of his record will be
in the hands of the police before the
hearing.
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23
$500 Leather n o.
Hand Bags S........... TOC

For Saturday only 500 genuine leather
hand bags all leather lines and fitted
with coin PURSE are in number of
shapes and any of them are cheap at s..
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23

when he learned that it happened on
the 18th of that month.
Mr.. McSweeney's happiness is due to
the fact that as a member of the Lin
coin post in San Francisco, where all
the records of the post were destroyed
by the fire, he had been able to estab-
lish the date of his admission to the
post. Now, he says, he will have little
trouble in being readmitted here, as is
his purpose.
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23
RINK Omen Tnnirht

The Consolidated Bank of Los An
geles, 124 South Broadway, in the
Chamber of Commerce building. will be
open tonight, as usual to accommodate
the pubic in general and its old pat
ronS.
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23

Nainsook corset covers, trimmed with
deep laces and embroderies: finished
with ribbon beading and are in all the
dainty styles.
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23

Free Deliveries to all Beach
ToLOns and Suburban Points
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23
The Last DAY of the Jen7i-D4nnuaL "LLlhte Fair
$500 six Belts Csc

A manufacturers sample line; many ex-
elusive styles; belts in the lot that have
sold as high as $780, Special Saturday.
Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23

bids for the basement of that pavilion
the bid offered by the construction COM
pany was the lowest and got the work.
There were a number of cylindrical
piles taken out and square ones sub
stituted. Later in order to expedite
the work l and others suggested that
it would be better to use square piles.
There was no difference in the cost,
not a bit of difference, and in that way
there could have been no rake-off
Says Change ImmateriaI
For the change of orders for the
piles and the difference in freightage
there would not have been made diff
ference of 20 cents in the cost of the
piles. More lumber was used for the
square piles.
"I received $500 from Loynes and that
was all the money 1 ever received. He
owed that money to me from per-
sonal debt"
The defense then tried to prove that
Losee had shown his good will toward
the city on a former occasion by CIV
ing $1,000 for city use, but the evidence
was not admitted.
Following evidence given by Charles
Corbely in rebuttal, both prosecution
and defense closed the case.
This morning the argument will be-
gin and the case will probably go to
the jury Monday afternoon or evening.