The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-30
STOPS PLAN
TO SWINDLE HEIRS
Scheme Exposed in 1913 When
Ringleaders Fled Thought
to Be in Use Again.
SAME MAN POSES AS KIN

An Indication that a Wholesale plan
to swindle the real heirs 20 estates.
which was exposed In 1918 through pro-
ceedings In the Surroeate's office. when
the confession of certain tools caused
the flight Of the r~ingleaders. liz still In
operation was made known yesterday
through papers filed In connection with
the estate Of Mrs. Anna Bachmann. also
known as Anna wossner, who died jan
uary 20 last.
The developments Indicate that other
estates may be involved, and show the
| ease with which property left by per-
sons who have no heirs here ready to
institute administration proceedings
may be taken from the rightful next OF
kin. In the present case much credit
Is due to Henry e. Moore. assistant
administration clerk In the ~Surrogate's
Court. whose suspicious caused an In
vestigation.
The alleged swindler In the Bachmann
estate used the name OF Johann Fred
erick Wossner. claiming to be a brother
Of the d~ecedent, but the inquiry proved
him to be Joseph =. Kattner. who was
on the police force from 1875 to 1885 and
who was dismissed. lie figured in the
fraudulent proceedings In the estate
Of jeremiah Crowley in 1918 AS Joseph
II. kettner.
Mrs. Bachmann, or Miss Wosener.
died at 29s First went Less than a
month after her death Al application
was made by a man calling himself
Johann Frederick Wossner for letters Of
/, administration on the ground that he
! WAS her brother. He said she was q
washerwoman, with no other heirs at
Law han himself. and stated that she
left only $1,000. "Wossner" was APP
! pointed administrator under a bond for
$1,000.
Assistant administrator Clerk Moore
later found that the decedent had left
$l2 500, and the Surrogate revoked
"Wossner's' letters. Mr.. Moore tool up
the matter with the Public Admins
traitor. who's attorney. Frank w. Ar
mold. had william J. Burke appointed a
referee to a testimony.
"Wossner' was represented by j. sid
ney Bernstein as attorney and testified
that he was 81 years old and lived at
III W!lloughby street. Brooklyn He
said he came here from Germany with
his alleged sister. the decedent. when he
was 4 years old. He testified that lie
met his sister" i%nfrequently thereafter
and that he last saw her before her
death when he met her In ~Stuyvesant
Park In 1906. He declared that she
never married Bachmann.
Wossner denied that he was ever on
the police force or in the insurance bust
ness. but he couldn't give the names Of
any persons who had employed him. AT
"A subsequent hearing he admitted that
he had been on the police force under
the name of Joseph p. Kattner. The
subsequent proceedings are told ia an
affidavit of Mr.. Bernstein dated Noyem-
Der 16 last. in which he said he had con-
ferred with an attorney representing
fifteen heirs at law in Germany and AT.
torney Arnold. who told hin they had
absolute proof that Kattner was not re-
lated TO the decedent. Mr.. Bernstein
said that II they would convince him Of
the fact he would thdra from the
case. They then showed him the papers
in the Crowley estate case in which
kattner. posing as Jeremiah Crowley.
had himself appointed administrator OF
the Crowley estate.
Mr.. Bernstein said the handwriting Of
Crowley was similar to that Of
"Wossner." He also saw the papers re-
voking the letters 10 Crowley" in which
the latter admitted that he got SIS for
posing as a relative. The testimony
showed that one John Harrison directed
kattner or kettner TO r.. Elliott Traut-
vein. who conducted "A concern called
the Estates Liquidation Corporation.
subsequently he collected $4,000 as ad-
ministrator in that case and Endorsed
the check 10 Trautweln. TrautWein,
who had been arrested several times
previously in financial transactions. dis
appeared when the facts came out.
II is understood that nothing further
will he heard from kattner in connec-
ton with the Bachmann estate. which
will he turned over to a representative
OF the heirs in Germany for ~administra-
ton.