Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-09
AGED FARMER rs
SHOT IN HIS BED
Continued from Pase one

was intensely interested in the European
war and bitterly partial to the German
cause. She said he had quarreled on sew
eral occasions with Russians who live in
the vicinity OF his farm and she advanced
the theory that the shooting was the
result Of war alteration.
Gottschalk, with difficulty told 10
nelghbors the story Of the assault.
The old man was awakened by noise
as OF some one tapping on window, but
supposing II was a trick of Imagination,
due to a nervous condition, he lay back
In his bed. A minute later his door was
slapped open and as ne rose In his bed,
a man stood over him, pushed revolver
against his breast ana fired The aged
farmer sank back on his pillow and heard
the retreatng footsteps of his would-be
slayer.
GOTTsCHALK'S ACCUSATION.
The man who shot him was F'reese.
Gottschalk said. and ne declared the
shooting was the result Of plot on the
| part Of his wife and his former employe
to make away with him and divide his
property between them or share II.
| It was more than an hour after the
| shooting that Mrs. George Happy heard
a noise at the door and went downstairs
to see who was there. Opening the door
she found Gottschalk lying on the door |
stop There was a bullet hole in his |
breast. an inch above the heart
The woman aroused her husband, who |
telcphoned to DR.. John o. Ott of Pleas
ant Valley. The doctor summoned Harry |
Rhodes, chief of Police. who arrived |
barely in time to take the farmers state
ment before he died.
Immediately he asked Sheriff Meridian,
of Doylestown, to have the police here
arrest reese.
t'pon recent Of the request for Freese's
arrest this morning, Lieutenant Lynch
and Detective Belshaw hurried to the
home of Mrs Gottschalk. The woman
met them at the door, and in reply TO
their question, said:
YES there Is a man named 1'reese
here. He's right in the dining room"
They found him there
GOTTsCHAbK HOT-HEADED."
Freese and Mrs. Gottschalk expressed
surprise ana regret when informed of
the attempt on Gottschalk's life. but the
woman said fcw minutes later that she
might have expected such n tragedy, be-
cause her husband was hot headed" and
in the habit of quarrelng with some of
his neighbors over the war.
Mrs Gottschalk accompanied F'reese to
the Detective bureau, where both told
the same story.
They said Gottschalk purchased the
farm Il years ago, and went with his wife
to live there. Presently however. Mrs
Gottschalk sickened of farm life. and at |
last several years ago. IL became unbear-
able. Then she moved to Philadelphia
with her husbands consent. Since that ,
time Mrs. Gottschalk has made visits to ,,
the farm once or twice a week and the
husband has furnished her with provi- ;
sons
Their relations were quite harmonious, ,
she said, and she hoped no person would !
form an unwarranted opinion that there !:
was trouble btween them"
FREEsE COMES TO CITY. 8
Friese was out of work until Gottschalk 9
gave him place on the farm nine weeks :
ago. both Friese and Mrs. GnttschaTk fl
said. This place the man quit four weeks /
lEo. and then came to PHILADELPHIA to I
seek work. Yesterday he obtained n posi-
lion MS a cook in a cheap hotel, and was '
about to go to work when arrested V
Mrs Mary Dietrich told reporter for n
he EVENING LEDGER this morning that b
Friese could not have been in the Gott-
'Chalk farm home last night and she was 4
certain he was ignorant of all knowledge
If the crime.
HE and Mrs. Gottschalk-that's nv
ster-and Henri Bend. another Young
nan who boards here, were playing nj
oche last night until II o'clock or after"
he said. 81 know 1t was at least II
clock when we went to bed. Then nv
lister, Mr.. Bend and | went upstairs to
ed and Frlese said he was going to bed
light away He sleeps on lounge down
tars because all the bedrooms are oc-
upied,"
The policeman patroling the street in
ront of the Gottschalk home said he II
aw Friese about the house at o'clock
lie NRFNtV l,Nzr.
r not he was there at an earlier hour. - -
"PRETTIEsT GIRL IN HAMBURG" Of
Gottschalk was Mrs. Gottschalk's sec pl
nd husband, according to Mrs Dietrich. -
Ter sister Mrs. Dietrich said was the te
rettiest girl in Hamburg IS years ago. m
hen she married her first husband. He =.
led in Kensington 90 years ago After or
vo years of widowhood, she married is
ottschalk They had met at a German W
cnic. and were wed few days later. a.
Gottschalk loved the country, Mrs. fo
ietrich said, and wanted to grow things. &C
inally he gave up his work in the mill tn
nd with his savings bought a little piece SI
ground in kensington. where he raised re
otatoes This was not enough. The
prospered and small contract II,
duded 10 Gottschalk'S little store | ga
hen he bought the farm near Quaker
wn Mrs. Gottschalk, her sister said h,
Sed the city nd trolley cars. Phladel- w
lia was more like Hamburg than NJ
lakertown. So Mrs. Gottschalk came bss
'ck TO Philadelphia to live with her Wild i.
we'd sister. 70 70
Mrs Dietrich said her sisters first -,
Getting with Freese was a casual one -,
70 years ago. They did not become he
acquainted until after the be-
nning of the war. NO
te
ne