New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-05
SAYS HOLT WAS
ERICH MUENTER
Continued from page

her third child when her death oc-
Cured. huenter ran away from Cam
bridge with the two children and
brought them 10 Chicago. where he
turned them over to Mrs. Muenter's
parents. Then. still undecided by the
authorities, he went 10 Mexico.
"He worked for while in Mexico
City es a stenographer He shaved
his full beard and wore soft hat in
stead of the derby he had affected as
Muenter. a reward Of $1,000 for his
arrest has never been claimed While
n fugitive he issued a badly printed
review of his case, couched in sarcastic
terms. and mailed it 20 some of his
acquaintances.
Under the name Of Holt he showed
IN at the Agricultural and Mechanical
College, at College Station, Tex, passed
the examinations and was graduated.
He married a classmate in the Texas
school and has three children by her.
"Hc later taught German in Wander
Wilt University at Nashville, Tenn, and
attended Cornell University, where he
obtained his Phi d. degree. He was
elected head Of the department Of Ger
man of the Southern Methodist Uni
versity of Dallas, Tex, and was TO be
gin his work there next fall.
Il always considered him odd, but
to talk with him one would not suspect
his eccentricities.
Muenter's sister, Miss Bertha Muen-
ter. g teacher in the public schools
here. who lives with her aged mother,
said she had never heard from her
brother since his disappearance nine
years ago.
Mrs. Muenter died in Boston on April
%, 1906. Only her husband was present
nj the time of her death, as the Muen-
tiers did not believe in doctors, 1t was
said.
The undertaken was suspicious and
the stomach and internal organs were
sent TO Professor Whitney, of Harvard,
for ANALYSIS, but Muenter was allowed
10 leave for Chicago with the body.
Professor Whitney found traces Of
poison in the stomach and a warrant
was issued for Muenter. Before the
Chicago police were notified he dlsap-
peared. .,
The police search for Muenter lasted
for many months. Added interest was
given TO II my frequent letters sent to
former friends by the missing instruc-
tor One of these communications
was long printed pamphlet mailed
from New Orleans.
II commented on the death Of Mrs:
Muenter and spoke sarcasticaliy OF
newspaper stories and police work on
the case. A chapter of il said that
Muenter had talked with the soul OF
his wife, and an investigation is said
TO have revealed that he and few
friends in Chicago believed they had
proved a theory that the soul Of dead
person could be seen to leave the body
in the form Of a thick violet vapor.
The police attached Importance to this
as suggesting that Muenter caused his
wife's death to experiment in support
of his theory.
Mrs. Muenter taught school in Chi
caqo after her marriage, in 1902, while
her husband prepared himself for
higher work in the universities. In
Harvard he was instructor in three ele-
mentarv German courses, did some prl-
vate tutoring and prepared a thesis on
Insanity in German Romantic Litera-
ture."
He was born in Germany and came to
this country twenty-five years ago. lie
was described at the time Of his disap-
pearance as: age, thirty-five years;
height, feet 9 or 10 inches; weight,
about $50 pounds; forid complexion
dark halr, long lace, SIAN LlIIb AOAOHS"N'
full dark Van Dyke beard"
As far as Hollis history goes. as
now known, the only bar TO mis- hay-
ing been in Cambridge on April To-
1906. is the statement of his father.
in-law, the Rev. O. r. SensabauGh, Of
Dallas. Tex, that Holt married Miss
Sensabaugh, "about ten years age
Muenter disappeared from chicago
in April, 1906. Mrs. Hollis first name!
by the way, is the same as that OF
Mrs. Erich Muenter.
The date of Hollis marriage, accord
ing TO Dallas records, was in 1911
five years after Muelter's disappear
ance from Chicago.
Muenter's aged mother, Mrs. Julia
c. Muenter, is seriously i'll at her
home. at 6l45 South Rockwell Street.
Her daughter, Miss BERTHA c. Huen-
ter, public school teacher, is pros
trated over the novs that Muenter
and Holt may be the same man.
Neither could be seen by reporters,
but 2. c. Hartshorn, a teache:, who
rooms at the Muenter home, spoke for
them. Hartshorn knew Muentar
Mrs Muenter is eightythree years
old" saia Hartshorn. "She Is very
i'll now, and has not been told. She