Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-01
KILLS SELF TO END
W|FE'S TROUBLES
Man Returns After IL Years
to Find Mate Married
to Another.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
MILWAUKEE, Wis, April l (N.A,
NA).-Theodore Mahnke did not peer
through a window like Enoch Arden
and learn that his wife, thinking him
dead, had been married to another.
When Mahnke returned to Sheboy-
gan, Wis, three weeks ago after II
years absence, he revealed himself be-
fore he discovered that Mrs. Mahnke
had become the wife of John Michels,
a Kohler carpenter, and was about to
bear Michels a child Unable to turn
silently away, like the man in Ten
nyson's poem, and let his wife's new
life go on, he, went to. Chicago ana
killed himself Monday afternoon by
turning on the gas jet in a roorning
house. He was SO, veteran OF botn
the Spanish-Am and the World
Wars.
The Mahnkes were married % years
ago in Chicago and went to Sheboygan
to live. Later they moved to New
Only Rumor in IL Years.
Mahnke vanished in June, 1914
without a word to his wife. Mrs
Mahnke took the children back to
Sheboygan, where she had friends The
only thing she heard concerning her
missing husband in II years was a
rumor during the World War that he
had gone overseas with the Army. She
thought that he was dead Mrs.
Mahnke met Michels and in November,
1928, they were married.
When Mahnke reappeared in She
: boygan three weeks ago his wtfe's life
fell about her in chaos. She left her
second husband at once. and took quar-
ters in Sheboygan to live apart from
him. She was driven almost insane
with anxiety. Her religion forbids di-
vorce. She could not longer be MichelS'
wife. She could not take Mahnke back.
Finally, in despair, she sought attor-
neyS' advice and decided to seek an
anllulment of her marriage to Michels
and live with neither.
The attorneys were about to file the
necessary papers Tuesday when they
learned Of Mahnke's death.
Knew Of Wife's Worry.
1dahnke knew of his wifs's worry, for
he remained in Sheboygan about week
visiting his children, all grown now,
and his relatives He knew that his
return had broken up a happy home.
He knew that his wife was desperately
seeking a way out Of the tangle. In
rernorse over the havoc he had wrought
uc WENT DdCh W AlitCdSO anu SOtfCu OtiC
enigma for her Before he took his life
he tried to make reparation.
He wrote to Charles M. Pearsall, gov
ernor of the National Soldiers Home,
begging Col. PearSall to obtain a SOL
dier's bonus or a pension for his
deserted wife.
The letter to Col Pearsal revealed
that Mahnke had served in the war as
Thomas j. Criss. Until last Fall he
lived at the Soldiers Home as Criss.
To make sure that the confusion in his
identity would not prevent his wife
from receiving anything due to him as
Criss, Mahnke addressed a note to the
Chicago police asking them to take his
fingerprints for comparison with the
Army record of Thomas j. Criss
After he left Sh-boygan II years ago.
Mahnke worked in Chicago and Detroit
under the alias he had taken-Thomas
j. Criss He enlisted for the World
War under that name at Detroit, Mich,
January 13, 1918, according to the serv-
ice records in possession of Col. Pearsall
at the home. He served in the 18th
Company, goth Engineers Forestry, and
was discharged April IL, 1918, at st.
Afghan Meyers France.
(copyright, 1919