Evening star., 1934-11-21
ISLAND MYSTERY !,
DEF|ES SOLUTION
Names of Two Dead and
Nature of Their End Await
Further Probe.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LOS ANGELES, November Ala
solution Of the double death mystery
Of Galapagos hinged today on possible
word from the isolated, island and
efforts Of a scientific expedition sail
ing from here late this week for the
equatorial seas.
Whether the emaciated bodies dis.
covered on the bleak islet OF Mar
chena were those Of two German ex-
lies who sought to leave the empire
Isle of Charles; whether one Of the
bodies was that Of the self-crownec
empress" Of the tiny kingdom in the
sea. the Baroness Eloise Bonsquet de
Wagner, 38, or some one else of the
island, will not be determined until
additional details come from ths
South Pacific.
Islanders Cut or.
Hopes Of assistance from Galapago.
toward solving the identity of thu
two wasted bodies are almost As re.
mote as the islands themselves. Shut
of from the usual avenues of com.
munication with the rest OF the world
the half dozen island exiles canno
forward information to clear up th'
mystery and its tangle Of bizarre cir.
cumstances.
With q group Of scientists, then
rests the best chance Of obtaining ar
explanation Of the case.
The expedition was originally or.
ganized for research In Pacific water.
but discovery Of the bodies swung the
expedition into q twO-fold mission.
Hancock Heads Party.
Heading the party are Capt. @
Allan Hancock, explorer-yachtsman
and DR.. Waldo L. Schmitt, carinolo'
gist of Smithsonian Institution.
While several theories have cropped
up. It was generally believed thai
one of the victims was Alfred Rudolph
Lorenz, a German.
Whether the other victim who at
tempted to leave Charles was Rober
Philipson, another German and {
friend Of Lorenz. could not be deter
mined
A hint that something too terrible
to write about had happened in th'
islands, home Of strange life ane
equally strange voluntary exiles. ha!
come 20 light here.
The only cue to the mystery was tht
assertion it involved the empress
of Charles Island, otherwise th'
baroness.
The holder Of the secret involving
the empress" Is DR.. Friedrich Ritter
who with his mate, Frau Dor'
Strauch Koerwien. have been liv-
ing on Charles Islands for years.
Ritter hinted at the secret in 6
letter last July 80. in which he in
formed a Los Angeles patron oi
science that the empress" together
with Philipson and Lorenz. had left
there mysteriously July l6.
Empress" Involved.
1t became known today that DR.
Ritter's letter had to do with some
thing so unusual that he did no
put it in writing. The only inklint
Of what the matter might be abou
was the information that 1t involved
the empress.
There was no way OF determining
whether DR.. Ritters secret had an,
bearing on the Marchena IslanC
tragedy, or even whether he knew ol
their deaths.
Weeks or months ago . merciles.
torture of slow starvation and raging
thirst sapped the life Of the two
humans on the Islet OF Marchena
They were castaways there. The,
had been at Charles Island, q packet
Of letters for delivery to the civilized
world disclosed.
Sensational tales have reached the
mainland about the slender empress
whose blond hair became black with
the passing Of months away from
civilization.
Always Carried Pistol
She carried .22-caliber. pearl
handled pistol dangling from . silker
cord at her waist.
She had q passion TO shoot animals
and nurse them sound again." Or
Ritter wrote.
Last November Pablo Rolando o.
EsoiiiCL AlAAo, 1sSuAuOl, &h0 Ills vi luc
Blanca Rosa Fernandez, told Guaya
quill, Ecuador, authorities . tale o.
having been shipwrecked on Charles
Island, and then cast adrift in . small
boat on orders Of the empress" 4
fishing craft picked them up miles q
sea.
Shortly after this came word of I
yollnR Dane named Arends who hat
joined the retinue Of the empress.
After a few months he expressed
deside to return to the mainland. HI
was shot in the abdomen. The EN-
press gave him medical care.
Other tales told by sailors whit
visited Charles Island led the Ecusdo
government to ask Capt. Hancock tt
take some officials from Chatham
Island, in the archipelago, on his an.
nual Winter scientific expedition t.
the Galapagos.