FULL TEXT (Article 1 of 5): Chicago, Aug. 1. – The body of
John Demmer, a well-to-do farmer, s who died eight years ago, is to be exhumed
and examined for poison. If poison is found Coroner Hoffman will order the
arrest of Mrs. Mary Demmer, his widow.
John Demmer and his wife lived in the same house with John
Kolze, a wealthy farmer, and his wife at Schiller Park. Eight year ago Kolze’s
wife, Etta, died suddenly and left her husband a life interest in an estate
valued at $50,000.
There had been rumors that Kolke was too attentive to Mrs.
Demmer, and this had brought on a quarrel between him and Demmer.
Very soon after Mrs. Kolze’s death, which the physieians
said was due to a heart lesion. Demmer also died suddenly after drinking a
glass of water.
After these deaths Mrs. Demmer became housekeeper for Kolze.
Then arose talk of Kolze’s infatuation for a Mrs. Springborn, a pretty
neighbor, and two weeks ago she also died. The three deaths and the talk of the
village led to an investigation by Coroner Hoffman. He had the body of Mrs.
Kolze exhumed first and found abundant evidence that she had been poisoned.
John Kolze’s body was then exhumed and enough poison to kill
half a dozen men was found in it. Demmer was buried in a cemetery at Colby,
Wis., and the authorities there have been asked to permit its exhumation and
examination for poison.
[“Woman Suspected Of Slaying Tree In Tangle Of Love - Body
of Husband, Buried Eight Years, to Be Exhumed in Search for Poison.” The
Washington Times, Aug. 1, 1921, p. 5]
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FULL
TEXT (Article 2 of 5): Chicago, Aug. 3. – Two more bodies are to be exhumed in
the investigation of the deaths of the Kolze family. Coroner Peter Hoffman
announced today. In the effort to trace down what county officials assert may
be a series of murders.
Coroner
Hoffman ordered exhumed the body of Mrs. Lena Kolze, an aged member of the
family. If her body shows traces of arsenic as did those of Mr. and Mrs. Fred
Kolze and John Demmer, whose widow, Mrs. Mary Demmer, has been questioned.
Coroner Hoffman said he would examine a fifth body, not related to the Kolze
family, but embalmed by the same undertakers.
The
undertakers assert their embalming fluid does not contain arsenic. Mrs. Demmer,
housekeeper of Fred Kolze, was said to have admitted caring for her husband and
Mr. and Mrs. Kolze prior to their deaths and also was said it to have admitted
her liking for Fred Kolze and her jealousy of him, but denied the poisoning of
any of the three.
John
Demmer died about nine years ago and Mrs. Kolze died nine months later. Mrs.
Demmer then became housekeeper for Fred Kolze, whose death occurred several
weeks ago.
[“To
Exhume More Bodies - Coroner Continues Probe Into Deaths of Kolze Family, of
Chicago,” syndicated (AP), Evening Public Ledger (Philadelphia, Pa.), Aug. 5,
1921, p. 3]
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FULL
TEXT (Article 3 of 5): Chicago. Aug. 5. – Startling revelations were being made
to-day by Mrs. Mary Demmer regarding the three mysterious deaths at Schiller
Park, when her attorney secured a writ of habeas corpus and took her away from
the questioners acting for the state.
Mrs.
Demmer formerly was housekeeper for Fred Kolze, wealthy farmer and owner of
large tracts of land. This was after his wife had suddenly died. Then Mrs.
Demmer’s husband died, also suddenly and mysteriously, and still later Kolze
himself went by the same route. Post-mortems on the three bodies showed the
presence of large quantities of arsenic.
Mrs.
Demmer told of the presence in the Kolze house of a number of white powders,
and of threats by Kolze to choke her if she ever mentioned that there was
anything strange in the death of his wife. She also said: “It now appears that
Kolze had something to do with the death of my husband, John Demmer.”
“Did
he ever try to give you any of these powders?”
“Yes,
once, when I had but a headache, I refused.” Mrs. Demmer expressed the belief
that Kolze not only poisoned her husband and his wife, but that he killed
himself by the same method.
The
case took on larger aspects today, when the Coroner ordered the exhumation of
Fred Kolze’s mother. It also is said another body, that of a person not yet
mentioned in the case, will be exhumed and examined for poison.
In
response to questions, Mrs. Demmer said she was in love with Kolze, but her
affection did not become pronounced until two or three months after his wife
had died.
[“Woman
Tells of Poison In 3 Mysterious Deaths - Kolze Housekeeper Is Taken From
Questioners on Writ of Habeas Corpus,” New York Tribune (N.Y.), Aug. 6, 1921,
p. 11]
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FULL TEXT (Article 4 of 5): Chicago, August, 7. – The
poisoning of Mrs. Marietta Kolze and John Demmer, eight years ago, was not the
work of one person, Coroner Hoffman stated to-day. From two witnesses, whose
names he is withholding, he said he obtained information tending to prove that
a pact existed to kill them.
Kolzes and Demmers lived in the same house in Schiller Park,
Ill., at the time. After the deaths of Fred Kolze, then a Village Trustee, and
Mrs. Masry Demmer consolidated their families and moved to another house, where
Mrs. Demmer ostensibly was the housekeeper.
Mrs. Demmer is said to have admitted last week to a
representative of the State’s Attorney that in reality she was more than
housekeeper, and that she was jealous of Kolze’s attentions to another woman in
the village. She also admitted Kolze had told her he had “done away” with his
wife, and that she saw him give white powders to her, it is alleged.
Kolze died July 18 and an examination of his body and that
of Mrs. Kolze and Demmer disclosed that all had been poisoned. A fourth body,
that of Mrs. Lena Kolze, mother of Fred, has been exhumed and the chemist will
report to the Coroner to-morrow as to whether or not her death was due to
poison.
Mrs. Elizabeth Harwood, of Bensonville, mother of Mrs.
Kolze, told the Coroner, it is said, that Mrs. Demmer had intimated, after her
daughter’s death, that “something was wrong.” Shortly before Kolze died Mrs.
Demmer is alleged to have told Mrs. Harwood that “he would not live long unless
he mended his ways.”
Search for the money supposed to have been left by Mrs.
Kolze has begun. Mrs. Harwood says she had $15,000. Mrs. Demmer had herself
appointed administatrix of the estate of both Mr. and Mrs. Kolze, ansd also
guardian of Fred Kolze, Jr. She declares no money was left.
Mrs. Demmer, who was arrested and freed temporarily on a
habeus corpus writ, will have another hearing Tuesday.
[“Poison Pact – Behind Death of Two, - Illinois Coroner
Declares, in Continuing Inquiry. Chemist To Report on Examination of Fourth
Body Today – Search For Money Is Begun.” The Cincinnati Enquirer (Oh.), Aug. 8,
1921, p. 1]
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FULL
TEXT (Article 5 of 5): Chicago, Ill. – Mrs. Mary Demmer, who was held for weeks
for questioning in connection of three arsenic deaths at Schiller Park, was
released from custody Monday. The state had no evidence against her. Arsenic
was found in the exhumed bodies of Mrs. Demmer’s husband and Mrs. Fred Kolze.
The two families made their homes together.
[“Release
Woman Arrested For Slaying 2 Families,” syndicated (UP), Aug. 24, 1921, p. 8]
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[1407-1/3/21]
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