Bio: Demmer, John
Contact:  Joan Benner
Email: jmbenner@tznet.com
 

From the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, Monday August 1, 1921, Page 1 Column 2

Exhume Bodies to Find Murder Clue: Mysterious Death of Colby Man in 1912 Leads to Poison Theory; Series of Murders Suspected

Colby, Wis, Aug. 1: The location of the body of John Demmer who is said to have died in a mysterious manner in August, 1912, may be a difficult problem in view of the fact that the graveyard where Demmer was buried was plowed over and the cornerstones and all other marks were replaced by guess, according to reports reaching here.

Officials at the coroner's office in Cook County, Ill., plan to exhume Demmer's body for the purpose of having it examined with a view of determining the cause of his death. It was reported at the time of his death that Demmer died of pneumonia.

Relatives of Demmer say that he died suddenly and he had not been getting along well with Mrs. Demmer shortly before his death. Shortly after Demmer's death, Mrs. Demmer began housekeeping for Mr. and Mrs. Fred Kolze. A short time later Mrs. Kolze died suddenly, the cause being reported as whooping cough. On July last, Mr. Kolze also died in a mysterious manner, and poison was found in his system by the coroner.

Coroner Peter Hoffman, of Chicago states that the finding of poison in Mr. Kolze's system, as well as the fact that Mr. Demmer and Mrs. Kolze both died mysteriously, may prove a succession of murders.