Post by hi224 on Dec 13, 2020 18:39:53 GMT
In 1929 Dr. Friedrich Ritter and his lover Dore Strauch arrived on uninhabited Floreana Island, Galapagos, to set up a homestead to escape Hitler Germany. They left their spouses and ran away together to practice Nietzsche’s writings in an isolated utopia. Strauch had MS and Dr. Ritter convinced her she could be healed by her own willpower. They were vegetarians who cultivated their food in their garden and lived as nudists. Dr. Ritter preemptively removed his teeth before coming to the Galapagos to avoid dental problems. Dore’s teeth were pulled out with garden tools on Floreana after they began to rot, and the two shared a pair of steel dentures Ritter had made.
They had many visitors during their stay from passing ships who would leave them supplies and visit their homestead. From these visitors they attracted the attention of the media and their usual story was published internationally.
Inspired by their story in the news another German couple decided to leave their homeland for Floreana. In 1932 Heinz and Margret Wittmer and son Harry arrived to set up their own homestead. Ritter and Strauch were not happy with their arrival and insisted they occupy an old pirate cave across the island from them. Margret was pregnant and asked Dr. Ritter to deliver her baby and he refused. Her child, Rolf, was eventually born in the cave without assistance. The two couples did not get along and many disagreements ensued.
In 1933 a third party came to the island, the self-proclaimed Baroness Eloise Wehrborn de Wagner-Bosquet arrived with her two lovers, Rudolf Lorenz and Robert Phillipson, and their Ecuadorian manservant Manuel Valdivieso. The “Baroness” came with big plans of building an upscale hotel and wanted to develop Floreana. This incensed Dr. Ritter and Strauch and there was immediate hostility between all parties. The Wittmers and Ritter were sure the Baroness was going through their mail and spreading lies about them to passing ships. Meanwhile, Wagner-Bosquet had turned on Lorenz and Philippson began beating and abusing him regularly: he would take refuge at the Wittmer home until someone came for him, when he would sheepishly return to the Baroness. Petty conflicts among the settlers escalated until life on the island was intolerable.
Several mysterious deaths followed. On March 27, 1934, the Baroness and Philippson disappeared. According to Margret Wittmer, the Baroness had come to their home one morning and said some friends had arrived in their yacht and were going to take her and Philippson to Tahiti that very day. She also told Margret that whatever they were not taking with them was being left to Lorrenz. The story was extremely dubious, however: there was no record of such a yacht entering Galapagos at that time and they never turned up in Tahiti or anywhere else for that matter.
Soon thereafter, Lorenz convinced a Norwegian fisherman named Nuggerud to take him to Santa Cruz and then to San Cristobal where he could catch the ferry to Guayaquil. They landed in Santa Cruz, bought supplies, set sail for San Cristobal and then vanished. A number of months later, the mummified, desiccated bodies of both men were found on Marchena Island, a parcel of land in the northern part of the Archipelago which is not on the route to or anywhere near Santa Cruz or San Cristobal. There is still no clue as to how they got there.
In November of 1934, Friedrich Ritter died. The official reason was listed as food poisoning from eating a badly preserved chicken. What makes this interesting is the fact that Friedrich was an avowed vegetarian who had not been seen to eat meat of any kind for years. Plus, he was by then an experienced veteran of island living and perfectly capable of knowing when meat had gone bad. Margret Wittmer claimed that Dore had poisoned him as his treatment of her had become worse during the last year. Both women claimed to have been by his side when Friedrich died, but their accounts were very different.
Dore Strauch: “Suddenly he opened his great blue eyes and stretched his arms towards me. His glance was joyously tranquil. He seemed actually to say to me: “I go; but promise you will not forget what we have lived for.” It seemed to be as if he would draw me with him. Then he sank back, and I began to caress his forehead tenderly. He became quite still, and that was death.”
Margret Wittmer: “Whenever she came near him, he would make feeble movements as if to hit or kick her. He looked up at Dore, his eyes gleaming with hate. [He] wrote his last sentence: “I curse you with my dying breath.” His eyes filled with a wild feverish flame. Dore shrieked, and drew back in horror. Then he collapsed soundlessly, falling back on the pillows. He had gone.”
After Dr. Ritter’s death Strauch returned to Germany and died there in 1943. The Wittmers stayed on Floreana and made a fortune years later during the tourism boom. Today their descendants still live on Floreana Island.
Sources:
1dustytrack.blogspot.com/2013/11/sex-murder-and-mystery-on-island-of.html
www.galapagosislands.com/blog/enchanted-islands-tales
lifeasahuman.com/2014/travel-adventure/murder-in-the-galapagos
Books:
Dore Strauch -
www.amazon.com/Satan-Came-Eden-Survivors-Galapagos-ebook/dp/B00KVOC5OE
Margaret Wittmer - www.amazon.com/gp/product/155921399X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tpbk_p1_i0
Documentary:
www.imdb.com/title/tt2960450
They had many visitors during their stay from passing ships who would leave them supplies and visit their homestead. From these visitors they attracted the attention of the media and their usual story was published internationally.
Inspired by their story in the news another German couple decided to leave their homeland for Floreana. In 1932 Heinz and Margret Wittmer and son Harry arrived to set up their own homestead. Ritter and Strauch were not happy with their arrival and insisted they occupy an old pirate cave across the island from them. Margret was pregnant and asked Dr. Ritter to deliver her baby and he refused. Her child, Rolf, was eventually born in the cave without assistance. The two couples did not get along and many disagreements ensued.
In 1933 a third party came to the island, the self-proclaimed Baroness Eloise Wehrborn de Wagner-Bosquet arrived with her two lovers, Rudolf Lorenz and Robert Phillipson, and their Ecuadorian manservant Manuel Valdivieso. The “Baroness” came with big plans of building an upscale hotel and wanted to develop Floreana. This incensed Dr. Ritter and Strauch and there was immediate hostility between all parties. The Wittmers and Ritter were sure the Baroness was going through their mail and spreading lies about them to passing ships. Meanwhile, Wagner-Bosquet had turned on Lorenz and Philippson began beating and abusing him regularly: he would take refuge at the Wittmer home until someone came for him, when he would sheepishly return to the Baroness. Petty conflicts among the settlers escalated until life on the island was intolerable.
Several mysterious deaths followed. On March 27, 1934, the Baroness and Philippson disappeared. According to Margret Wittmer, the Baroness had come to their home one morning and said some friends had arrived in their yacht and were going to take her and Philippson to Tahiti that very day. She also told Margret that whatever they were not taking with them was being left to Lorrenz. The story was extremely dubious, however: there was no record of such a yacht entering Galapagos at that time and they never turned up in Tahiti or anywhere else for that matter.
Soon thereafter, Lorenz convinced a Norwegian fisherman named Nuggerud to take him to Santa Cruz and then to San Cristobal where he could catch the ferry to Guayaquil. They landed in Santa Cruz, bought supplies, set sail for San Cristobal and then vanished. A number of months later, the mummified, desiccated bodies of both men were found on Marchena Island, a parcel of land in the northern part of the Archipelago which is not on the route to or anywhere near Santa Cruz or San Cristobal. There is still no clue as to how they got there.
In November of 1934, Friedrich Ritter died. The official reason was listed as food poisoning from eating a badly preserved chicken. What makes this interesting is the fact that Friedrich was an avowed vegetarian who had not been seen to eat meat of any kind for years. Plus, he was by then an experienced veteran of island living and perfectly capable of knowing when meat had gone bad. Margret Wittmer claimed that Dore had poisoned him as his treatment of her had become worse during the last year. Both women claimed to have been by his side when Friedrich died, but their accounts were very different.
Dore Strauch: “Suddenly he opened his great blue eyes and stretched his arms towards me. His glance was joyously tranquil. He seemed actually to say to me: “I go; but promise you will not forget what we have lived for.” It seemed to be as if he would draw me with him. Then he sank back, and I began to caress his forehead tenderly. He became quite still, and that was death.”
Margret Wittmer: “Whenever she came near him, he would make feeble movements as if to hit or kick her. He looked up at Dore, his eyes gleaming with hate. [He] wrote his last sentence: “I curse you with my dying breath.” His eyes filled with a wild feverish flame. Dore shrieked, and drew back in horror. Then he collapsed soundlessly, falling back on the pillows. He had gone.”
After Dr. Ritter’s death Strauch returned to Germany and died there in 1943. The Wittmers stayed on Floreana and made a fortune years later during the tourism boom. Today their descendants still live on Floreana Island.
Sources:
1dustytrack.blogspot.com/2013/11/sex-murder-and-mystery-on-island-of.html
www.galapagosislands.com/blog/enchanted-islands-tales
lifeasahuman.com/2014/travel-adventure/murder-in-the-galapagos
Books:
Dore Strauch -
www.amazon.com/Satan-Came-Eden-Survivors-Galapagos-ebook/dp/B00KVOC5OE
Margaret Wittmer - www.amazon.com/gp/product/155921399X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tpbk_p1_i0
Documentary:
www.imdb.com/title/tt2960450
