In Enid’s case, she died from poisoning on October 17, 1915, after solely three months of marriage to Theodore Robert Rimpau, the grandson of Anaheim Pioneer Theodore Rimpau. Robert, as he selected to be referred to as, was captivated with the younger Enid, and courted her till she accepted his proposal of marriage. Enid had simply divorced her first husband, Charles Stone, due to his “intemperate habits,” and had been working two jobs to assist herself on her personal. She had moved to Anaheim to start out over, and it appeared that every part was figuring out till that Sunday afternoon, simply after church, when her husband claimed he discovered her dying of poison in her bed room.
Relations got here to the home, in addition to Dr. Truxaw who got here instantly when he was referred to as. Sadly, the physician noticed that Enid was past assist, and so Enid died there at her dwelling on 503 Zeyn Avenue in Anaheim. The story within the papers acknowledged a observe was discovered, and that due to this there was no inquest into her dying (although there was no point out of anybody having checked to see if the observe was even in her personal handwriting). And so it was accepted that Enid had dedicated suicide. Nonetheless, there have been those that imagine that she didn’t kill herself, and that she might need been poisoned on goal. I went over her story inch by inch in my newest ebook, “Tales of the Forgotten: Notorious, Well-known & Unremembered,”
With reference to Paul Whitice, he too died out of the blue and suspiciously. He was additionally a divorcee, beforehand married to Alice Marxmuller in 1911; Nonetheless, in August of 1916, he remarried, this time to Robert Rimpau’s cousin, Rosabelle Rimpau. I used to be not too long ago contacted by somebody who simply bought Paul & Rosabelle’s first dwelling in Los Angeles. The brand new proprietor, John Wray, is at present doing analysis on the historical past of the house itself and the Whitice household and sought me out for assist in placing Paul’s life occasions collectively.
Years in the past, a random commentor had left a message on my weblog about Enid Rimpau’s dying, claiming that hers was not the one suspicious poisoning within the Rimpau household, insinuating that maybe somebody inside that household could have been concerned in foul play in each deaths. I seemed into the story myself and I’ve to say there are some similarities, as I’ll element under.
For one, each Enid and Paul have been each beforehand married previous to marrying into the Rimpau household. The Rimpau’s have been religious Catholics. In actual fact, many church companies had been carried out in patriarch Theodore Rimpau’s dwelling, again in Anaheim’s early days, earlier than St. Boniface had been constructed. Nonetheless the concept that one of many Rimpau’s poisoned each Enid and Paul is reaching. I will not say that it is not doable, however the query stays “why?”–
Properly, one may argue that as a result of each Enid and Paul have been each married earlier than, that maybe their marriage into the Rimpau household tarnished the distinguished Anaheim household’s good title. Once more, that’s simply hypothesis. However it’s a identified undeniable fact that divorce was frowned upon, particularly throughout that point in our previous. However, Paul did not die months after his marriage, like Enid did. He died practically 11 years later. In order that concept that each have been poisoned due to their prior marriages doesn’t match.
Let’s look into Paul’s life slightly additional earlier than I get to the small print surrounding his dying.
Paul was born on July 10, 1887 in Ridgedale, Chattanooga, Tennessee to oldsters Sarah and R.D. Whitice. By 1910, the household was listed within the U.S. Census as dwelling at 1570 W. seventeenth Avenue, in Los Angeles. At the moment, Paul was 22 years outdated, and dealing as a foreman at a constructing firm, greater than possible the identical place his father was working, as a contractor. On March 20, 1911, Paul married Alice Marxmuller in Orange County, California. She was 22 years outdated, and a local of Kentucky, whereas Paul erroneously listed his age as 28 (he was solely 24). In some unspecified time in the future he divorced Alice, though I couldn’t find the date of their dissolution decree.
By August 10, 1916, Paul was wed as soon as once more, this time to Rosabelle Rimpau. The marriage was fairly an affair and the newspapers point out they spent their honeymoon in San Diego. In 1916, Paul constructed had their first dwelling constructed on Westchester Place, in Los Angeles however inside a 12 months the financial institution foreclosed on it.
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| U.S. WWI Draft Registry Data |
Paul is talked about in very important information once more, in 1917-1918 for the U.S. Draft Registry information, the place he listed his tackle in Prescott, Arizona, solely to cross that tackle out and add his mother-in-law’s tackle at 1540 N. St. Andrews Place in Los Angeles. Paul was nonetheless listed as dwelling with Rosabelle’s mom even up till the 1920 Census. John Wray shared with me that he found Paul had some authorized troubles even after Paul’s dwelling had been foreclosed on at Westchester Place in 1917. In actual fact, in accordance John’s analysis, Paul had filed for chapter in 1918, after collectors have been nonetheless hounding him for his money owed. In the course of the 1920’s he moved his household (which now consisted of 1 daughter and later a son), round quite a bit. Paul had moved no less than 3 or 4 instances between 1921-1927.
When researching Paul’s profession, I discovered that he continued his involvement in structure and actual property development. I discovered a number of houses in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and Los Feliz that bear his title as both architect, builder or each.
On July 4, 1927, Paul can be discovered lifeless in his dwelling at 6517 Nation Membership Drive in Los Angeles. The newspaper reported that he had performed an excessive amount of Sunday golf and that it was a pressure on his weak coronary heart that did him in. Paul was solely 40 years outdated, and based on the paper his spouse claimed he had been a sufferer of well being issues for some time.
The newspapers didn’t fail to say the truth that there was a poison bottle discovered within the lavatory, which began rumors that he might need dedicated suicide. There isn’t a point out of an inquest or an post-mortem, simply that the “Police and coroner due to this fact determined that he died from natural hassle.”
There isn’t a additional point out as as to whether or not anybody contacted Paul’s previous physicians to confirm whether or not or not he really suffered from coronary heart associated illnesses, so all we will go by is the official information filed with the county, that he died from pure causes. However was that basically the case?
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| Santa Ana Register, July 5, 1927 |
So what do you assume?
Is it doable that Paul was depressed and selected to finish his life by the use of poisoning himself?
Poison normally is the popular alternative of ladies, not males. And what can be the explanation for him to take his personal life? Was he having authorized or monetary troubles once more? Was his marriage on the rocks?
And if he did commit suicide, did Rosabelle or her household repay the police and coroner so they’d rule it a pure dying to keep away from any scandal?
Is it doable that Paul did not kill himself however as a substitute was poisoned, and the entire thing was lined up?
Then you need to ask your self, who would have a motive to do that? And why?
Or may the easier reply, that he died from coronary heart failure, be the best reply all alongside?
I’ll depart that so that you can resolve.
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(Copyright 2017- J’aime Rubio www.jaimerubiowriter.com)
Thanks to John Marshall and John Wray!
Sources:
Santa Ana Register, July 5, 1927
Los Angeles Herald, June 16, 1920
1910,1920 Census Data
U.S. Authorities WWI Registry Draft Data (1917-1918)
Los Angeles Occasions, August 10, 1916
California County Marriages, Orange County & Los Angeles County, 1911 & 1916
