3-025-883 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Dr. Otto Schultze, 1917. Shows Dr. Otto H. Schultze, a physician in the New York City coroner's office who was an expert in the Maude King murder case of 1917. Maude King, the widow of a wealthy lumberman, had fallen prey to a swindler in Europe. Her late husband had left her $100,000, with the remainder of his $3 million estate intended for charity. Gaston Means, an American private detective, ingratiated himself into King’s life, assisting her with her business affairs. However, under the guise of investing her money, he siphoned off hundreds of thousands of dollars for himself. Tragically, on August 29, 1917, Maude King was found dead after a visit to a firing range with Means. He claimed she had killed herself, perhaps accidentally while handling his gun.