Otto Guenther Weyse (also Günther-Weyse;Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934 1858 – February 22, 1893) was an American liquor and wine dealer in 19th-century Los Angeles. He was a member of the Los Angeles Common Council and was instrumental in bringing a visiting San Francisco opera company to Los Angeles. He was noted statewide as a man who sent his child to Mexico during a prolonged and "sensational""The Weyse Divorce," Los Angeles Times, July 3, 1890, page 2 divorce battle with his French-born heiress wife.
Personal
Family
Weyse was born in California, the son of emigrants Julius Günther-Weyse from Saxony, who owned a vineyard on what is now Eighth Street near San Pedro Street, and Caroline Günther-Wyse from Denmark. He had two brothers, Henry Guenther Weyse, an attorney and member of the State Legislature, and Rudolf Guenther Weyse.Harris Newmark, Sixty Years in Southern California; 1916"News Notes," Los Angeles Herald, December 8, 1887, page 7 In testimony at his divorce trial (below), he said he spent "some years at college abroad.""The Courts: Another Chapter of the Weyse Divorce Suit," Los Angeles Times, July 4, 1890, page 2
Residences In 1887 Weyse bought the residence of pioneer brickmaker and fellow Common Council member Joseph Mullaly at 19 College Street, in today's Chinatown."A Young Thief," Los Angeles Times, September 28, 1887, page 1 It was noted as being:
one of the finest residences in the city of Los Angeles.The grounds have a frontage of one hundred and eighty-five feet on Buena Vista street and two hundred and eighty-five feet on College, and contain a fine bearing orchard, consisting of orange, lemon, pear, apple trees, etc."Los Angeles County, California, Biographies"
The family homestead and vineyard, however, was at 8th and San Pedro Streets—the winery in a two-story brick building constructed in 1884. As a real estate boom hit Southern California, the land was divided for sale, and the winery building was leased to the firm of Weisendanger & Nardmore, which overhauled the machinery and reopened in 1891 as a starch manufactory from potatoes. On December 10, 1891, the boiler exploded, almost leveling the building and heavily damaging the adjoining family quarters, where Otto Weyse was the only occupant; he escaped injury."Totally Wrecked," Los Angeles Times, December 11, 1891, page5"The Pacific Slope: Wrecked the Building," San Francisco Chronicle, December 11, 1891, page 3
Marriage and divorce
On May 2, 1883, Weyse married Louise Naud of Vaucluse, France. She was the widow of Edward Naud, Weyse's business partner, who had died in 1881 "leaving his wealth to his wife." She had two children, Louisa and Louis, by her first husband. New York City Mayor William Russell Grace officiated at the wedding in Hoboken, New Jersey. They lived for a time on Staten Island, New York, and within a few weeks, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, Weyse began to physically abuse his wife. She left him and returned to France. He followed her in 1888, "but his wife was informed of his coming and at once started to return" to the United States. "The two passed in mid-ocean." After a short reconciliation, Mrs. Weyse took her case to divorce court in July 1888, with her testimony (given in French) centering on the abuse. At that point, Weyse had physical custody of their child, a boy named Otto, whom he refused to turn over to his wife."Changes Her Name", Los Angeles Times, August 24, 1892, page 5"Mrs. Weyse Is Free", San Francisco Chronicle, July 10, 1890, page 3"Rather Frightful Experience", Los Angeles Times, July 2, 1890, page 2"Mrs. Weyse Tells the Story of Her Married Life", Los Angeles Times, June 29, 1890, page 6"The Courts: Mrs. Weyse Tells the Story of Her Married Life", Los Angeles Times, June 29, 1890, page 6"The Weyse Case", Los Angeles Herald, June 27, 1890, page 6
In October 1889 a suit was opened by Otto Weyse and his brother, R. G. Weyse, alleging that they were entitled to half the estate left by Edouard Naud because of, among other things,"A Father Kidnaps His Own Child to Win a Lawsuit", Sacramento Record-Union, October 14, 1889, page 2 a marriage contract signed by Otto and Louise Naud, of which Louise later disputed the genuineness. The alleged contract provided that:
all children born of the union of the couple shall be taught to regard the children by Mrs. Weyse's first husband [Naud] as brothers and sisters; that they shall never be reproached with the fact that their father [Weyse] was a German; that they shall under no circumstances be raised as Catholics without their father's consent; that all the wife's business should be transacted by her new husband and that the question, "mine or thine" with reference to property, should never come up between the couple."The Naud Estate", San Francisco Chronicle, October 15, 1889, page 6
In that same month it was discovered that Otto, the couple's son, was absent from Los Angeles, and detectives found that he had been spirited to a ranch near Tijuana, Mexico by his father. A warrant was issued for his arrest on a charge of kidnapping, but the child was returned to Los Angeles in advance of any legal action."A Kidnaping Case", San Francisco Chronicle, October 13, 1889, page 15
During the "long and expensive" divorce litigation, one of Louise's witnesses, Thomas Keys, was "spirited out of the county", but a private detective agency located him on a bee ranch in San Diego County, and he testified he was bribed by Otto Weyse and a "party named Jones", who was arrested. Mrs. Weyse won a divorce on July 10, 1890.
In August 1892, Louise Weyse was granted an order by a Los Angeles court to change her legal name back to Louise Naud. Her petition related that she had had "great family trouble and much scandalous litigation with h[e]r second husband and his family, named Weyse, the odium of which still adheres to said name and causes her great mental pain, suffering and discontent." She presented evidence of letters addressed to her having been opened and delayed in reaching her.
Memberships
Weyse was a member of the Los Angeles Athletic Club"Los Angeles Athletic Club," Los Angeles Times, April 22, 1887, page 3 and the Turnverein SocietyLos Angeles Herald, July 15, 1880, page 3 and a charter member of the Los Angeles Native Sons of the Golden West, founded in 1887."General News," Los Angeles Herald, June 8, 1887, page 1
Injury and death On July 8, 1889, Weyse shot himself in the side, but the actual cause and circumstance were not verified. It was reported then that he was suffering from consumption."O.G. Weyse Shoots Himself," San Francisco Chronicle, November 9, 1889, page 6 He died in San Francisco on February 22, 1893, at the age of 34 years and 11 months. Burial was in San Francisco."Died," Los Angeles Herald, February 25, 1893, page 5
Business
In April 1886, Weyse was arrested in Los Angeles and faced trial in San Francisco on a charge that he had interfered with a federal revenue officer, a gauger who had stopped a wagon as it was leaving the Weyse distillery and found two demijohns filled with brandy. The circumstance resulted in the seizure of the distillery by the government."Local News Notes," Los Angeles Herald, April 1, 1886, page 1
In February 188,7 Weyse announced that he had purchased property between Main and Los Angeles street, midblock between Fifth and Sixth streets, in order to build a new theater of 2,000 seats, which would have been twice the size of Childs Opera House."A New Theater," Los Angeles Times, February 6, 1887, page 1 In May of that year, he signed a contract with the National Opera Company of San Francisco to guarantee $20,000 for five performances of grand opera at Hazard's Pavilion."Grand Opera Coming," Los Angeles Herald, May 3, 1887, page 1 He partnered in the enterprise with "Messrs. McLain & Lehman.""Grand Opera," Los Angeles Times, May 22, 1887, page 8
Common Council
A Democrat,"Miscellaneous," (advertisement), Los Angeles Herald, December 3, 1881, page 1 Weyse was elected to represent the 5th ward on the Los Angeles Common Council, the legislative arm of the city government, in December 1881 and served two one-year terms, until December 1883.Chronological Record of Los Angeles City Officials,1850-1938, compiled under direction of Municipal Reference Library, City Hall, Los Angeles (March 1938, reprinted 1966). "Prepared ... as a report on Project No. SA 3123-5703-6077-8121-9900 conducted under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration."
References
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