News Items from The Kansas City Journal ~ Old News That's New to You from Vintage Kansas City.com

November 24, 1908

JIMSON WEED CASE IN COURT.

Dr. Otto Bohl Is Pursuing A. Kiss

for Damage to His Snakes.

Stromonium, which a witness facetiously described as jimson weed, plays a prominent part in the suit of Dr. Otto Bohl against Ander Kiss for damages, now on trial in Judge J. H. Slover's division of the circuit court. Bohl, who, on 70 cents, got more votes for the Democratic nomination for coroner at the August primaries than did some others who spent much more, charges Kiss with destroying his stromonium plants and snakes, greatly to the damage of the aforesaid and of Dr. Bohl. He wants $500. The case, in many variations, has been through a number of courts already.

Labels: animals, Dr. Otto Bohl, Judge Slover, Lawsuit, politics

August 20, 1907

MORE WOE FOR DR. OTTO BOHL.

Suit in Ejectment Brought Against

the Scientist.

A. Kiss, of 218 Clinton place, after two sessions in police court with Dr. Otto Bohl, who had a laboratory in the Kiss' chicken house, brought suit yesterday afternoon in the circut court to enjoin the specialist from occupying the chicken house or the adjouining property. Judge T. J. Seehorn issued a temporary order, returnable Saturday.

Mr. Kiss, after reciting that the initial A. before his name stand for Andor, proceeds to state in his petition that on March 10 last Dr. Bohl applied to him for permission to occupy his chicken house, with the understanding that Bohl was to care for his lawn and flower beds for the rent. Kiss says he refused the permission, but the doctor moved in anyhow, much to the discomfort of his chickens.

Dr. Bohl has been "at home" there since, Kiss says. What Kiss objects to especially is that Dr. Bohl builds confines in the yard and asserts he cooks weeds, toads, turtles, snakes and sundry other kinds of beast and vetgetation in open kettles.

Labels: animals, doctors, Dr. Otto Bohl, flowers, Judge Seehorn

August 8, 1907

MINIATURE ZOO GONE.

QUEER DOCTOR'S QUEER ASSORT-

MENT DISAPPEARS.

Among the Missing Is a Turtle's

Liver -- Neighbors Complained

to the Court of His

"Varmints."

LIST OF QUEER PROPERTY LOST.
2 little cats, one black, one white.
2 snake skin rattles
3 toad skin purses
1 turtle's liver
1 lizard carcass - dried and stuffed.
2 cakes of soap.
2 paint brushes.
6 walking sticks made of different woods.
1 beer can.
Cooking utensils, a variety.
300 bottles of various kinds. Containing medicines made from herbs of all kinds, snakes, toads, lizards and bugs. Value cannot be estimated at this time.

"Doctor" Otto Bohl made out the foregoing list of "property" while sojourning in the holdover at police headquarters from Tuesday afternoon until yesterday morning when he was arraigned in police court charged with disturbing the peace of Mrs. A. Kiss of 218 Clinton place.

Dr. Bohl is a naturalist and has been living in a chicken coop in the rear of the Kiss home. He has a small pond there in which he is cultivating a small zoo. He has snakes, frogs, turtles, lizards and bugs of all kinds. He has also planted seeds of most every plant on earth in the vicinity of he rendezvous near the Kiss chicken coop.

"He has a menagerie out there which has frightened the whole neighborhood. We are afraid his animals or varmints will get loose. Then he came out there Sunday with a gallon of whiskey, got full on it and laid out in the rain and mud most of the day," said Mrs. Kiss.

Here the eminent "Doctor" Bohl came forward with his remarkable list of property which he said was "lost, strayed or stolen from said chicken coop in the rear of 218 Clinton place." He insisted that Judge Kyle read the valuable list of property, saying there were three hundred articles on the list.

The doctor then set to work telling how he loved nature, and how he had beautified the place out there. "There is an old stump here, judge," he said. "Beneath it I have planted seeds from Zanzabar, a creeper, a vine from Brazil, gypsum weed from the same country, and flowers even from Italy, Morocco, Ceylon, India, Philippines, Alaska, and even Ireland. It was a most beautiful stump, and Mr. Harry Walmsley has often been out to spend Sunday with me -- also other prominent men.

"This woman, judge, she chased me three times around my botanical stump with a hoe. I made my exit into the weeds. On Tuesday morning I returned and found that all my property ahd been swept away as if by a cyclone. Even my cates, some turtles, a lizard and a snake were missing... live ones. I got permission to stay out there from the man who owns the porperty next door. I live at 206 Watkins avenue in the East bottoms."

It was the funniest trial ever held in police court. "Doctor" Bohl speaks very broken, as did most of the witnesses. They paid no attention to the decorum of the court and interruupted each other frequently to the great delight of the court attaches and spectators. Judge Kyle ordered the "doctor" to keep off the Kiss property. He said he would.

"Doctor" Bohl goes about town carring a hand satchel. In it he most always has a live toad, a turtle or a snake. He will pick up any kind of snake just as casually as one would a straw. He exhibited his snakes in a North end saloon once and several patrons had fits. For that the "doctor" was incarcerated. He showed the snake in court the next day and promised to carry them about no more.. Another time he spent a week at the workhouse before anyone knew what had become of him. His is regarded as exceedingly eccentric.

Labels: animals, doctors, Dr. Otto Bohl, flowers, immigrants, Judge Kyle, mental health, North end, police court, workhouse