True Life Tuesday: Dolly Oesterreich

This is a true story that sounds like a Hollywood movie. In fact it has been turned into movies. It has everything - affairs, lies and murder.

Dolly Oesterreich was born Walburga Korschel in 1880. She was raised by German immigrants in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When she was 12 she started working at the local apron factory owned by Fred Oesterreich. The pair eventually married when Dolly was 17 years old. It was rumored that Dolly enjoyed the company of many men other than her husband because he was to busy working and drinking to pay much attention to her. He

In 1913 when she was 33 years old she met 17 year old Otto Sanhuber. He worked in the factory and he was sent to the Oesterreich home one day to fix Dolly's sewing machine. It is stated that she met him wearing only stockings, a flimsy robe and a smile. The two began having an affair. Eventually she convinced Otto to quit his job and move into the attic of the house to avoid detection. During the day he would do the household chores with Dolly and then they would have sex. At night he would read and write science fiction short stories. Dolly would mail his stories to publishers for him and he actually did have a few published. 

In 1918 Fred decided that they needed to move to Los Angeles to be closer to the new factory he opened their. Dolly agreed as long as their new home had an attic. Sanhuber moved into the attic of the home before Fred and Dolly arrived. The two continued their affair in the new home.

On August 22, 1922 Otto heard an argument between Fred and Dolly. Concerned for her safety he ran downstairs, grabbed two pistols and shot Fred dead. The two made the incident look like a robbery and Sanhuber left the house before the police arrived. Police were suspicious but could not find enough evidence against Dolly. Otto returned to the home and lived for another 8 years in the attic.

Eventually Dolly started and affair with her attorney Herrman Shapiro. He became suspicious of Dolly's story when she gave him one of Fred's watches that she said was stolen in the robbery. Another lover, Roy Klumb, went to the police once he learned of Dolly's affair with Shapiro. He told them that Dolly asked him to get rid of a pistol in the La Brea Tar Pits. One of her neighbors stated that she also asked him to get rid of a gun which he ended up burying it in his backyard. Police were able to recover both pistols and even though they were corroded they determined that these were the same caliber used to kill Fred. 

Dolly was arrested for Fred's murder. While in jail she told Shapiro that her "vagabond half brother" was living in the attic and asked him to check on him. When he arrived Otto confessed to his part of the crime. He was arrested and tried on manslaughter charges. The media ran with the story and called him "The Bat Man". He was convicted but was eventually released because the statute of limitations had passed. He changed his name to Walter Klein, moved to Canada, married and eventually returned to LA. he lived the rest of his life in obscurity.

Dolly was tried but it ended in a hung jury. Most of the jurors were leaning toward acquittal. She was never retried and the indictment against her was eventually dropped in 1936. She died at the age of 80 in 1961.