2-3-92
Dear Franz,
Mr. Schnautz passed on in 1948, I'm just "Honest John" Schnautz's little boy Henry, usually called "Hank", but frequently "Hey you"! by cops and similar riff raff.
Don't bother to send the Guthke biography, I'm loaded with work, etc, etc,
Following the Traven-Croves-Ret Marut cold trail seems an unrewarding game. Fame? Vanity? Whatever - in 1936 the last Jesse James, on his death-bed, confessed his identity - the 6th since the one Mr. Howard shot in the back.
Germans sometimes pack a whole book into one sentence. I'm sending 2 letters recd. from Croves. In several places he uses awkward sentence struture and wording unworthy of an acclaimed American - so I assume "Croves" was German - probably himself Traven.
He says he loaned Esperanza money for her trip to Switzerland. She said "el Viejo" [Traven] had not been able to get money from his Swiss bank acct. for years - so she was supposed to withdraw it and use all she wanted. "Croves" says he loaned her the money. How could two do the same job?
"Croves" says, "You thought you were the reason she went to switz… of course she met you there." Traven had seen me waiting for Esp. at the Secretaria of Education in Mex. City - but didn't reveal himself. When I returned to Mex. in '46 Esp. and I went for a 2 weeks vacation in the St. Andreas Tuxtla region of VeraCruz state. She stopped at my Apt in NYC before going to Europe - and stopped again upon her return.
Traven wrote me a scathing letter. The difficulties facing our marriage were insurmountable and remained so until her death. Traven was well aware of the situation. "Croves" says that for years he had seen my letters - and assumes I'm 14 years younger than Esp, instead of 5 yrs older. He says she was married and living with her husband for 18 years. "Croves" writes in 1951 that her father died some 28 years before. To whom is "Croves" referring? He says Esp was injured in Switzerlnad. Returning from a climb in Mex. her horse stumbled. She fell over his head and injured her back on the rocks.
It is difficult to determine why "Croves" -Traven willfully lies about these matters. Nothing he says can be accepted without proof. e.g. "There were no letters, only one empty envelope." Woman cherish old love letters as much as diamonds. She would not have destroyed them. Who would?
Wishing you well,
Henry S.