Darwin’s writings stimulated worldwide interest and further scientific expeditions to the Galapagos Islands. Wealthy Americans cruised down on their yachts and in the twenties American journalist, William Beebe wrote a best-selling book about the islands: Galapagos: World’s End. The book sold particularly well in Norway, and inspired several Norwegians to come and live on the archipelago. In the 1930s, a German couple settled on Floreana and attracted international interest because of their curious lifestyles. Before leaving Germany, Dr. Friedrich Ritter and his companion took the precaution of having all their teeth removed and replaced with steel dentures, because they would be unable to obtain dental treatment on the island.
Three years later another German couple, Hein z and Margaret Wittmer and his twelve-year-old son, joined these two lone inhabitants of the 250 sq km [
96 sq mile] island. The two families did not care for each other. The atmosphere on the island became more poisonous when a self-styled Austrian baroness arrived on the island with her three male lovers. The scene was set for one of the world’s most intriguing true-life, unsolved mystery stories. First one lover, then the baroness with another lover disappeared. Dr. Ritter died in mysterious circumstances. At the time of writing, the aged Margret Wittmer, the only survivor, still lives on Floreana.
| |Article contributed by Dominic Hamilton||| |
