The Bible states that the love of money is the root of all evil. History shows us there are people who have placed more value on money than their own families and friends. This brings me to the story of a woman named Anne Marie Filser, who was born in Germany in 1906. While in Germany, she became pregnant and claimed the father was a physician. Her family found this suspicious because no one could locate him. 
Anne Marie gave birth to a son and named him Oskar. To avoid shaming the family, she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio and stayed with relatives. Oskar stayed behind with family until Anne Marie could return for him.
After arriving in Cincinnati, Anne Marie met and fell in love with a German telegrapher named Philip Hahn. The couple married and saved enough money to open two delicatessens. She then returned home to get Oskar and bring him to Cincinnati. But Anne Marie soon became disenchanted and turned to a life of crime. Her criminal career began with arson.
After one of her delicatessens mysteriously caught on fire, Anne Marie received a $300 insurance payout. Following the delicatessen fire, the Hahns experienced two fires inside their home. Anne Marie received $2,000 for both fires. However, she considered $2,300 insignificant. She wanted a larger payout.
She unsuccessfully tried twice to convince Philip to increase his life insurance to $25,000. After the second attempt failed, he began feeling stomach pains. It’s believed Anne Marie tried to poison him. Philip then filed for divorce.
She then came up with a grand scheme to murder elderly men for profit. Although she didn’t have any nursing experience, she began seeking sick elderly men in the German community. After she conned her way into their lives, she poisoned her victims and then absconded with their money and property.
It’s believed her first victim was Ernest Kohler, who died in 1933. He left rental property to Ann Marie in his will. Anne Marie caught a break after learning she had a physician as a tenant. Anne Marie stole several of the doctor’s prescription pads. He reported the crime to Anne Marie, but she shrugged it off and said she knew nothing. Anne Marie began using the stolen prescription forms to gain the drugs used to kill her victims. She would become known as “Arsenic Annie.”
Her next victim was a 78-year-old man named Jacob Wagner. She claimed to be his long-lost niece. Although Jacob didn’t believe her, he hired Anne Marie to do chores around his house. After Jacob’s death, Anne Marie received $17,000 from Jacob Wagner’s will. So far, Anne Marie had inherited a rental property and a large sum of cash.
If Anne Marie had gone straight after killing Wagner, she may have gotten away with her crimes. Anne Marie, however, had an insatiable lust for money. Her downfall came after she killed a 67-year-old man named George Obendorfer. Although Anne Marie denied knowing him, authorities learned Obendorfer and Hahn were involved in a relationship.
Anne Marie had also stolen $300 in jewelry from Obendorfer and attempted to sell it at a local pawn shop. The pawn shop employee refused to buy the jewelry. He then described Anne Marie to the police. Authorities believed Anne Marie had murdered Obendorfer.
Unknown to the Cincinnati police, Anne Marie had fled to Colorado where she unsuccessfully tried to withdraw $1,000 from Obendorfer’s bank account. She then returned to Cincinnati and was arrested upon her return. Once the press got hold of the story, they began writing articles and showing pictures of Anne Marie Hahn. People then began recognizing her and contacting authorities. The public soon learned that Ann Marie Hahn was a serial poisoner.
After searching Hahn’s residence, they located what was described as enough poison to kill half of Cincinnati. Authorities began digging up dead bodies and testing them for toxic drugs. The remains of Jacob Wagner tested positive for arsenic. Authorities arrested Hahn and charged her with her murdering Wagner.
On November 10, 1937, a jury convicted Hahn of poisoning and killing Jacob Wagner. On December 7, 1938, Hahn died in the electric chair and pronounced dead at 8:13 p.m.
Today, it’s unknown how many men Anne Marie Hahn poisoned. I have seen reports that she possibly murdered at least 15 elderly men. Had Philip Hahn not divorced his wife, he likely would have become another victim. Anne Marie became the first woman to be executed in Ohio. She was buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio.
Marc is a longtime resident of Clermont County and an avid reader. Contact him through his website at www.themarcabe.com or through Facebook: www.Facebook.com/themarcabe or his Twitter account @themarcabe. Marc also has a podcast called Catch my Killer where he interviews family members seeking justice for their murdered loved ones. You can listen at www.catchmykiller.com.