Betty Gutke was born Betty Lozier in about 1903 in Illinois, she married Earl Gutke real name John Earl Gute (1895-1950) married 1924 in Sacramento County, CA.
Here is their story.
Inmate #41433 San Quentin Prison
Rec: 7 nov 1925
Crime: Smuggling Morphine into a County Jail
Term: 0-5 years
Priors: 1923 6 months in jail Los Angeles County.
Alias: Violet F Evans
Betty became a drug addict and so was her husband. She got caught smuggling morphine into him at the county jail and was arrested. During court hearing she begged the judge to send her to prison so she could kick the habit once and for all. Her and Earl had only been married a little more than a year.
The husband:
John Earl Gutke was born 4 Apr 1895 in Salt Lake City, UT to Andrus Frederick Gutke and Maria Christina Anderson.
There are 10 trees on Ancestry for him and no one connected this info.
Inmate #41492 San Quentin Prison
Rec: 25 Nov 1925
Crime: Burglary
Term: 5-Life
Notice the scars listed, hypo marks both arms.
I was blown away with sadness when I read the newspaper articles.
America has had substance abuse since it's beginning. I know it will be something that will never have an end. Opium was used in many medicines before the drawbacks were known. Before people began to notice the addictive and detrimental effects of this drug and, well before the Prohibition Era, started limiting its use. In 1875, San Francisco passed the first anti-drug law, banning opium parlors — thought this was as much an anti-Chinese law as it was anti-drug.
By the 1900s, the abuse of opiates had become so widespread that the federal government intervened. Under the Food and Drug Act of 1906, patent medicine manufacturers were required to state if their wares contained opiates, cocaine, alcohol, or other intoxicants. In 1914, six years before prohibition of alcohol, the Harrison Narcotic Act regulated the production, import, and distribution of opium, even among doctors.
This is one of the very unfortunate circumstances connected with drug addiction which makes the addict in many cases the potential criminal, and when a real one, much more desperate and dangerous than those persons who are normal and under no artificial stimulus to the commission of crime.If he takes hypodermic injections, the needle is easily concealed. If he cannot get the needle, which is prohibited by law, he will puncture a hole in his flesh and insert the fluid from an innocent-looking eye dropper, savagely punching the hole big enough to insert the end of the blunt dropper.
I don't know what happen to Betty if she died from withdrawal while in prison or if she got out. I didn't find any family information on her at all. I tried all the names given on her record and there wasn't much to go on.
I hope she kicked the habit and had an awesome life. She was a typist so maybe she wrote a best seller or traveled to foreign countries. That would tickle me pink.
Betty wherever you are you are not forgotten I wrote your story as best as I could and I hope I did you proud.
Here is their story.
Inmate #41433 San Quentin Prison
Rec: 7 nov 1925
Crime: Smuggling Morphine into a County Jail
Term: 0-5 years
Priors: 1923 6 months in jail Los Angeles County.
Alias: Violet F Evans
Betty became a drug addict and so was her husband. She got caught smuggling morphine into him at the county jail and was arrested. During court hearing she begged the judge to send her to prison so she could kick the habit once and for all. Her and Earl had only been married a little more than a year.
The husband:
John Earl Gutke was born 4 Apr 1895 in Salt Lake City, UT to Andrus Frederick Gutke and Maria Christina Anderson.
There are 10 trees on Ancestry for him and no one connected this info.
Rec: 25 Nov 1925
Crime: Burglary
Term: 5-Life
Notice the scars listed, hypo marks both arms.
I was blown away with sadness when I read the newspaper articles.
America has had substance abuse since it's beginning. I know it will be something that will never have an end. Opium was used in many medicines before the drawbacks were known. Before people began to notice the addictive and detrimental effects of this drug and, well before the Prohibition Era, started limiting its use. In 1875, San Francisco passed the first anti-drug law, banning opium parlors — thought this was as much an anti-Chinese law as it was anti-drug.
By the 1900s, the abuse of opiates had become so widespread that the federal government intervened. Under the Food and Drug Act of 1906, patent medicine manufacturers were required to state if their wares contained opiates, cocaine, alcohol, or other intoxicants. In 1914, six years before prohibition of alcohol, the Harrison Narcotic Act regulated the production, import, and distribution of opium, even among doctors.
This is one of the very unfortunate circumstances connected with drug addiction which makes the addict in many cases the potential criminal, and when a real one, much more desperate and dangerous than those persons who are normal and under no artificial stimulus to the commission of crime.If he takes hypodermic injections, the needle is easily concealed. If he cannot get the needle, which is prohibited by law, he will puncture a hole in his flesh and insert the fluid from an innocent-looking eye dropper, savagely punching the hole big enough to insert the end of the blunt dropper.
I was touched and moved and I even cried for I could feel her pain and desperation. But the suffering was coming when she would go through withdrawal. That had to be the hardest.
Earl dies 31 Dec 1950 in Salt Lake City, UT
His death certificate says he was a widow, I do not know if Betty and him stayed married or he was married a second time. I do know he died and the death certificate says they don't know of what and the second cause of death says natural causes.
I hope she kicked the habit and had an awesome life. She was a typist so maybe she wrote a best seller or traveled to foreign countries. That would tickle me pink.
Betty wherever you are you are not forgotten I wrote your story as best as I could and I hope I did you proud.
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