Money, Murder, Sex, and Beer:: The Texas Trial of Emma Burgemeister

by Robert L. Gulley

There was never any doubt that Emma Burgemeister shot and killed beer and real estate magnate Otto Koehler on November 12, 1914. The question remained: Why? The deceased was one of the wealthiest and most respected persons in the Southwest and a pillar of the community. As a result, his murder and trial drew national attention. Soon, the entire affair was one of the most famous murder cases ever tried in Bexar County—a part of Texas known to have some notorious characters. Now, for the first time ever, MONEY, MURDER, SEX, AND BEER presents testimony from the trial, legal analysis, and other information that allows the readers to draw their own conclusions regarding the guilt or innocence of the alleged murderer. What makes the story unique is the efforts of officials in San Antonio and friends of Otto Koehler—the victim—to subvert the judicial process to avoid having the case go to trial. For a dead man with a recently spurned mistress, who could predict what secrets might come to light on the witness stand?

Genres: History

164 pages, Paperback

Published June 7, 2022

Reviews

[Che · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read. A bit repetitive (Winds of change doubtlessly ran through San Anto, the author uses this metaphor 3 times in the first ten pages or so) with some typos but to be expected w small press. I appreciate that he demystifies things that other books on San Antonio exaggerate. At one point he cites Wikipedia which is silly. Mostly citing actual physical papers though, but wikipedia is his source on some facts surrounding the Sporting District. Anyways, enjoyable. xox

[Mitzi Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad I read both this book and the 2020 book about the same subject. This one had a lot of legalese that was a bit hard to understand, but the other one had a lot of (sometimes boring) historical details. Still, the story is fascinating. I’ve driven to the Koehler mansion and also the house where the murder took place, since I started reading these.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, as I am interested in the history of San Antonio and The Pearl Brewery.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, I think it might have needed a couple more charts or a facts page with a breakdown of info. There was a lot of small details.