The Baroness

In the 30’s, some people came over from Disney Studios and did some fliming, capturing the inhabitants at the time of Floreana, which were three groups – the Baroness and her boyfriends, the Ritters and the Wittmers.
The first on the island was Dr Ritter and his mistress Dora Strauss. They had come from Germany were Dr Ritter had taken up with Dora. Dr Ritter (a dentist) and Dora decided to emigrate, and informed his wife, a nurse, and Dora’s husband, an old invalid, they were leaving. Luckily these two saw the upside and also agreed to stay together in Germany, happily living together. As a precaution, both Dora and Dr Ritter had all their teeth removed presuming that the care he could provide in Floreana might not be up to dental problems. They were fitted with one pair of steel dentures, which they shared.
Upon arrival, Dr Ritter started a newspaper column which was widely syndicated, talking about his Robinson Crusoe lifestyle and the health benefits of his way of life. Dora, feeling neglected as Dr Ritter was always writing, made a pet of a donkey and spent most of her time dancing, singing and playing with the donkey when not doing her chores.
Well, the Wittmers read about Dr Ritter, and decided the island way of life might be just what their son Harry, an invalid, needed. So they packed up and headed to Floreana. Unfortunately Dr Ritter was not looking for a Man Friday, and also refused to assist Margarita Wittmer with her upcoming birth (he reasonably said he was a dentist not a doctor).
So the relations were not exactly cordial. But they managed to share the fresh water spring and generally avoid each other otherwise.
But then a cruiser pulled up in the harbour, and off jumped the Baroness. The Baron had been left behind somewhere, but she had with her three boyfriends – Lourens, Phillipson and an Ecudorian she had picked up the week before. The Baroness was looking for a place to rule, and decided Floreana was it. She was a dedicated naturalist (right down to not wearing clothes), and used the guns and the boyfriends to enforce her rules on the island. She made the Ritters and Wittmers pay taxes for using the spring water, put charges on fishing and so on. She also took up with a local fisherman, who when he tried to break it off, ended up shot in the leg by the Baroness.
It was at this time that the film crew shot footage of the Floreanians – showing Dora dancing with her Donkey, the Baroness mimicking shooting the fisherman, and the Ritters showing how the water spring worked… weird viewing.
The Baroness’s Ecadorian boyfriend left, and she grew bored of Lourens. Lourens spent more and more time hunting with Mr Wittmer. One day whilst Lourens and Hayes Wittmer were out, apparently the Baroness came to visit Margarita Wittmer and told her she was leaving, and she wanted Lourens to come with her. When Lourens went to the Baroness’s house after receiving the message, he found it deserted, with all her belongings still there. No sign of the Baroness or Philipson was ever found.
Lourens decided to leave following this, and paid a fisherman to take him the Port Ayora and thence to San chrisobal. The boat disappeared, and months later, the fisherman and Lourens were found mummified on the beach of the northern island Marchena.
Hayes Wittmer was killed in a hunting accident. Then Harry Wittmer’s boat was found deserted, with no trace of him ever recovered. Margarita then accused the Ritters of poisoning her chickens, showing them the poison used. Dr Ritter denied this, and suggested she eat the chickens as the poison would not be enough to kill a human. She refused, but Dr Ritter went ahead and ate them to avoid waste… and died.
Then Margarita’s daughter Floreana married a local fisherman whom her mother did not like – he was soon found dead unexpectedly.
Another wealthy heiress that visited Floreana went missing, and when he body was found her unusual ring was missing – apparently Margarita was seen wearing it.
Dora returned to Germany and wrote a book about her experiences, which did not tally at all with the book that Margarita later wrote. Margarita died on the island in 2000 aged 95, and never really gave a straight answer about any of the happenings.