The son of Mrs. Schimatowitsch, and an unknown father.

Identity

“Tonschl” – the name is a diminutive of “Anton” – figures numerous times in Schenker’s diary and in family correspondence, but much ambiguity surrounds his identity. The clue to the latter lies in an entry in Schenker’s diary for March 30, 1920: “The newspapers report Tonschl’s arrest.” At least five newspapers of that date report the arrest of an “Anton Schimatowitsch” and of no one else named “Anton” or any of the diminutive forms of that name, for example: Reichspost, March 30, 1920: “Corrupt Officials”
The purchaser at the economic department of Baden, Anton Schimatowitsch, of Reinprechtsdorferstraße 54, [Vienna] District V, was arrested on the 26th of the month. He confessed, together with the head of the economic department [of Baden bei Wien], [Karl] Theiner, to having over approximately a year and a half given official [Adolf] Pordes [of the Austrian War Office for Grain] sums of money in the amount of 200,000 Kronen in return for a larger supply of potatoes. After extensive questioning, Schimatowitsch admitted that he and Theiner had also retained a portion of this money, approximately 20,000 Kronen. […] Earlier inquiries revealed that Porges had received roughly a million [Kronen] in bribes, while Theiner and Schimatowitsch had each accepted around 100,000 Kronen. In order to recoup these sums, 1 Krone 20 Heller has been added to the price per kilogram of the potatoes.

The parallel report in the Neues Wiener Journal provides Tonschl’s age as “41 years old.” By April 25, he had been released, claiming “injustice.”

Parenthood, relationship to Wilhelm Schenker

A remark in Heinrich’s diary for December 19, 1924 provides a framework: First [Wilhelm] fell prey to his uncle, then to Mrs. Sch., and with that he lost out on having progeny of his own.

This clearly indicates that Wilhelm was not the father of Tonschl, but that he had at some time become emotionally attached to Mrs. Schimatowitsch, which left him feeling partly responsible for the boy, and later for Tonschl’s children. Wilhelm could thus at best be described as Tonschl’s “adoptive father.” Nothing is known of Tonschl’s true father.

Life Summary

Nothing is known of Tonschl’s birth, upbringing, or education, though a remark in Heinrich’s diary (November 22, 1917) suggests he may have been brought up in Waidhofen an der Thaya, with which the Schenker family was associated. The first reference to him is in Heinrich’s diary for September 3, 1914, indicating that though eligible for war service he had “by a trick [...] succeeded in staying far from the battlefield.” He seems to have been close to the Bednař family in Vienna, as well as to Wilhelm and Dodi Schenker.

In March 1917, Tonschl moved to Baden bei Wien to be close to Moriz, Heinrich Schenker’s younger brother and a wealthy banker, “in order to ingratiate himself with him,” since he did not “have the slightest professional pre-education” (diary, November 22, 1917). A month after Dodi died, in July 1923, Heinrich commented on the “mother tragedy Dodi–Tonschl” (August 6, 1923), remarking that Tonschl “has a strong feeling of gratitude for the deceased, who doubtless made the critical contribution to his career training and later wealth.”

Oblique allusions in Heinrich’s diary seem to indicate that Tonschl was married with children, that by 1920 he had left his wife and children, and that Wilhelm and Dodi had urged “the husband back to his wife, the father back to his children” (diary, January 11, 1920). A reference by Heinrich to “Tonschl-the-father” and “Tonschl-the-son” (OJ 5/38, [4], August 18, 1923) suggests that one child was named “Anton” after his father; this leads to the likelihood that the “Tonerl,” referred to often in Schenker documents, was Tonschl’s son. Baptismal certificates record an Anton Schimatowitsch born in 1907 and a Karl Schimatowitsch born in 1911, both in St. Pölten. This in turn leads to the likelihood that the “Karli” mentioned several times in correspondence with Wilhelm Schenker was Tonschl’s second child.

Heinrich and Tonschl met not infrequently to exchange family information and to discuss financial deals of some kind (e.g. “Tonschl encountered; he promises to send us Wilhelm regarding the diamonds and other gold items” – diary, September 6, 1921; “[Moriz] recounts that Tonschl picks up 1–2 million from him every month” – April 7, 1924).

There is a suggestion of a medical condition: “Dodi tells us [...] Tonschl betrays the character of disease: acute arteriosclerosis” (diary, January 11, 1920). His death came in mid-May 1924: Heinrich’s diary records: “Death notice of Tonschl arrives; I instantly assume suicide” (May 24, 1924). Four days later he wrote to Wilhelm: “Again, a heavy stroke of fate has befallen you, against all human expectation! [...] for a long time I suspected that the poor fellow took his own life, until Moriz related the true circumstances.” (OJ 5/38, [45]).

Correspondence

Heinrich’s diary gives evidence that he and Tonschl corresponded, but no material is known to survive.

Sources

Contributors