Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-05-01

The Mystery Apparently Being solved-The
Daughter and Her Paramour Telling %
Each Other.
LEAvENwoRrH, Kan, April 23.-The
mystery of the Mettman murder is dis
PEELED Conjecture and doubt have been
replaced by facts and confession. What
promised to battle the best efforts of
trained detectives, has been made clear,
and the perpetrators of one of the most
atrocious murders and butcheries in the
history of Kansas are now known One
is already under the strong hand of the
law and the others can not escape.
c. A Benson. who is thought to be
the actual murderer and has absconded,
is married man, his wife and child re-
siding in this city, supporting them
selves as best they could without his as
sistance, his wife occasionally sending
him some of her hard-earned savings in
response to his begging letters, and
when he became aware that Mrs
Rautzahn had betrayed his presence at
the Mettman house on the night pre-
ceding the murder he became fright
ened and angered and determ med t<,
throw the blame of the murder upon
Mrs Rautzahn. He wrote a number of
letters to his wife, telling her of his in
trigue with Mrs RautZahn, and claimed
that he was married to her under the
name of Richard Waldo. He described
the time and place and gave the resi-
dence as 511 Bluff street, Kansas City.
room No. 6. He gave the furniture in
the room to his wife, and requested her
to come to Kansas City and take posses
sion Of it, and gave her the names OF
parties who would substantiate what
he said about Mrs Rautzahn. Mrs.
Benson took the letters she had re-
ceived and turned them over to the po-
lice, and she, in company of Sergeant
Murphy, of the police force, went to
Kansas City on April 10 to examine
room 9 of No. 511 Bluff street.
Upon their arrival there, they found
every thing mentioned by Benson, to
gether with quantity of female wear.
ing apparel and number of love letters
written to him by Mrs Rautzahn. The
letters were dated Burlington, ILL, but
bore the Leavenworth post mark, and
were in the most endearing terms.
The police have letters that passed
between Benson and his wife going te
show that Mrs. Rautzahn, Mrs. Nett
mans daughter, knows more than she
10 Wiling 10 CSll anu MIS-. IlduCZd0n uds
sworn to the following statement:
MRS. RAUTZAHN's AFFIDAVIT.
State OF Kansas, County of Leavenworth-ss
Mary Rautzahn, of lawful age, being first
duly sworn, deposes and says that she is the
daughter of Theresa Mettman, who was
found murdered on the United States reser.
walton at Fort Leavenworth on the 18th day
OF March, 1890. That the 22d day OF
March, 1880, at ten O'Clock D. m. lone Charles
Benson called at her mothers house and
stayed until sunday morning at one O'Clock
a m. That on the Tuesday following, 226
OF March, 1890, between nine and ten O'CLOCK
p. M, said G. A. Benson came to the
house; went out and met him he said good
evening; said to him, 'Richard my mother
is gone; can you tell me where she is?'' He
said, How do know where your mother is
am your mothers keeper%' Then he said
to me, "Mary. give me that money and don't
keep me waiting here" Then 1 said
Richard can not give you the money, it il
not mine." He said, "Where is it; go get il
immedi lately"
then walked to the house, took the money
from a bureau and gave it to him. 1 dom,
know the amount; it was very weighty II
was in a white sack and had a calico ras
wrapped about it. Don't remember how he
found out had the money. He kissed me
good-by and have never seen him since
have received three letters from him since
last saw him. 1 don't remember what was
in the letters. have known &. A. Benson for
Richard Waldo. / was never married to Rich
ard Waldo, but have gone by his name. ]
believe that the muller shown to me by the
city marshal was g. A Benson's. G. A. Ben
son mentioned to me that my mother was
going to visit her daughter, Katie. G. A.
Benson told me that my mother had s137. On
the Tuesday night gave him the money he
was terribly excited and / was afraid of him
MARY RAVTZAHN.
Subscribed and sworn to in my presence
the I'D of April, 1890.
w. w. BLACK, Notary Public.
My commission expires Nay %, 1891.
Chief Doane is of the opinion that the
murder of Mrs Mettman occurred a.
the Mettman house, and that the body
was mutilated there and then thrown
into the river. He is satisfied that the
evidence he has succeeded in getting to
gether will be the means of bringing te
light the whole truth concerning the
butchery, and exposure of the culprits
He believes the Rautzahn woman has
not begun to tell all she knows about
the horrible affair, and that it was the
intention of herself and Benson to live
together at Kansas City under the name
of Waldo.
MINERS PERISH