The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-05-26

bert and detective splann. and st2 o'clock
the three officers presented themselves ct
the koesters home.
Upstairs. over the furniture store. Annie
Wagner as found. She was In the kitchen
busy at routine work. and cvihced no par
ticular surprise when asked by detective
Splann TO be shown her room. and she con-
Quoted the officers about the apartment
with little concern. Every nook aud cor
ner. drawer and wardrobe of the upstairs
room were searched. but no evidence OF
p0is0D found. The girl pleaded innocence.
and W hen. q half hour later. she was taken
70 the drug store. denied. in tho face
OF the proprietor and clerk. having
purchased the drug. Mr.. Borst was
positive In his assertion. and infinitely
described the girls appearance when
she came in. He stated that abe wore
blue dress. but Annie vigorously protested
that she had no dress of shat color. ibis
was afterward proven false by the dis
covery In her room of . blue gown. which
the druggist identified. While not pris-
oner. the girl was taken TO the police sta
ton. closely examined and sent back home
In the custody OF an officer. Later n the
afternoon Captain Splann. Chief Colbert
and Coroner Beck made another search OF
the premises. and were rewarded by
startling find. Secreted In closet
in the rear OF the storeroom. Coroner
Beck sighted small round box which,
when brought to the light. proved to con-
tam kough on Rats. small amount of
the drug had been used. Annie Wagner
was in her bedroom, from which the light
had been excluded. and her face was
scarcely visible when she was shown the
box of poison. She shuddered. and in the
dim light her face was seen to pale as the
coroner remarked:
I'VE need not search further; here Is the
evidence"
Then the cool and stoic nature OF the
woman was fittingiy demonstrated, With
out quiver of voice she explained that
her sister, q Mrs Bergman. residing ct No.
521 South Tennessee street. had given her
the poison some time before Christmas.
She had been using it, she said. to Kill the
rats that infested the place. After further
search q quantity of insect powder was
found. which Annie &dmitted that she pur-
chased at the Borst drug store. She was
then placed under arrest and taken TO Tn
station house. superintendent Coioert
sought her sister and. by means of an in
terpreter, learned that Mrs. Bergman had
never furnished Annie with Rough on
Rats and knew nothing about the story
damaging evidence against the girl. and
she was charged with murder.
She Is twenty-five years of age. She main
tanned sullen demeanor during tho exam
ination yesterday, and not once did she
display the remotest sign of emotion. AS
she lett the house in charge of the police
yesterday eveDing e. her employ or pleadlngly
urged her TO spsak the truth. and choking
ly exclaimed:
"Oh. Annie. how could Jon do iti How
could you do itf"
The prisoner was uDmoved, and again
asserted that she had nothing to do with
the awful work. Since her Incarceration
she has shed no tears. but does not hesitate
to talk about the deaths in the family
In her broken way.
AS yet but one theory can be advanced
for the Wholesale poisoning of the koesters
family. If Annie Wagner is guilty of the
deeds attributed to her, 1t was the work OF
fiendish nature impelled by desire to
win the heart of her employer. whom she
loved. Koesters does not hesitate to say
that be has long known that his servant
entertained Tor him a feeling of deeper i'm
port than the respect of o servant for the
master. he now recalls numerous incl
dents where Annie has shown in her daily
work about the house q decided desire 70
perform little acts which she knew would
he realized this state of affairs
he was happy. with true
wife and loving children, and no
thought of what the affections OF the
girl might lead her to do, ever occurred to
him. She was respectful to his family and
humbly devoted to the younger children,
who were lntrustedi to her care continu.
ously. She had been in his employ for two
years. and was looked upon as q paragon
of good nature and honesty. Should the
theory of the girls longing to supplsnt the
rIghtful wife In this husbands love be Q
true one, there Is Little doubt that she
wished the family out of the way. and more
especially the daughter after the death OF
the mother. Mr. Koesters some time after
bis wife's death, remarked In the presence
of the domestic that his daughter would
soon be old enough to take charge of the
household affairs. Within a few weeks
after this the little girl was attacked with
the mysterious symptoms and died.