The herald., 1893-02-01

was returning home he was met at the
corner OF Fourth and Spring streets by
Bentley, who stopped him and in the
coolest possible manner informed him
mat his mother was very sick and that
doctor should be secured. Young
Nordholdt lost no time in looking up a
medical man, and at a few minutes past
8 O'Clock he was by his mothers bed
side But he was too late, for the poor
old lady had been dead some minutes
and was frothing at the mouth.
Strange as it may seem, the first doc
tor who was called in did not give a
certificate of death, buta few hours later
another was called in, as the story goes,
and he gave one in which be set forth
that she died OF heart disease.
1t WAS intended to have the funeral
on the following Wednesday, but it was
soon learned that the body was in such
state that the funeral would have to
take place on the day after the death,
which was Monday, and on that day
Bentley acted so strangely that some OF
the mourners suspected that something
was wrong, but they said nothing As
the coffin was being lowered into the
grave it is stated that Bentley turned to
one OF his friends, who was standing by
him. and remarked: "Ain't a lucky
dog?"
Bentley at once took possession of his
late wife's personal effects and in due
time will was flashed giving every
thing to Bentley, but why this was
necessary is not known, for long before
her death she had decided him every
thing and he had mortgaged the prop
erty for $l1 800.
He WAS probably afraid that she had
kept some of the property back, for it is
known that he has had an expert at
work in the court house looking up the
records on several occasions and that he
offered him one half OF any property that
he might discover.
Even during his wife's life, as has
been stated, he kept up his correspond
ence with several women to whom he
was engaged to be married, and one OF
them is in this city at the present time,
and within week after his wife's
death he went to the agent for the
estate and offered to pay him $4,000
cash and $500 a month salary in case he
would introduce him to rich widow
that would marry him. He also offered
to pay the agents expenses to Europe
for six months trip.
As soon as Bentley was placed under
arrest yesterday morning the story OF
the midnight chase after him was made
public. The warrant charging him with
the murder of his wife was placed in
the hands of Sheriff Cline and Captain
Lawson at 9 O'Clock last Monday night.
They at once started out to find their
man, and were accompanied to the fam
an no Nf l.
and Wall streets, by a couple of Law
sons detectives.
They failed to gain an entrance
and Cline made their way to the back
made their way from room to room
which has been used by Bentley as a
The room had been occupied that night,
but Bentley must have heard the officers
coming, for he made his escape.
The old man from Arizona who has
lived with Bentley since Mrs. Bentley g
Bentley's room ii bed, but he declared
that he did not know what had become
of Bentley. Every room in the house
WAS Godi C1CQ duu uANily IL Was lCdIACu
that Bentley had escaped by jumping
from his late wile's bedroom window.
For several hours the officers searched
the premises and places adjoining.
They found his tracks in various places
where he had skulked in the shadow OF
fences and lodged through vacant lots
and ack-yards, but they could not over
take him.
At one time they were very close on
his track. 1t was at 2 O'Clock yesterday
morning when he ran into a hackman
only short distance from his house
but he turned and ran down Seventh
street and had just disappeared when
the officers met the hackman.
The officers spent the rest of the
night hunting for him and Sheriff Cline
had every depot guarded so that he
could not get out of town.
Early in the morning they trailed him
to the st. Elmo hotel, and at $3.50
O'Clock he surrendered himself and the
chase ended.
Bentley has singular history as near
as can be learned from those who claim
to know. He is the illegitimate child of
a poor woman in Germany, and he and
half sister came to this country sev-
eral years ago. The sister is now living
in Nebraska and is said TO be highly
respectable woman. As far back as the
detectives have been able to trace him
it seems that he has had desire to
marry rich women. He left woman
and three children in Germany when
he came to the United States, but it is
not believed that they were ever mar
ried.
He is not handsome man by any
manner of means, and why he should
be attractive to women, when his ex-
treme ignorance is taken into consider
alton, is mystery.
Bentley is very confident that he will
be able to clear himself when his case
comes to trial. He claims that the
whole affair is put up JOB by the heirs
to ewindle him out of the money left
him by his late wife.