The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1894-04-12
HER LIFE AT STAKE.
Mrs. Bennett on Trial at Marshall
town, Iowa, for Murder.
KILLED MISS ANNA WEISE
Tho Evidence against the Accused Wo.
man Is C,rcumstantial and Is
shrouded In Mystery.

Shrouded In Mystery.
MARsHALTowN, Iowa, April 9.-Mrs.
Emily Bennett is on trial here for the
murder of Miss Anna Weise. Briefly
stated, the facts of the murder are
that Anna Weise was German about
90 years of age and good looking. She
had for several years been working for
different persons as a domestic. She
was a girl of kind disposition and had
lived an exemplary life. AT the time
of her murder she was working in the
family of Henry Russie, in Vienna
township. On the evening of August
rs last she went TO Arthur Hills house
sometime between shutdown and dark
to spend the evening. At few min
utes after 10 o'clock she left Hills and
started to go home. 1t was a bright
moonlight night and Hill and Russie
only lived about three-eights of 4 mile
apart.
When Miss Weise had gone abont
two-thirds of this distance on her re-
turn home ltussie heard her scream and
told his hired boy, Perry Griggs, TO run
and see what was the matter. This the
boy started to do, but returned and
said he was afraid. Russie then ac-
companied him and they heard two
more screams. When they were near
where the murdered girl lay they heard
a low moan. They found the girl lying
by the side of the road, with her throat
cut from ear to ear, about twenty
stabs on her breast and her head
crushed by blows of club. She was
left in that position until Coroner
David arrived, that night.
The evidence against Mrs. Bennett
Is said to be all circumstantial. 1t is
known that the club with which Anna
was so numerically beaten was taken
from the grove surrounding the Ben
net residence. One of the first things
to arouse suspicion against Mrs. Ben
nett was the fact that on the night OF
the murder, when the neighbors went
to alarm Mr.. and Mrs. Bennett to secure
their assistance in searching for the
murderer, they were refused admit
lance to the house, the husband saying
that his wife had been taken with nerv
GUS shocks and could not be seen. Later
on, when the body of Anna Weise war
exhumed for examination by Detective
Barney Schultz, it was found that in the
dead girls hands were a number o.
hairs, and these hairs, under the exam
nation of experts, are said to be hair.
from the head of Mrs. Emily Bennett
A day or so after the murder BLOOD
marks were found on the Bennett dooi
and door casing and on some articles o
wearing apparel. Sheriff Pence ha
now in his possession the waist belong
ing 10 Mrs. Bennett, which had one but
ton on. The attorneys for the defens
have made repeated efforts to get pos
session of it, but each effort we're un
successful. 1t is said that this articl
has some important evidence connecte,
with It.
During the last few d avs a rumo
has been set ahoat that may develo
into something that will aid materiall
in unraveling the mystery. Seven year
ago Lewis Greiger worked in the Der
nett neighborhood, but suddenly disaI
peared. j. w. Lilly, conductor on tn
Chicago Great Western, is authority 70
the statement that about the time c
Greigers disappearance some men wer
seen pushing a hand car along. that lin
upon which was an object, supposed I
be the body of man.
The car was stopped opposite tn
, house then occupied by the Bennett
and James James, the latter being
some way connected with the murds
of j. b. Hurto at State Center tw
years ago. At the tine of the allege
!, disappearance of Greiger the Benne
family lived In the house just east
their present home, which was subs
quently the home of Anna Weise's p
rents. The body, so the story goes. WI
buried in the wall of the cellar of Il
Bennett home. Anna Weise, so it
said, declared that the body was buri'
in the cellar, and that was the mott
i. for numbering her, so that the seer
=, would not leak out. Conductor Lii
/, was so firmly convinced that body HI
been buried in the cellar of the form
Bennett home that he came to this CT
and wanted Sheriff Pence to issue
search warrant and dig out the cell
= wall in the hopes of finding the ske
, ton. Three horses, said TO belong
Greiger, are now in possession OF m
in that neighborhood, no one havi
claimed them. Since the disappearan
:, of Greiger there was rumor tina
=, fortune of $4,000 was left him by
rich relative. which is now deposited
. the bank to his credit. What the
cling out of the cellar wall revealed
not known.