Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-09-05
THE PERKINS UAS
MRS. PERKINS PRELIMINARY Ex-
ANIMATION Is BEGUN.
a Large Crowd OF People In Attend
ance to Catch q Glimpse of the De-
a~endent-NO Sensational Testimony
In ELECTED.

Minneapolis, Aug. 27.-Interest In
the Perkins murder case is increasing
and IT may become as famous as the
Cling murder, for which Harry Hay-
ward Is now under sentence Of death.
The past history Of Mrs. Perkins and
the late Mrs. Hawkins is gradually
unfolding itself. The more 1t is
probed the more mysterious IL be-
comes. The latest development is that
the two women were In no manner re-
lated, although they always insisted
that they were twin sisters. Mrs.
Perkins has admitted that no tie Of
blood Kin existed between them.
A story is in circulation In police
circles that Mrs. Hawkins was drug
ged Immediately before or after the
alleged accident. A prominent citi-
zen name is mixed up with this fea-
ture of the case. 1t will not be sur
prising II another arrest is made with
In a few hours. The stomach of the
dead woman will be submitted to a
chemical analysis. 1t Is confidently
predicted that the result will be sensa.
tional in the extreme.
w. NJ. Todd, representing the claim
department of the Fidelity and Cas-
ualty company, in an interview, said:
I'VE were convinced more than a
week ago that Mrs. Hawkins and Mrs.
Perkins were not sisters, even IL they
were related at all. Now she has con
fessed that fact, and it Is thus no
longer a secret. Regarding the acct
dent insurance, Mrs. Perkins procured
q policy Of $1,000, making Mrs. Haw-
kins the beneficiary. She also ar
ranged with the agent to do some So
ticiting for the company, and a certain
percentage of the premium was agreed
upon as a commission. In the capacity
of solicitor she Procured the applica-
ton of Mrs. Hawkins, and a policy Of
5000 was issued to her. with Mrs.
Perkins as Beneficiary. Mrs. Perkins
paid the premium on the Hawkins
policy on July 10, but no portion Of
the premium on her own policy has
ever been paid, except the sum Of
$3.50 which was credited up to her as
commission for procuring the Haw-
kiDs application. In the case Of the
life insurance, Mrs. Hawkins never
had any at all. Mrs. Perkins went to
the office of the life insurance COM
pany and introduced herself as Mrs.
Hawkins, and said she wished to pro-
cure a policy of life insurance and
make her sister, Mrs. Perkins, the ben
eiciary. She was careful to arrange
that no notice of premiums or litera-
ture of any kind should ever be sent
to the house, as she desired to keep
the matter from the knowe1ge of her
sister for fear that the latter would
annlI hay. fDr Ynnltn0 StIph a SQlrihpp
as the insurance would involve, while
they were so pressed for money. The
amount of insurance was agreed upon
at $4,000, and Mrs. Perkins was ex-
amined as Mrs. Hawkins, excepted as
Mrs. Hawkins, and she then forged
Mrs. Hawkins name to the appiica-
ton blank and examination blank.
She went to the office herself and paid
the premium. The last premium was
paid in July, and, althoughs the day
was hot, she wore a heavy green veil
which completely hid her features and
made her unrecognizable. 1t was after
this discovery that / had my confer
ence with Chief of Police Smith, and
I was surprised to find that while he
kuew nothing about the insurance in
the case, he had had two detectives at
work for some time .
Sensational evidence was given at
the inquest by Frank Perkins, the IL.
year-old son of the prisoner. He said
that on the night of II acciden ne
did not go to bed, but slept on the
lounge in his clothes. Asked IL he
ever did that before, he replied that
only once, and that was on h night
of the previous fire, when Mrs Haw-
kins was injured.
MuIyehiIl's story.
Kansas City, Aug. 27.-Wm. Mulvi-
hill, a conductor on a street railway
line here, vas formerly h or
Mrs. Louise Hawkins, who was re-
Gently burned to death at Minneapolis,
and with whose murder Mrs. Nora
Perkins. an alleged sister. is now ac-
cused. Mr.. Mulvihill, when seen by a
local reporter, vas very much lndls-
posed to talk abort the matter. lie
was not aware of the tragic affair I'M
til told of it by the reporter. he Sc
riously objected to the association Of
his name with the case. Finally he
stated that he had been divorced from
Mrs. Hawkins in Des Moines, Iowa, In
1891. The divorce. he stated, was the
result of a mutual understanding be-
tween his wife and himself. Con-
corning the grounds for divorce, he
would say nothing except that Mrs.
Nora Perkins, a widow, alienated MS
wife's affections and had obtained
complete control Of her. Mrs. Perkins
vas not a sister of Mrs. Hawkins, al
though the two ome claimed to be
sisters. He understood that after he
got his divorce and left Des Moines,
where his family live. the two women
went to Minneapolis. He heard that
his former wife married a horseman
named Hawkins. OF the particulars OF
this and what had become of IIaw-
kins, he knew nothing. He did not
even know that the two were married.
His former wife seemed to be COM
pleteiy infatuated with Mrs. Perkins.
Mrs. Perkins was the widow OF a
printer. Perkins died of consumption.
When asked if he had heard the story
that Mrs. Perkins was suspected or
killing her husband for $1,000 life In
surance, Mr.. Mulvihill said that he be-
lieved he had heard something of the
kind, but he knew nothing OF the mat
ter. He furnished a home for his wife
and was in the employ of a railway
company in Des Moines, and was get
ting along well when Mrs. Perkins
came along and broke up the family.