St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-24
KILLED HER TWIN SISTER,
IF CHARGES UPON WHICH SHE
IS ARRESTED PROVE TO BE
TRUE.
Surviving Sister the Beneficiary
Held for ExanlinatiOn-Her
Friends Indignant.
The murderess of her twin sister,

The murderess of her twin sister,
Lola.
That is the terrible charge against
Laura Perkins. The charge has
caused a sensation in the Twin
Cities second only to the murder of
Catherine Cling.
Surrounded by an impenetrable
mystery, so far as the direct evil
dence of the state is concerned, is
the case Of Mrs. Laura Perkins, now
under arrest in Minneapolis, who
was arrested late Thursday night
by Detectives Hoy and Lawrence,
charged with having murdered her
/ twin sister, Mrs. Lola Hawkins, on
the morning of Aug. 9.
The police authorities and County
Attorney Frank Nye maintain a
stolid air, and say nothing beyond
the fact that they are absolutely
sure that they have in their possess
sion facts sufficiently convincing to
secure the conviction of the woman
now incarcerated in the county Jail.
Public sympathy is strongly with
the arrested woman, and many be-
lieve that the authorities and in
surance detectives have been too
hasty and have worked a terrible
and irreparable injury. Others in
a position to form a clearer opinion
do not for a moment believe that
man of the stamp of County Attor-
ney Frank NJ. Nye would issue the
warrant did he not have at his hand
| almost certain evidence of the charge
which he has made.
Mrs. Perkins was kept in custody
in the woman's ward at the central
police station Thursday night, and
at her request, Attorney Albert H.
Hall was sent for, and his services
secured. He was closeted alone with
the woman for some two hours,
after which she was visited by Mrs.
c. D. Axtell, of zoos Tenth avenue
south, with whom she was stopping,
and who brought to the police sta
ton Mrs. Perkins eleven-year-old
son, Freddie.
RENAMED WITHOUT BAIL.
Shortly after o'clock yesterday
afternoon Mrs. Perkins was brought
into the stuffy little police court
room by the police matron, Mrs.
Paine, for her arraignment, and then
| was enacted one of the most touch
witnessed. At the request of Attor-
ney Hall and with the consent Of
| Mr.. Nye, the case was continued I'M
| til next Thursday afternoon at 2
| o'clock, and Mrs. Perkins remanded
| to the county jail without bail, the
| charge being murder in the first
| degree.
| Mrs. Perkins had made request
| that her little son, Freddie, be al
| lowed to remain with her until her
| trial, but this request was fatty re-
| fused by the authorities, who do not
| desire the mother to have any con-
versation with her son until after he
has testified at the coroner's inquest,
| which will be held at the county
| morgue this morning at 10 o'clock.
When the moment came, in the
| court room, for the mother to part
with her son-she to go to the dreary
cell and cold steel bars and he to go
| with kind friends-he rushed to his
mothers arms, and, clasped in each
others arms, mother and son wept
| bitter tears. There was scarcely a
dry eye in the room, even the court
| being visibly affected. When Mrs.
Perkins entered the room she was
AS WHITE AS DEATH
and mary thought about to faint. She
rested her head upon the clerks desk
during the reading of the complaint
and moaned. She is a woman whom
many men call pretty, her hair being
OF rich blonde and so profuse as to
cause comment. Her features are we'll
moulded, and her eyes, ordinarily of
a dark blue or brown, were as black
as living Goals during her arraignment.
In many ways she is a remarka Bile
woman and the authorities say a con-
sunmate actress. The insurance de-
tect1Ves place her as the most remark
able woman they ever met and their
experience has certainly been large.
The warrant, which was read to her
In court, was sworn out by Wilbur NJ.
Todd, an inspector of the Fidelity and
Casualty company, in which $1,000 ac-
cident insurance was carried by Mrs.
Hawkins. 1t is as follows:
A TERRIBLE WARRANT.
Wilbur NJ. Todd being duly sworn.
makes Complaint to the above-name6
court, and says that on the 9Th dav Of
August, 1895, at the city of MINES
apol1S, county of Hennepin, state of
Minnesota, Laura Perkins, then and
there be1ng, did .willfuIly,. unlawfully,
wrongfully, feloniously and INTENTIONAL
ly, without excuse or justification, and
without authority of law, and with
premeditated design to effect the death
OF al human being, to wit, one Lola
Hawkins, kill and murder the said
Lola Hawkins, by then and there
igniting and setting on fire the clothes
of said Lola! Hawkins, said clothes be-
ing then and there on the body of said
Lola Hawkins, thereby burning the
flesh and body of said Lola. Hawkins
and infiicting on the body of her, the
said Lola Hawkins, thereby infiicting
mortal sores and wounds, of which
said Lola Hawkins, thereafter on the
9Th day OF August, 1895, died in the
city Of Minneapolis, county and state
aforesaid
Immediately upon the ordering of
continuance of the case, Attorney Hall
asked that the little son Of the accused
be allowed to visit her during her in
carcefa tiofi, as well as her spiritual
adviser, Rev. Dr. Faude, of Geth-
seraane Episcopal. church. County At
torney Nye emphatically objected to
allowing the child to Come under the
mothers influence until after the testi-
monys at the inquest, and the court
held with the county attorney. The
commitment warrant was then made
01It and Mrs ParLyinc dressed n.