The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-04-02
THE REICH MURDER CASE.
Reech Is Said to Have Confessed to tn,
Murder of His Wife.

Philadelphia, Pa, March 29.-John
Reech. the Estellville farmer, who was
arrested at Bustleton, Pa, on suspicion
of having murdered his wife at their
home. was brought to police headquar-
tiers in this city today and is held there
pending investigation. 1t has been
learned that Mrs. Reech was none other
than Bessie Weaver, whose troubles
with her father and his housekeeper,
afterwards her stepmother, gained wide
publicity a dozen years ago. She was
the daughter of DR.. Martin Weaver, a
wealthy but eccentric citizen Of Ger
mantown.
He died, leaving an estate of over $780,
600, entirely to his second wife. Soon
after his death, Bessie married William
Heft of Germantown. She had pre-
viously instituted proceedings to break
her fathers will, but recently compro-
missed on an arrangement by Which the
income from the estate was divided be
tween Bessie and her stepmother during
the remainder of their lives. In 1887
Heft procured divorce on statutory
grounds and she soon afterwards mar
ried Henry w. Buchanan of this city.
Buchanan also obtained a divorce. At
torney G. w. Williams of the Philadel-
phia bar, was estate trustee. Upon the
occasion of Mrs. Reech's last visit she
told Mr.. Williams that she had made
up her mind to leave her husband be-
cause he treated her badly and he no.
ticed that two of her front teeth were
missing.
Reech. it is said, today made a confess
sion to the police admitting that he muir
dered his wife for the purpose of en-
joying the money left by DR.. Weaver
to his daughter. The authorities refuse
to reveal the details of the confession.
1t is said that Reech claims the couple
were not lawfully married, although a
ceremony was gone through with before
a justice of the peace in Jersey City in
May, 1895. He is said to have con-
fessed that he has wife and daughter
ain Catasaqua. Pa, but whether she ever
obtained q divorce is not known. 1t
is claimed that he and Elizabeth Weaver
cOnspired TO let him become the bene-
ficiary under the will of her father in
case. of her death. AS the first step
in the conspiracy it is said the woman
made a will leaving her inheritance to
'Reech in trust for their child. They
had not yet been able to obtain a child.
When they appeared in Estelleville she
child in this city. About six weeks ago
they are said to have come here and
to have advertised for an infant about
10 months old. One was obtained which
is said to be the illigitimate offspring of
prominent society woman by New
York business man. With the child
they returned to Estelleville. The re.
solve to murder the woman, it is said
entered Reech's mind suddenly, but the
manner in which it was done is not
known.
1t occurred last Saturday week. 1t
seems, however, that he strangled her
while she slept and then carried her to
the grave. he had already prepared.
With an AK he chopped the branches
of n tree to hide the spot. He came
here Thursday night and Friday went
to Fox Chase and on Saturday to Som
erton, where he stopped ut a hotel. He
had previously left the child in Phila-
delphia in "baby farm" On Satur-
day night he read of the discovery of
the body and began trembling so that
the hotel proprietor spoke to him. He
admitted that he was John Reech. He
was then turned over to the police