The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1896-03-12
IN SOUTH DAKOTA.
I%nterestiny News Items From all
over the state.
CHARGED WITH MURDER.
sensational Murder Trial in Grant
..nfx

Inc ITldl OIL II Tullh INoAiN ilS, IL DTOfI-
inent German farmer In Grant coun-
ty. will attract widespread attention
throughout tie Northwest by reasOn
Of the unusually sensational and pecu-
liar features of the case, and the prob
a%bility-if not certainty, that Kottwitz,
who Is charged with numbering his
wife and unborn babe. will be sent to
the callows for his cold-bloodcd crime.
Kottwitz was horn in Germany
thirty-two years ago, and settled in
| Dakota in 1870, coming from Fairfield,
MINI. His wife, whose maiden name
was Rinke, removed with her parents
from Wahasha, Mimi, to Grant Coun Y,
Dakota. i'm the fall of 1880. At that
time she was about sixteen years of
| age. She and Kottwitz became ac-
quainted shortly after her arrival in
| the territory. and the acquaintance
| soon ripcned into love.
The story of their cOurtShip and ulti-
| mate marriage is Il romantic one. kott-
| WITT and the girl were engaged and eX-
| prcted to be married at an early date,
| when Il weli-tO-do young farmer named
Raispncr, living just across the Da-
kOta line in Lac Qui PaTlc county,
| Mimi, with the assistance Of Il neigh
| bCr named Herman SChwcgpl. succeed
ed in ~persuading the girl to marry him.
The nature of the influence employed
is not known. IT was understood that
Schwcgcl received $50 for his assist
ancc in bringing about the wedding.
| KottWitZ. Notwithstanding his having
| been Tilted in this summary manner,
| attended the wedding. Those present
| noticed that the bride gave every in
dicatiOn of being more devoted to him
| than to her newly welded husband,
| and the fact was freely commented
upon by the guests at the wedding.
| When the wedding party broke up the
| girls parents compelled her to occupy
one room, while the husband occupied
another, both being locked in their
| apartments. In he morning RaiSenef
returned home without his bride. In
fact. they never lived with each other.
Some two or three months later Rails
pnCr was found dead On the prairie,
near his home. \ revolver was lying
by his side, and the rumor gained cir
,ulatiCn that he had committed suicide.
But from recent information it would
appear that KOttWitz, ut least, II
probably one other person, knows that
he did not commit suicide, and could
explain the real cause Of his death.
The Young widow then married kOtt-
WITT. NpighbOrs say that kOttWitz
took possession of RaiSencr'S farm n
other property. and subsequently mort
gagged the farm. Other stories. the
truth of which may be developed by
the testimony produced at the impend-
ing trial. are told of his probable con
nection with the death of two Of his
children. who died under somewhat
curious circumstances. The couple
were blessed with eight children. The
eldest Of the six now living is about
eleven years of age.
The husband is of an irritable and
Quarrelsome disposition, and when I'M
der the influence of liquor, as was fire.
uuCntly the case, was very abusive to
his wife. kicking her brutally when
ever matters did not go to suit him.
On the 18th of last October a threShing
crew was at KOttWitZ's place. but, haV-
ing suffered a breakdown, the men
were idle for the time being. kOttWitZ
went to a nearby town to nave the
broken portion of the machinery re-
paired and returned home very drunk.
Taking some OfrrnSe at something con-
nected with the midday meal, he VIC
lently kicked his wife. who ran from
the mousse iald GOWN OH the SlOulu
in the yard. He followed her and
again kicked her PROSTATE form sew
eral times. To escape him she ran
back into the house and sank down on
a bed. August Kottwitz. a cousin of
the husband, was in the house, and she
called to HIM that she was dying, eX-
piring before he could reach her. In
reDly to the questioning of officers, who
arrived some hours later. Kottwitz in
sisted that he did not know what cauS-
ed his wife's death, as she had always
been Il healthy woman. The officials
could elicit nothing Of importance, and
left the premises. The following day
the husband of the murdered wOman's
sister Informed the authorities of the
true circumstances connected with the
woman's death and inquiry among the
threshing hands justified the arrest OF
KOttwitZ.
lie made no resistance and did not
manifest any particular concern be
cause of the serious charge against
him. The brutal affair created intense
excitement when the particulars be-
came known, and the sentiment was
freely expressed that Judge Lynch
should mete out punishment to the per-
petrator, but the counsel of cooler
heads prevailed. and the law was per-
mitted to AXE its course.
ySpJ,NS WANT THEIR MONEY