New Ulm review., 1901-10-16

were Drought aDelOTG JuSClCe 1tllGT DIT
on account of the absence of the county
attorney the hearing was postponed for
one week, and will occur on next Satur-
day. Both prisoners have maintained
stolid indifference. refusing to say any
thing about the crime. Mrs. Tanke
shows the greatest signs of mental strain.
They have retained J. A. Eckstein Of
this city to defend them. 1t isn't at all
probable that either one will make a
confession.
At the inquest held over the dead
body of Mr.. Wellner nothing was dis
covered to warrant the arrest of any one
but there were maLy who had suspicious
that Mrs. Wellner was acting part and
knew more than she would tell but moth
ing was done and except by relatives of
the dead man the matter was dropped
until nearly year after when Mrs.
Wellner was married to this Frank
Tanke then suspicion was aroused, and
the reward for the apprehension of the
criminals still being out, detectives got
after the case and have finally landed
the culprits.
STORY OF THE CRIME.
The story of the crime as told at the
inquest is that on the night of Decem-
Der 31st, 1898, between eleven and
twelve O'Clock Mr.. Wellner aroused his
wife and told her that he had heard a
noise outside the house, and that he
deemed it best to go out to the barn and
see what caused it.
He did so. When he left the house
he was clad only in his underclothes and
thin duck coat, On his head was
fur cap and on his feet stockings and the
ordinary house slippers. He wore no
wore no mittens, but carried lantern
in his hand. In this manner he was
found in the morning.
= & =
Shortly after leaving the house, there
was shot or two. Mrs. Wellner heard
at least one of them and sprung at once
from her bed. Dressing hastily, she
started out of the bedroom door to 90
through the kitchen, when man entered
through the kitchen door, covered her
face with what she supposed was a re-
volver and ordered her to sit down and
keep still if she didn't "want it to be
the last of her,
She complied out of fear and excite.
ment. Then another man entered and
tied her hands and arms across the breast
with rope. This done, he asked her
in English were the money was. She
said they had no money. Then he asked
her where they kept their pocket-book.
She told him that it was in the other
room In her husbands pants pocket.
He started after it and soon returned,
the other man all the while standing
watch over Mrs. Wellner. The pocket
book was opened and examined and
such things as were of no value were
torn up and thrown upon the floor. The
pocket book itself and the money, which
according to Mrs. Wellner could not
have exceeded few copper cents, they
took with them. Theyselso picked
watch--a silver one-from the wall near
the clock and pocketed that. While do.
ing this Mrs. Wellner could see from
light on the wall that one of the men
carried lantern.
Then they quietly departed, closing
the doors after them and not speaking
word to either to each other or to her.
While in the room she could only see
the dim outline of the men. They were
of medium size and wore cleth over
coats with the collars turned up. Their
caps were pulled down over their faces
so that she could not tell whether they
were smooth shaven or not. Both spoke
to her in the English language.
After the strangers left, Mrs. Wellner
remained sitting on the kitchen lounge
for nearly three hours. Fear, she said,
kept her from making hardly move.
i
As it got along towards three o'clock
she began to suffer from cold and then
it was that she made an effort to free
her hands by applying her teeth to the
rope. She partly succeeded, sufficiently
so to enable her to open the door into
the room where her two children were
asleep.
She woke the Oldest girl, Rosa, who
was about nine years of age, and asked
her to look for pair of cissors with
which to cut the rope. The little girl
did so and then the two srarted for the
home of Mrs. WelIner,s father. Gottl;eh