The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-29
BECHIELGIRLKILLED HOME?
EROTHER AND HER TWO NITORS
PtT UNDER ARREST.
Hloodstains Found In Her Room and u
I,leodsia aimed Ratchet IBIS covered In
Bureau-siirl Was Dressed Partly
After the Murlier-NO Direct Glue.

mead crushed in, was found In an alley
way adjoining her home yesterday morn
.ng, TOOK "a surprising turn to-day when
tie police discovered what they regard as
almost conclusive evidence that the girl
was killed In her own home. This evil
,ience was in the shape Of blood stains found
On the wall and floor of room sometimes
occupied by the girl, and OF q small hatchet
with the handle broken in bureau in the
garrett On the hatchet were some stains
winch the police bslieve are bloodstains.
Tonight the police have under arrest
on suspicion Alfred Eckstein. the girls
over TO whom she is said to have been
engaged, and her brother. Tom Becht oil.
They are held in 81 600 bail at police head
quarters willie the police continue their in
yeStigaton. Both have asserted they know
nothing about the crime, as have the entire
Rechtel family, all the members of which
Aare been submitted to the sweating
process at various times to-day. David
Meisenberg, the cigar salesman who gave
himself up to the New York police, has
been practically eliminated from the mys-
tsrv His alib seemed to be perfect nd
he had no trouble in getting 81 900 bail
FAMILY STICK 10 Ihhlh SlOfl
The fastening of suspicion on the menu
bers Of the girls own family IL interesting,
IN view of the fact that it was the girls
mother who informed the police Of the
discovery of her daughters body by her
self in the areaway and of her story, which
mas been stuck to since by all OF the family,
that the girl left the house on Monday
morning to go to drive with Weisenberg
and was not seen after that.
The police have SO far failed to substan-
late this story in any detail and have not
been able to find any one who saw the girl
leave the house on Monday Another
thing learned by the police is that the other
members of the girls family had quar-
relied with her over receiving attentions
from Wesenberg and were friendly with
Eckstein, of whom the girl had apparently
got tired
The Bechtel family consists OF a mother.
three brothers and two sisters. besides
the dead girl. One of these sisters, Mrs.
Davis, lives in Philadelphia. The other
members of the family occupy a neat little
cottage in a row OF the same kind OF houses
on Cedar street,
Mabel the murdered girl. worked In the
silk mills. One of the boys is brick
layer. The others do odd jobs. OF the
brothers none has "A particularly good
reputation, and Tom, the oldest, has been
in trouble several times, once for as
saulting his brother.
week ago, the police learned to-day,
Tom had quarrel with Mabel and ii is
said that he struck her. This Is id to
have been over the girls treatment OF
Eckstein The latter is furniture polisher
and mas a good character. He admits
having been, in love with Mabel Evil
dence goes to show that she was not adj
verse to receiving attentions from other
men and that her character was not Of
the best.
Weisenberg, who lives in South Bethle-
hem. is a travelling man His circumstances
were better than Eokstein's, and he was
able to take Mabel driving often an spend
money on her. with the res ult that Eek
stein recently had been losing favor with
the girl,
1t is also said that a week ago Eckstein
broke his engagement with the girl. IL
engagement it could be called. Never
theless when the girl went to Philadelphia
on Friday he went with her. She stopped
with her sister, and when Ecksrein was
obliged to come home the girl told him,
he says, that Weisenberg was to meet her.
According to the girls sister in Phila-
delphia, Eckstein and the girl had quar-
rel over this and he left for home.
Eckstein's story TO the police is that he
saw her on Sunday at her home here and
walked downtown with her. She left him.
he says, to meet Weisenberg. That was
the last time he saw the girl Eckstein
says. He says that he did go to her home
on Monday evening, and then learned she
had been out all day, having said she had
an engagement with Weisenberg
Eckstein says he left the house at $40
o'clock on Monday evening and went home.
The police are trying to find out if he did.
Now the case has been found to be an Sin
side one" as the police maintain
NO TRACE OF ANY CARRIAGE.
One of the first things the police did after
getting Ecksteins story and that OF the
family yesterday was to attempt to trace
the carriage which the mother said she
had seen drive up in the rear and
from which two men took bundle
at | o'clock in the morning The police
covered every place within radius OF eight
miles and have not been able to hnd any
such vehicle.
Although the mother says the dogs
narked, not neghbor lis reported as having
heard them or as having seen the carriage
The houses are in IA block, and this seemed
remarkable, Furthermore, not person
wac found to-day who had seen the girl
leave the house o. Monday at any time,
although many said they had been on their
mont stoops in the morning
The mother, brothers and the sister
we're taken to Police Headquarters early
THE morning, and for several hours Chief
Of Police Eastman, the Mayor and Coroner
questioned them. They stuck to their
s' les the mother that she bad seen the
outrage and had found her daughter >
uody IN the morning, and the brothers
and sisters that she had not been home
IN Monday and that they had learned Of
me murder when the mother made the
discovery All Of them took particular
lains a. tel ~ NsisenbeTRs attentions 10
'ur phi and ot biz engagement 10 take
leg a. auvo.
HiOODslAINs DISCOVERED.
Dbl" Nh" Iunmbsrs OF the family were
Stained ~ Police Headquarters 'hlh
Tact man and come dptprtiyes went iO tho