Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-05-23
Mrs. Sofia Kruger, Charged
With Husbands Murder,
Held to Grand Jury
EVIDENCE is cIRcuMsTANrlAL
No Motive Has Been Shown for Her
Committing the Deed, However, Al
tho Her Own Story and the Finding
of the Lap Robe Seem to Indicate
knowledge of the Crime.

csesco, May 23.--As the result of tn
| preliminary examination held here, Mrs
| Sofia Kruger, charged with the murdeI
of her husband, has been held to the
grand jury, which convenes on June o
| The state offered evidence showing
the husband of the woman. Gustav
Kruger, disappeared on April 10. On
that day Mrs. Kruger was seen return
! ing from the river. where she was
| supposed to have been fishing. Several
days later, upon being asked where
Mr.. Kruger was, she said that when
she returned from milking Friday
morning she found that he had taken
his fishing tackle and best clothes and
left, but she did not know where.
Friday evening she borrowed horse
from one of the neighbors, saying Mr..
Kruger had been to Cresco, and was
coming home that night. and she want
ed to go and meet him. The horse
was tied in front of her house and was
seen there as late as 8 o'clock that
night. About midnight she called at
farm house on the Harmony road, a diff
ferent direction from Florenceville than
Cresco, and asked for help to ge her
buggy out Of the mud. saying that she
was going to Harmony to meet Mr..
Kruger, had lost the road and got
stuck in the mud. She stayed at this
iu1, 1aff fny
early Saturday morning. While she
was here it was noticed that one Of the
blankets in the buggy was covered
with blood. and she said that Mr..
Kruger had brought home some fresh
meat few days before and left it ii
the buggy. wrapped in this blanket,
while he did his chores, and that the
blanket was stained In this way. Sun
day Mr.. kruger's children inquired #
her where their father was, and she
said he had gone to Cresco. Friday.
Monday they came to Cresco and re-
turned Tuesday with the sheriff and the
attorney Tuesday the house
was searched and blood stains found
upon the curtains of the kitchen win
dows, the walls. floor and upon the
stove and kitchen table; and also in 6
small closet of one of the bedrooms. II
was then suggested that the river be
dragged for the body, as it might BIZ
that "he had been drowned" She then
said there was no use in searching be-
low the bridge, as if he had been
drowned he would be found in the |
fishing hole, in the mill pond. above the |
bridge.
Tuesday afternoon the body was
found about two miles below the
bridge near where she left her buggy |
Friday night. The body was weighted |
with stones and lying in about two
feet Of water. The skull had been |
crushed, and in three places indented |
as tho struck with the sharp end of
pickax. Krugers pickax was after
ward examined and blood stains found
upon the handle, but the iron had been
recently scraped and secured. The
point of the AK fits nicely the holes In |
he skull.
Tuesday afternoon Mrs. Kruger re-
,eived letter from son-in-laW in
Wisconsin, In which he spoke of well
.aving In on his place, and then Mrs.
Kruger said her husband had gone to
,isit his SON in-law to help fix the We'll.
Since being brought TO Cresco under
arrest. Mrs. Kruger has talked with
zone except her counsel and made no
lttempt to explain any of the cireum-
stances which point to her as at least
,aying knowledge of the manner of +
Ter husbands death. AT the close OF
he testimony upon the part of the state
he waived further examination and
vas held to the grand jury. which meets
IN June g.
The theory of the state is that she
illed her husband Thursday night with
he pickax, dragged the body into the
loset and left it until Friday night,
vhen she loaded it into the buggy,
rove to the river. near where the body
vas found, threw it into the stream (;
nd lost the road and got stuck in the {
mud in coming back. She and Mr.
.ruger had been married about eigh- .
cen months, and are not known to have
ad any trouble. After their marriage
hey decided his farm to two OF his
oys in considerati ton of which the boys
we're to pay them each $500 year
uring the remainder of the natural
YES. No motive has been shown for
er committing the deed.
GRAND LODGE PROGRAM