The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1903-11-04
AFRllb10 FACT. TRIAL
Brother oftMurdered'Girl Cuts
His Throat With Penl<nife
in Prison Cell.
POLICE POSITIVE OF HIS GUILT
Funeral Of Mabel 1echtei Attracts Big
croWd-PoIice Tell Story Of Crime
40 Gathered by Them-Eckstein Be-
Ileved Innocent.

Allentown. Pa, Oct 3ocThomas
Bechtel, who was held awaiting inyes-
tigation of the murder Of his sister.
Mabel e. Bechtel, committed suicide
in his cell in the Central police sta
ton The police consider this act as a
practical acknowledgment Of BechtePs
guilt. Bechtel was in cell No. 2, on
the right side of the corridor. About
4 o'clock in the afternoon he called
across the corridor to Alfred Eckstein.
Miss Bechtels afiianced lover, who is
also held pending the coroner's Ia
quest:
Hello, AL, are you there!"
"Yes," answered Eckstein.
Bechtel responded: u wish you were
here with me now, that we might die
ogether"
Cut His Throat With Knife.
A short time later Eckstein called
Bechtel and got no answer, but he
thought he heard an unusual gurgle.
House Sergeant Frank G. Roth a
short time later entered the cor.
yidor and called both men. Getting
no answer from Beehtel he looked
into his cell and was appalled, to see
a stream of blood running over the
cell floor Bechtel had laid himself on
the bench in his cell and cut his throat
with knife. He was dead when found.
How he got the knife Is not known.
He was carefully searched when placed
In the cell and no weapon was found.
There is a rumor to the effect that a
newsboy passed the knife to him In
the cell.
Bechtel was a single man 80 years
Of age.
The funeral services Of the murdered
girl took place at her late home. 1t was
the family's intention to have the SER
vices and interment private, but when
the undertaken took the remains from
his morgue to the Bechtel residence
many neighbors, relatives. silk mill as
sociates and other friends called at
Che home and a stream Of people en-
tered the house and filed past the
casket
Face Badly Disfigured.
The appearance of the body told its
own story. Both eyes were badly dis
colored as though they had been struck
by clenched fist There was a big
bruise on the nose and several smaller
ones on the cheeks and ear. The worst
wound--that on the fcrehead-was
hidden by the hair. On a finger was
the engagement ring given her by Al
fred Eckstein.
The suicide of Thomas Bechtel has
been followed by the police officials
telling the story of the murder of Miss
Bechtel as gathered by them. 1t starts
with last Thursday, when Eckstein ac-
companied Miss Bechtel to Philadel-
phia. He left her there and returned
home Weisenburg met her in Phila-
delphia and accompanied her to AL
lentown, leaving there Sunday at p.
M and reaching here four hours later.
They went TO a certain place together,
where they remained until midnight
Brother Struck Fatal Blow.
Thomas Bechtel heard Of this and
being strenuously opposed to Weisen-
burg, he upbraided her in her room
upon her return home. He struck her
a powerful blow on the head, causing
her to fall heavily against a bureau,
dead. Members of the family held a
council and decided upon the story
made public on Tuesday and upon the
disposition Of the body and clothing
as found. Charles Bechtel's skaters
Ratchet was used In striking blow on
the head of the dead girl to give SEM
blance of the assault.
This happened Immediately aftor
midnight. The body was Concealed In
the house until Monday night, when Il
was placed in the areaway, where it
was found Tuesday morning. Eckstein
knew nothing of the murder, the po-
lice say.