The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-11-05
BECHTEL TRAGEDY.
The Mothers Story Believed to Be
Invention.
POSSIBLE RESULT OF FAMILY ROW.
Police Find Blood Stains on Walls Of
Her Brothers Room and Also His
Bloody Overalls.

Allentown, Pa, Special-With David
Weisenberg under $500 bail, supplied
by Congressman Kline, and with Thos.
Bechtel, her brother, and and Alfred
Eckstein, her accredite lover, locked
up in a police station cell, the Allen
town police are resting in their work
on the Mabel H. Bechtel murder case
Of Tuesday morning, until Coroner
Schierer's jury meets tomorrow even
ing. The mystery is still practically
unsolved, except that indications point
to family row in which Eckstein may
have figured, as he admits he was at
Miss Bechtel's home on Monday even
ing for an hour and a half. Because
Mrs. Bechtel had said her daughter
left for driyc on Monday at a. m,
efforts were made to trace the girls
movements away from home. Runors
that she was at a road house near this
city were found to be groundless and
the police do not believe the girl was
away from home at all on Monday.
Her brothers, Thomas, John and Chas.
say they did not see her on that day
and so also says her sister Martha.
Martha usually slept with her wild
owed mother IN the second floor. rear
room. Thomas occupied the middle
room and John and Charles the front
room. In the latter the police today,
or thorough search, found blood stains
OH the carpet and on the wall paper,
and it looked as if vigorous efforts had
been made to wipe them out. Thomas
bloody overalls were found this after
noon in neighbor's yard. In drawer
CT a closet in the third story was found
part of Charles hatchet, such as sla-
ters use in slate roof, being his trade.
The remainder of the tools were found
in another drawer. The break in the
handle looks new and fresh.
The police this afternoon put the en-
tire Bechtel family, except the mother,
under thorough examination. All deny
any knowledge Of how Mabel came to
her death or who placed her body in
the alley-way under the home on Tues
Gay morning. The mother was not
called because OF her hysterical con-
dition.
Eckstein was Miss Bechtel's accepted
lover, though she also received atten-
tons from Weisenberg. Eckstein and
the girl were to have been married on
November %, but the date was recently
postponed until Christmas. They had
frequent quarrels over Weisenberg's
attentions. Eckstein being jealous OF
him. He had expressed threats to sew
eral persons that he would kill both. 1t
is said he occasionally beat Miss Bech-
tel severely.
The Bechtel family sided with Eek
stein. Weisenberg was not allowed to
enter the Bechtel home.
Police Sergeant Knauss returned to
Allentown from New York to-day with
Weisenberg. The latter gave de-
tailed statement Of his movements
since Sunday which are corroborated
fully. He had not seen the girl since
Sunday evening, when he met her by
appointment on one street corner when
she had just left Eckstein at the next
corner. The police incline to the be-
lief that the gin was not away from
home on Monday; that a family row
occurred over the girls supposed du-
plicity to Eckstein, and her attach
ment for Weisenberg; that blow was
struck in anger which may have been
more severe than was intended, and
that the mothers story is On inVen-