Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-10-29
ON SUSPICION.
Arrest in Mabel Betchel Murder
at Allentown, Pa.
Dead Girls Favored Lover, A. R.
Eckstein, in Charge Of Police.
David Weisenberg Surrenders at New
York-Under Suspicion.

nochtel. her brother. ard Alfred Eek
stein. hey accredited lover locked up in
| police st3tiGn cell. the Allentown
police are resting in their woke n the
Mabel Fechtel murder case of yester-
lay morning. until coroner Scheirers
Hrv meets, tomorrow morning.
The mystery is still practically un-
| solved except that Indications point 10
| Il family row in which Eckstein may
lave figured as ne admits he was at
! Miss Bechtel's home Monday evening.
| foi an hour and = half. Because Mrs
Bechtel had said her daughter had left
| for a drive, ut a. NJ. Monday, efforts
We're made to trace the GarfS move
nents away from home. Rumors that
she was at a road house near this city
were found to be groundless ard the
nolice do not believe the girl was away
FROM home at all. Monday. Her broth
ere, Thomas, John ana Charlie. say
they did rot 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 Charlie the front
room. In the latter. the police, today,
on thorough search. found blood stains
III the carpet and on the wall paper
| and it l1oked as if vigorous efforts had
been made to wipe them out. There
jTere no blood stains in Thomas room.
His bloody oVeralls We're found, this
venting. III a neighbours yard. He
| acknowledges that they ere his. In a
drawer OF a closet in the third story
was found part of Charles Ratchet,
I,ten as siatcrS use. roofing being his
| trade. : The blade ana q snail part of
the handle We're found there with marks
On the blade which Coroner Scheirer
says are blood stains. The remainder
of the handle was found in another
| drawer" some distance away. The
break in the handle looks like 4 fresh
pre- y bloody apron was also found in
The house. The police have removed Il
tsection Of the blood stains to have an
Analysis made.
Thomas says the alleged blood spots
on his oveialls We're tobacco stains. The
coroner thinks otherwise and will have
sn analysis made in the belief that they
IRE blood stlins.
| The police. this afternoon put the
entire Bechtel family. except the
1 IolItl, tIoiouSl loii
All deny any knowledge of the affair.
Martha. John and Charles were dis
charged after they had been examined.
Thomas was held as a witness before
the coroner's jury because of supposed
blood stains found on his overalls and
in his room. Eckstein was similarly
held. Neither could get the bail of
$1,000 asked for. The mother was not
called because of her physical cordi-
ton.
/ Eckstein was Miss Bechtels lover,
though she received attentions from
Weisenberg. Eckstein and the girl were
to have been married, Nov. 90, but the
late was recently postponed until
Christmas They had frequent quar-
rels over Weisenberg's attentions. Eek
stein being jealous of him. He had cX-
pressed threats that he would kill both.
1t is said he occasionally beat Miss
| gechtel severely and as recently as last
| Thursday evening. when they went to
| Philadelphia together. Eckstein WAS
seen to pummel her on one of the prin-
cipal street corners. whence trolley cars
leave for Philadelphia.
| Because of this and because Eckstein
was ut the I}echtel home. Monday even
| ing. he is being held. The Bechtel fam
| lily sided with Eckstein. preferring him
to Weisenberg as a prospective mem
Der of their family.
! Weisanberg was not allowed to enter
the Bechtel house and in the year and
| Police Sergeant Knauss returned
/ I'D, ,x-;tl -nic
berg. The later gave a detailed state
ment of his movements since Sunday,
which are fully corroborated. He had
not seen the girl since Sunday even
ing; then he met her by appointment on
a street corner when she had just left
Eckstein ut the next corner.
The police do not credit Mrs. Bech-
| tells story that she saw team drive
! up to the rear of the house at l a. Nj.
| Tuesday. and that two men carried
| dark object into the adjoining yard.
nor her story that the girl left for
| drive with Weisenberg. Monday morn
| ing. They incline to the belief that the
girl was not away from home. Mon
day: that a family quarrel occurred
over the girls supposed dupliclty to
Ickstein and her attachment for Wei
senberg: that the blow was struck in
anger which may have been more Sc
we're than was intended and that the
girls murder was thus accomplished
and the body disposed of as found, the
story being concocted as related by the
mother. Who struck the fatal blow or
blows is only conjecture and may de-
velop at the inquest. tomorrow.