Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-01-23
EVIDENCE AGAINST
MRS. BECHTEL ENDS
The Prosecution Closes After Calling
Forty Witnesses.
BLOOD EXPERTS ON THE STAND

Allentown, Jan. 2O.-After having
called 40 witnesses in its endeavor to
prove that Mrs. Catherine Bechtel was
guilty of being an accessory after the
fact in the murder of her daughter
Mabel. last October, the commonwealth
closed it's case.
The cases against John, Charles and
Myrtha Bechtel were continued until
the April term of court Their bail
was renewed.
Dr.John Lear, professor of biology at
Muhlenberg College. testified to finding
human blood on the ingram carpet.
holsters and sheets from Toms bed.
wash rag. two aprons, Mabers stock
ings, skirts. waist. undervest, on the
grooved head OF the hatchet, Toms
overalls, wall paper and on FIVE of the
cellar steps. Efforts, he said, had been
made to wash the stains from the in
grain carpet and bolster On cross-ex-
animation he said it was impossible TO
tell the age of blood. DR.. Lear said he
used three methods-the microscopical.
chemical and biological or Bordct
method. This is the first time, he said,
that the biological or Bordet method
has ever been tried in a murder case
in this country
Lawyer Schaadt, for the defence,
tried to discredit the biological or
Bordet test of determining human
blood, out the Cross examination failed
to shake the direct testimony of the
witness
DR.. John Eckert, of this city.
who assisted DR.. Lear in his tests,
was called to the stand. The defense
objected to DR.. Eckert testifying as
an expert. on the ground of youth and
inexperience, but the court overruled
the objection, stating that inasmuch as
the test was new there could be no ex-
perience of long standing. DR.. Eckert
was on the stand over two hours, dur
ing which he corroborated DR.. Lear's
statements and conclusions regarding
blood tests. and declared that all the
stains in question were made by hu-
man blood.
DR.. w. ID. Penniman, of Johns hop
kins University, an expert on blood
who was in the city on private busi-
ness, was subpoenaed by the common
wealth. He was taken in hand by Dis
trict Attorney Lichtenwalner, and he
declared that the biological or Bordet
test to show the difference between
human and animal blood to be very re
liable. The Bordet test, he said, is abso-
lutte in it's conclusions.
DR.. w. w. Eshbach. OF this city, who
was present when the blood tests were
made by DR.. Lear, confirmed the lat
ter's conclusions that the stains on the
articles exhibited were made by hu-
man blood. and DR.. G. ID. Schaeffer.
surgeon-in-chief at the Allentown hos
pital, the last witness to testify, re-
sarded DR.. Lear's test as reliable.
Alois Eckstein, Mabel Bechtel's
fance. was called to the stand
and said that four years ago he
"picked up" Mabel Bechtel on the
street and went home with her, and
had been keeping company with her
ever since. The attorney then led him
directly to the Sunday night when Ma
bel Bechtel Is supposed to have been
killed. Eckstein said he had called
at the house and visited with Mabel
all afternoon, and that they made taffy,
then at $50 they had supper, and Ma
bel went upstairs to dress. When she
came down she talked in a merry mood
with Myrtha, who, she said, was wait
ing for her beau. while she was going
out to meet her beau. When asked
by her mother who she meant, Mabel
said she meant Weisenberger.
-. xoI IA \.
made to the Bechtel home on Monday
night to get the answer that Mabel
had promised him. He found at home
Mrs. Bechtel, Tom and Charles.
How did they receive you?"
"Well, much cooler than ever be-
fore. ! noticed that Mrs. Bechtel look
ed at me in a peculiar way; in fact,
they all acted queer"
How did they act?"
'Well, stepped into the kitchen to
get a drink Of water, and then went
on into the back yard. / didn't know
Charlie was in the back yard, but
met him coming up the steps, and
when | spoke to him he said grufly
that he was sick and was going to bed.
II seemed as IL they wanted to get
rid Of me. Tom sat in the kitchen near
the door reading a paper. He kept
watching every move I made.
"On Tuesday," continued Eckstein,
"T went to the factory to work, and
one Of the boys telephoned me that
/ had better go to the Bechtel home,
as my girl was dead. l hurried there
and found there Mrs. Bechtel, Myrtha.
Mrs. Brobst Mrs. Mitchell and John