The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-22
THE LAST NTERv VIEW & .55lS5
MABEL. CRIED ( B BlTTERlY YII
But Did 81 ell TotherS WI iYl
{ She $yV,ept, Simply, 81 ~ 81 Ma,yisl. q.
Weep, Too, J, Later On s25
the Stand. Again To-
! day Made Good 4 ,,8
XII, at, Witnesses. AZ
~ ~ tY sAe' fI. ii;t' z = ~ n ~ II
5(ByE Associated Press:)


ALLENTOWN, PA. Jan. q ~ IS. Nj
Catherine Bechtcl. whose trial on tliosS
charge Of being ali accessory after5t the VI
fact OF tho smurdero Of her daughter M 49,
bel, has been In progress hero since last ny
week, took the witness stand iii her OWN
defense this afternoon. - She was on att oSs
stand for four and q half hours. md a&5
proved a good witness. She told n plainsssss
tstrnlght forward story in a low, plain-l "
tive voice, (which frequently broke as she Is
related the Incidents and Conversations Il;
that wr,,ng her heart. Mrs. Bechtelp posi-
lively denied that her son,( Tom, killed 5a
her daughter, or that he had 81 guilty.
knowledge Of the crime. She was sund der,ssGl
Scross-examinntton when court ad djourn-fN
cd, but the Commonwealth Fup to that
time, tailed to shake her story. iS
E8 In answer to questions by IA ttorncy.sSS
Schaadt, Mrs. Bechtel - said 81 sl,e NJ had VI
warned her daugh ter, M q bel II q gainst u
socinting with Yeisenbergs but IA thatss the
girl only laughed at i her. She declared
lsho had heard. Weisen berg say hat for IA
S he could have both Ma bel anu 1ilois III
Eckstein Drained. fS ls ssSs
Never Struck Her. s553
tfG4iDlu'SOu cNeEEStllh NldUCl ! ~ liz w
ness was asked, Il 4 hi VI
gi'I never laid d hand on the girl re-S 9|,|
piled the mother. sstt$$ VI g.1 sss2$8
sho said Slubel worked wheh slieSs
pleased. #S1 s5S. ,.;; 5Ss
ibid she ever stay! away from homss#
all nlght?'
"Yes. often on Saturday she would go
away and not come home until Sun-5
day sf55{7
..Di,1 xo,t. r., To with hcr2'sSAsil5ss
II begged her not to stay out all night,
but to come home alta proper hour, like
other respectable girls. sSs 53i
Tho two parts Of the lather $ hatchct,
which the Commonwealth ntroduccd /: rs VI VI
tho possible weapon, with which Mai BEL II
was struck, were placed bel fore tho wit-lly3
ness, and she claimed that the hatcheUsts
was broken by herself. ,.g
Mrs. Bechte said that Tom was In theA N
habit OF chewing tobacco while In bos II
and when he fell asleep the tobacco Juice Il
would run out Of his mouth and over
the pillow case and shcets.s 5 s3g 9
Mr.. Schaadt at this juncture produced Is
tile stained bolster and pillow cases and
sheets taken from TOMS bed, which she u
Identified. 5,5 s. /. u VI IN I'll .slil SSss ssa
Most Solemn Oath. s5I
Then came tho most pointed question, itiel,3s n
4 Of all, q. ). ;}s
Is Charged said Mr., schaadt.ss
f'vhut on that Sunday night Tom strl'cle M M
Mabel IN anger and killed her. Now ~
you are an old woman ana nave 9sllot "a
much longer to live; as YOU must some II
day7 answer to your Creator so tell 1ls
row, didanything like that OCCUR ~ ~ yonr1 yt'sGt
house," ,5 Az
rho tears w,alcd In the gray-ha lrctl
swoman's eyes, her hands were cllaspet Il
as IL in prayer before her breast nnsik II
With her head toward heaven she ter VI
tysntly replied: a.sl
5..I swear by my God That Mabel Wns
not killed or struck by Toni In my home,
An impressive Silence folloWed, iaslIlill allnl
then her attorney led her up 20 itnrL
ments of tho family on Monday M inH. n
Tom left the house to go to work q u ~ y
O'Clock Mabel came down stairs, siia
said at Z 80, and helped herself to break k-8l
fast Tho sobbing mother then said
"she came out In tho Kitchen and SAID sS
she was going out driving. j asked herl5ag
with whom, Wsisenbers Z ana When 'I!S s1e
answered yes, cxc!ained, ~, nlanfl. ~. M
IN a rebukIng tone. Mabel put her ha nos n
over her eyes and began to cry. i as ked 8
her why she cried, and st's answered,
n am crying now: maybe you 4cry Y
later" s 3sl 3835 " sss.ss
''What happened ncxt?' }sg X
LAST TIME SHE SAW liEli. ssl4s,
after u while she went up stairs re- "
dressed herscA, hHu lHe't isis wv ,a's ~
That was tho last time I saw her a I'VE, Is
1t was about 0 o'clock, possibly q llttle y
LATER q
Mrs Bechtel related the story OF flndins 55
Arnbel's body az told by her and otllsrs,
MI. schaadt asked rs 1t true that YOU
wanted Mabel to go with other men
"Nevcr in my lfe," was the answer Al 5
"DId you say to I1chsteln that sou
wanted Mabel to go with men and bring &
In money?" I,
"Neyer In my Me. and she dldn't 7, either 4
tbero was never such thing said. IL
Replying to another question as ~
whether she knew how Mabel had coma Il
to her death, Mrs. Bechtel said; God X
knows thar don't. II did know II Z s
would not l,e here now. would have "a
said 1t long ago, III ,s@ rs h
Mrs Bechtel Will testify AGAIN ko- 3S
morrow, .S