Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-08-22
DID STEPMOTHER
COMMIT MURDER
INDIANA CITY STIRRED BY SEN
SATIONAL CASE.
PRETTY WOMAN IN CASE
circumstanciaI Evidence of An Ugly
Nature-WhoIe Community Deeply
Stirred and Even the Husband
and Father Anxious for Justice to
Prevail.

Hartford City, Ind, Aug. 17.-Mrs.
w. r. Krauss, a stepmother but Il
years of age and a bride OF two
months, is locked in Jail in Hartford
City, charged directly with poisoning
her pretty young stepdaughter and
indirectly with killing her mother and
an old sweetheart.
Mrs. Krauss is a pretty woman. In
form and features she has been called
beautiful by many who knew her. Be
fore her stepdaughter died Mrs.
Krauss calmly called the physicians
TO attend the dying girl she is accused
of having murdered. She telephoned
the newspaper men to come and Sc
cure details of the young girls death.
She arranged in detail the funeral
ceremony and chose the psalms that
were sung. All this she did with dry
eyes, and, although accused and con-
fronted on every side by the most
damaging evidence, she beats down
the gaze of her accusers, declares her
innocence, and defies them to prove
her guilty.
No person in Hartford City has2Oeen
better known or more conspicuous in
church work than Mrs. Krauss and
her mother. During all the time of
her residence here she lived wfshin
half square of the courthouse, and
no one was oftener seen upon the
streets. From a girl of 10 years she
grew to womanhood under the eyes of
all the people of the city, and, al
though she is spoken of as Mrs.
Krauss every one here knows her best
as Rae Alderman, the girl who lived in
the little green house and did fancy
work until two months ago, when she
married Krauss, one of the most
prominent druggists in Hartford City.
He is ten years her senior.
Since the death of his daughter,
Crystal Krauss, the fathers hair has
turned gray and his face has changed
to such an extent that few of his old
acquaintance recognize him. He does
not believe his wife guilty, from the
evidence, nor does he believe that his
daughter committed suicide. He says
that there was no motive for the
crime, and no reason for his daughter
to take her life. Her youthful lover
referred to in the notes she is alleged
to have left was James Cronin, Jr., a
young newspaper man of Hartford
City. Yet Krauss declares that he
wants the law to take its course.
Twelve years ago DR.. F. w. Ander-
man. a veterinary surgeon, moved his
family here from EnglewOOd. Chicago.
The family consisted of his wife,
Sarah d. Alderman, and their daugh-
ter. Rae Miller Alderman, a girl of Is
years.
DR. Alderman soon took hign rank
among the veterinarians of the HOOs-
Ter state and became the president of
the state association. He holds the
Office at the present time. His wife,
a woman of education and an ardent
church worker, associated with the
best people in Hartford City. Rae,
the daughter, followed closely in the
steps of the mother and took a prom
inent part in all the different church
societies. She was the head of the
Epworth league, assisted in the Christ
ian Endeavor society, and sang in a
church choir. She had few intimate
friends and sought few Of them. She
showed an apparent Indifference to
other people, and continued to attend
to her religious duties.
About six months ago her mother
died after an operation in Cincinnati
hospital. Four months later Rae
married KraUss, who is a compare
lively rich man as fortunes go in a
small city. She was taken into his
elegant home to be a mother to his
1S-year-old daughter. than whom the
new Mrs. Krauss was but niue years
older. Crystal, the daughter, moved in
the best society and was a prime
favorite among her associates.
So far as the public knew, Mrs.
Krauss and her stepdaughter were
much more agreeable to each other than
persons similarly situated. They al
ways appeared IN public together, and
the mother seemed to make her home
pleasant. In fact, they appeared in
public so often together that comment
had been made of the affection that
seemed to exist between the step
mother and Crystal Krauss. While
Mrs. Krauss did not mingle with the
fashionable set outside the church.
she seemed to delight in entertaining
the friends of Crystal. who were the
best young people in the city.
One week ago Tuesday Crystal
died at the home of her father on
North High street under suspicious
circumstances. For a few days pre-
vious she had been complaining OF
stomach trouble. but her condition
was not serious until Tuesday noon.
She died in commissions shortly after
dinner. Because the symptoms Of her
death resembled those of strvchuine