Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-02-06
BECHTEL FAMILY
MAKE CHARGES
Petition Court to Punish District
Attorney Lichtenwalner.
TELLS OF INSULTING CONDUCT

Allentown, Pa. Jan. 80. - Charges
were preferred against District At
torney E. ]. Lichtenwalner to Judge
Frank M. Trexler in chambers alleg-
ing gross misconduct on the part of
the district attorney before and dur
ing the Bechtel trials They were
filed by Attorney William j. Jones, on
behalf of Allison K Brobst, Mrs.
Bechtel's son-in-law, complainant, in
the form petition to the court
The petition of Mr.. Brobst sets forth
that the district attorney has wilfully
and grossly neglected to comply with
his duties, much to the chagrin and
humiliation, of the deponent, his wife
and her family, as well as the counsel"
1t is further alleged that the district
attorney on October q 1903. at the
beginning of his inquiries into the
death of Mabel Bechtel, grossly and
negligently conducted the same while
in state of intoxication and in an in
sulting manner" toward the family
of the murdered girl; that the district
attorney later, in the course of the
several trials. did attempt to conduct
the same while in a state of intoxica-
ton, which fact compelled your honor
to adjourn court until the following
day, when he was again incompetent
i to try the cases properly because of
his condition the day previous;" that
on Thursday, January 81, he was
again unable to appear at the after
noon session of court ant had to be
taken away from the law library.
thereby throwing upon his assistant
the entire onus of the trial, which
again constituted wilful and gross neg
ligence on his part
Attached to the complaint of Mr..
Brobst are several affidavits in sup
port of his allegations. The first one
on the list is that of Mrs Catharine
Bechtel, the mother of the murdered
girl, and in it she afiirms. among other
things, that when. on October %, the
district attorney called at her home he
, was in a state of intoxication. Sas
asserts that she was ill and nervous
and was barely conscious OF what was
going on.
Il remember" she states, that the
district attorney staggered and | was
really afraid of him. He seated him.
self on the couch beside me and an
nounced that he had come to get evil
dence to hang David Weisenberger
He embraced me and repeatedly kissed
me. l made attempts to repulse him,
but in my weakened condition | was
unable to do so. I was so overcome
with grief and emotion and so fright
ened and insulted at the mans actions
that became partly unconscious and
don't remember clearly what happened
save that he thrust money in my
hand.
Il resented the manner In which the
said Lichtenwalner acted toward my
daughters. l saw him embrace and
try to kiss my daughter Martha. /
next recall that the police entered to
take Lichtenwalner from the house"
Mrs. Harry ID. Newhard, in her affi-
davit AYERS that Lichtenwalner was
insulting and tried to embrace her.
Mrs. Newhard says Lichtenwalner
made improper proposals to other wo-
men IN the house, and to Mrs. Brobst.
sister of the murdered girl, he offered
ring.
Mrs. Brobst makes similar charges
against Lichtenwalner in her affidavit
She alleges that he took her ..mother
around the neck, kissed her repeatedly
and hugged her roughly" Then" the
afidavit goes on "Lichtenwalner sat
beside my mother while lying on the
couch and presented her with his en-
dearments and pretended to condole
her as follows: Your darling, dear. be-
loved daughter Mabel Then Lichten-
walner ordered ham and eggs and
drink and cigars to be brought. as
though in a saloon, and wanted a cab
TO be brought to carry my mother
home. not knowing that she was then
home He persisted in his behavior
and / was forced to have an officer
called"
Martha Bechtel, also a sister OF the
murdered girl, corroborated the testi-
mony of her mother and Mrs. Brobst
and says 'Iichtenwalner, who was in
q state OF intoxication. came to me
while seated in a rocking chair. leaned
over me, grasping the arms of the
chair SO that l could not escape and
leaned into my face" CHere follow
charges of improper proposals.)
The papers were filed and the case
Will come up for hearing on Monday.
Hearing Postponed.
Allentown, Pa, Feb. 2.-Edwin ].
LAchtenwalner, the accused district at
A.