The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-01-26
BECHTE[ CASE
THE DEFENSE PRODUCES
STRONG EVIDENCE.
THE FAMILY TESTIFIES
And All Protest Their In
nOCenCe.

Allentown, Pa, Jan. .22.-Tbe entire
Bechtel family was on the witness
stand today in defense Of its aged head.
Mrs. Catherine Bechtel, who is charged
with being an accessory after the fact
to the murder of her daughter Mabel.
The stories Of the accused woman and
the various members of her household
were supplemented by mass OF other
evidence all tending to establish the
innocence of the woman. She was cross
examined for nearly three hours by As
sistant District Attorney Lutz but In
only one or two particulars did she
contradict her original story. The pit
fall into which the states counsel led
her did not seriously damage her case
Mrs. Bechtel was followed on the
stand by her daughter Myrtha, who
was examined at great length, but add
ed little and detracted nothing from
the story of her mother. $50 'aa 20 go
John Bechtel, the first of the accused
boys on the stand. corroborated the
statements of his mother and sister in
many particulars and his brother
Charles was equally important as q
corroborative witness. He added that
the lather's hstchet offered in evi-
dence belonged to him and that he had
broken the handle of 1t over year
ago. 'ra.
At the conclusion of their story all Of
the children were asked If they knew
who killed Mabel and all declared em-
phatically no"
Charles denied that he had said after
Toms arrest that the police were on
the track of the wrong man.
! Mrs. Maggie Miller, made the inn
portant statement that she and her
husband were in their kitchen at 3
o'clock on the Monday morning fol-
lowing the fatal Sunday and that they
did not see light or hear voices In
the Bechtel shanty at that time. This
is in contradiction of Eugene Hartzell's
testimony that at that hour some Of the
Bechtels we're up and about. Mrs. Mil
Ter and her son also testified that the
alleged bloodstained overalls of Tom
were not his and that they were found
in their yard several days before the
tragedy and had been daubed with
paint by the boy. Mrs. Miller had
many times before the tragedy, she
said, seen Toms stained bedding. She
stated that on the morning the body
was found, marks were seen on her
board walk which indicated that some
heavy object had been dragged over it.
She said that she could hear the
slightest noise in the Bechtel house in
hnt had G,f hAa rd I;Ctp rhav
other than the barking of the dogs on
the eventful night
On eros examination Mrs Miller said
she had not seen or heard a team in the
alley although she was awake.
At the evening session of court the
defense called three witnesses who
swore that they had met or seen Mabel
on the Monday before her body was
found. They had seen her in different
lparts of the city, and one witness said
she had seen Mabel in carriage with
a young man In the afternoon. Other
witnesses testified that they had called
at the Bechtel house on that Monday
and had noticed nothing unusual This
defense offered In evidence sheet up
on which there was q practical dem
onstration of the resemblance of to-
bacco juice to sleeps blood stains.
Mrs. Annie Daubensheck, q neighbor,
testified that she saw three blood spots
on Mrs. Miller's sidewalk on the morn
ing that Mabel's body was found. This
was shown for the purpose OF proving
that Mabel's body was brought through
the Miller lot and alley out on the side
walk and back to the Bechtel alley. =
c. w. Kaepple, and a man named
Buchanan, who is said to be New
York detective, testified that they had
found blood spots at sthe entrance to
the Miller alley week after the trag-
edy, ~w