The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-01-22
BECHTELS
INNOCENT
Says the Aged Mother on
the Stand.
CALLS GOD TO WITNESS
Mrs. Bechtel Tells Plain, Straigh-
forward Story and TestimO-
ny Is Not Shaken.
CALLS GOD TO WITNESS

ALLENTOWN, Pa, Jan. ~. - MN.
Catharine Bechtel, whose trial on the
charge Of being an accessory after theI
fact to the murder Of her daughter Ma
bel has been In progress here since
last week, took the witness stand inI
her own defense. She was on the stand
for four and a half hours and proved
q good witness. She told q plain1
straightforward story, in low, plain
tive voice, which frequently broke as
Rhe related the incidents and conver-
Sations that wrung her heart. Briefly
stated, Mrs. Bechtel positively denied
that her son Tom killed Mabel or that
she had guilty knowledge Of the crime
She was under cross examination when
court adjourned, but the commonwealth
up to that time failed to shake heI
story.
Mr. Schaadt, examining her, thus pu
the most pointed question of all.
at is charged" said Mr.. Sehaadt
that on that Sunday night Tom strucl
Mabel in anger and killed her. Now
you are an old woman and have no
much longer to live As you must som
day answer to your Creator, so tel
us now, did anything like that occur
your houseT
The tears welled in the gray hal
Woman's eyes, her hands were clasi
as if in prayer before her breast, an
with her head toward heaven she feI
vently replied:
81 swear by my God that Mabel wa
not killed or struck by Tom in m
homer
Then Mrs. Bechtel told of hearin
dogs bark in the yard at midnight 0
Monday. Tom was asleep, she sais
and had one dog with him in his bet
room. Another dog was in the celia
Arising, she went to the rear windo
and saw a cab in the alley. She sa
two men carry something into Miller
yard next door The witness did n
awaken Myrtha. She heard Tom snO
ing. The witness told Of finding M
bells body Tuesday morning in Il
areaway under the hOuse when 81
went to get a washing machine. u
recital and what followed were ide
cal with the statement told by her
fore the trial and as given by other W
nesses. Two aprons placed in eviden
belonged to the witness, who account
for the blood stains by saying that
handling meats she wiped her hands
the aprons.
Mr. Schmidt asked, "Is it true tn
you wanted Mabel to go with 9th
menTn
Never in my life" was the answe
"Did you say to Eckstein that v
wanted Mabel to go with men
bring in money!
'Never in my life, and she did
either. There was never such thi
said"
Replying to another question as
whether she knew how Mabel b
come by her death she said:
God knows that don't. If l did
would not be here now. would hf
said 1t long ago If 1t was from
youngest tot or the oldest of my &
dren | would not shield them, and
would not be saved myself, | have
ten implored and prayed that it mi
be revealed before die. AS it is N
many people stare at US innocent
pie, and l don't care to 20 on
street"
Mrs Bechtel is Pennsylvania
man, and the entire proceedings "
carried on in the Pennsylvania Germ
dialect, which was understood not
by the judge jury and attorneys.
by most Of the spectators in the Gro
ed court room. 1t is probable that nj
sessions will be held in order to has
the end of the trial.