Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-06-29

police officer In sight, a situation OF
serious import.
Hang her." shouted somebody back
In the crowd.
Mrs. Kaufman palcd and looked to
her husband for protection.
He placed his arm about her n
started across the street to Mayor
Burnside's livery barn.
Mob Breaks Into Fury.
As she started away the surging
mob appeared to lose all semblance OF
control. Those in front were pushed
against the prisoner and her feeble es-
cort.
String her up!" came the cry, fol-
owed by falsetto scream Of the fran
ic women, who shrieked:
Tear her to pieces!"
They varied this expression with
scratch her eyes out" and other
forms of feminine denunciation.
Several strong women, with hats
Gwry from being pushed n crowded
N the throng, struggled near the prts-
oner and spat on her.
There was only the lac Of leader
ship TO make the throng one which
would nave wreaked summary ven
gence on the woman, practically help
.ess In this emergency. But none APP
oeared to take the initiative in doing
violence and Mrs. Kaufman was al
most pushed into the livery barn.
Feared Further Outbreak.
From here Mrs. Kaufman was driv-
IN to her home and later, as has been
old, to the Jail. 1t was feared that
lad she been left at home the mob
would have done something desperate,
some fearing that the house would have
Deen burned down.
William Fish, justice of the peace
from Parkston, near who's home the
Polreis girl lived, and representing the
general temper of the whole COM
munity, declared that the members of
he Parkston delegation would not
leave Sioux Falls until Mrs. Kaufman
was in Jail.
1t is announced that no immediate,
effort will be made to secur the re-
lease of Mrs. Kaufman, not until the
Intense feeling against her In this city
subsidies. Then it is expected that APP
plicatiOn will be made to Judge Jones
IF the circuit court for her release on,
Dail, and if this fails to resort to habeas.
corpus proceedings.
The Alleged Crime.
The crime, of which Mrs. Kaufman
s alleged to be guilty, is that she
treated her ~16-year-old servant, Agnes
Polreis, so brutally. fiendishly, in fact,
hat the girl died after great suffering.
Twelve weeks after the girl came from
her home near Parkston, strong and
rudy. her body was sent back in a
coffin. Discovery, almost by accident.
hat there were wounds on the young
body, investigation showed there were
cuts, abrasions and bruises,
loose flesh from being scalded, and
flesh burned as If by acid.
Peter Erickson, hired man at the
Kaufman home, has testified he saw
his mistress bea the Polreis girl with
a poker and with a broom stick; that
he found her in a pool of water on the
kitchen floor, unconscious, and it is
suspected this had been hot water; that
he carried her upstairs and at the
Of Mrs. Kaufman anointed
the wounds with turpentine and ap-
piled water and wood ashes to the ten
der flesh.
Anna Jensen and Mrs. Oscar Larson.
former servants of Mrs. Kaufman, tell
of her violent, almost demoniacal tenn
per and strange treatment of them.
Mrs. Kaufman claims the girl fell
down stairs.
Mr.. and Mrs. John Polreis, parents
of the dead girl, are poor, but their
u has been championed by all the
people of their home town, and money
in plenty has been pledged to carry on
the prosecution.