The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-06-18
iron SPOON AS
WEAPON OF DEATH
State Collects More Important
New Evidence in Kaufman
Murder Case.
Loss Of Her Daughter Said to
Have Impelled Mrs. Kauf-
mann to Crime.
Special to The Journal.

Sioux Falls, s. D., June l8.-When
the hearing Of Mrs. Moses Kaufman,
the wife of millionaire brewer,
charged with the murder Of Agnes Pol
reis, is resumed here on Wednesday. the
state will present, as evidence against
the accused, a trunk of blood-eovered
clothes belonging to the dead girl, and
long, galvanized iron stirring spoon,
weighing seventeen ounces, and with
which the prosecuting attorneys be-
ieve the wounds were inflicted on the
girl g head
Domestics, formerly in the employ Of
Mrs. Kaufman, will be asked to tes-
tify to show that, because her own
daughter was taken from her by death,
because she would not forgive the Prov
Ginning years, the wealthy Jewess de-
termned that no young girl about her
should enjoy health and happiness. And
this, the attorneys will assert, is the
remarkable reason why Mrs. Kaufman,
against whose character there has not
tured to death Agnes Polreis of Parks
ton. a handsome Austrian girl. whom
| Mrs. Kaufman brought to her home
only twelve weeks ago as maid.
Slowly Tortured
On the authority Of every girl in
Sioux Falls who had worked for the
woman, this is given as an explanation
Of the seemingly inhuman cruelty with
which Mrs. Kaufman is accused of in
ficting forty-nine wounds on the per-
son Of Agnes Polreis, the pouring tur-
tpentine into the raw sores, scalded the
legs Of the girl with boiling water, and
then forced her to put them into So
luton Of I've until the flesh slipped from
the bone and literally dropped off.
No one, not even the state, contends
that Mrs. Kaufman calmly murdered
Agnes Polreis. It was case of slow
torture, and the trunk Of bloody under
clothing and other personal effects of
the girl, which appear to have had
/ blood on them for several weeks. will
be evidence against the woman that
wound was added to wound from day
to day, assault added to assault, till at
!, last the girl, a mass of bruises, bleed
ing cuts, cooked flesh and broken bones,
was carried to hospital to die.
Kept a Prisoner.
It had developed that the girl was
unable to get away from the Kauf-
prisoner in little back room under
the gable Of the Kaufman home. For
three weeks after she began working
for Mrs Kaufman she wrote to her
parents. Then, it is said, she had her
first trouble with her mistress and that
4
and, for nine weeks no one heard COM
plant from her. Escape from the tor
ture was made more difficult because
t the girl could not speak word of Eng
lish, and even those who spoke the
German Language had difficulty in un-
Outstanding the peculiar mixture Of
German a. and Austrian which the girl
spoke. This is given as an explana-
ton by DR.. W. A. German, who called
to see her on the day she died. He
!, understands German, but was unable to
l secure facts from the girl because Of
her Austrian mixture, and he, says he
! took Mrs. Kaufmann's word for every
thing.
9 Four different girls in Sioux Falls,
e all Of whom have been employed by
9 Mrs. Kaufman, agree that she was UNI
!, usually cruel to them. She forbade
: them to lock their doors at night, that
y she might have access to their rooms,
making trips to their rooms, standing
+ over them with a fixed gaze. 1t
j. seemed, according to the domestics, that
i she yearned to grab and strangle them
9 in her unforgiving hatred.
Husband Breaks Down.
!. At his beautiful home on South Sew
!. enth and Summit streets, Moses Kauf-
mann and his wife were seen today by
: The Journal correspondent. Sheriff
Phillips occupied a chair in one corner
I Of the parlor. Mr.. Kaufman has not
!. left the house since his wife's arrest.
! He shows plainly in his strong face the
! many times tears flowed from his eyes.
). !. and twice during the interview he
: broke into audible sobs and finally
gave away to tears like schoolboy.
81 have been away from home a
great DEAL" said Mr.. Kaufman. "and
!, my wife has been left alone with the
q girl, our SON Charles being away in col
leading from the hallway to the girl s
, room, thus cutting the girl off from
any other part Of the ,house. The girl
g used the backstairs altogether, and 1
q am inclined to believe she received
/ some Of the wounds from falling on
j. the stairway, which is very steep, as
e my son fell on them year ago and
q was seriously injured.
], Stands by His Wife.
ttNow, I don't care to say any
3 more,o he said, choking sob, ST
= would rather you would not ask me
. about it, for all this horrible affair will
n come out in court. I will say this: !
believe my wife to be one of the best
a. women in the world. We are simply
IT prosecuted by the people Of Parkston.
20 It is true that my wife has grieved
l. much over the loss of our daughter. We
have but the one child now, our son
i Charles. -
v. Mrs. Kaufman has began to realize
n what the outcome of the Polreis affair
D. may mean to her, and she, has partly
N broken down. She has been confined
a to her bed for several days, but Mr.,
or Kaufman expressed the belief that she
would be able to attend the hearing
when it reopens Wednesday.
Mr.. Kaufman manifested the ut
s most surprise when told about the
:. trunk of blood-covered clothing, which
~ is now in the possession of States At.
NJ torney J. L. Quinn at Parkston
o. ssJUoil ,, La+so;d we .xuora oIoan;nor mr.
TT +ha rno,, a ftar 4 o,nas PoIra;s was taken
le to the hospital. sent the trunk to the