Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-06-19
EVIDENCE IS STRONG
State Has Damaging Testimony
Against Millionaire's Wife
Oh Murder Charge
THE CASE OF AGNES poLREls
Now Believed That the Many Wounds
Found on Her Person Were Made
With Heavy Iron Stirring Spoon
Husband Of Accused Woman Break
4 Ing Down Under the Strain.

Ing Down Under the Strain.
Sioux Falls, S. D.. June 19.-When
the hearing of Mrs. Moses Kaufman,
the wife of a millionaire brewer,
charged with The murder of Agnes Pol
refs, is resumed here on "Wednesday,
the state will present, as evidence
against the accused, a trunk of blood
covered clothes belonging to the dead
girl, and a long. galvanized iron STIR
ring spoon, Weighing seventeen ounces,
and with which the prosecuting attor-
neys believe the wounds were inflicted
on the girls 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
Providence that left her alone in her
declining years, the wealthy JeWess
determined 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 been a breath of re-
proach, at last tortured to death Ag-
mes Polreis of Parkston, a handsome
Austrian girl whom Mrs. Kaufman
brought to her home only twelve weeks
ago as a maid.
81 Slowly Tortured
On the authority of every girl in
Sioux Falls who had worked for the
woman, this is given as an eXplana ton
of the seemingly inhunlan cruelty with
which Mrs. Kaufman is accused of
infiicting forty-nine wounds on the
person of Agnes Polreis. the pouring
turpentine into the raw sores, scalded
the legs of the girl with boiling water,
and then forced her to put them into
solution of I've until the flesh slipped
from the bone and literally dropped
off.
No one, not even the state, contends
that Mrs Kaufman calyely murdered
Agnes Polreis. 1t was a 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 Tor 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, mass of bruises, bleed
ing cuts, cooked flesh and broken bones
was carried to a hospital to die.
Keep. Prisoner.
1t has developed that the girl was
unable to get away from the Kauf-
mann home. She was practically a
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, 1t is said, she had her
first trouble with her mistress and that
after that her letters We're intercepted,
and for nine weeks no one heard
complaint from her. Escape from the
torture was made more difficult be-
cause the girl could not speak a word
of English, and even those who spoke
the German language had difficulty in
understanding the peculiar mixture OF
German 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 secure facts from the girl because of
her Austrian mixture, and he says he
took Mrs. Kaufmann's word for every
thing.
-Four different girls in Sioux Falls, |
MI Of whom have been employed by
Mrs Kaufman. agree that she was
cruel TO them. She forbade
them to lock their doors at night, that
she might have access to their rooms, I
and had even gone TO the extent of
making trips to their rooms standing
over them with a fixed gaze. It'll
seemed, according to the domestics /
that she yearned to grab and strange /
them in her unfergiviag hatred.
Husband Breaks Down.
AZ his beautiful home on South Sew
enth and Summit streets, Moses Kauf-
mann and his wife were seen yesterday
by a representative of the press. Sher-
if Phillips occupied chair in one
corner of the parlor. Mr.. Kaufman has
not left the house since his wife's ar
rest. He shows plainly in his strong
face the suffering which he is endur-
ing, and many times tears flowed from
his eyes, and twice during the inter-
view he broke into audible sobs and
finally gave away to tears like a
Il have been away from home a
great DEAL" said Mr.. Kaufman, and
ny wife has been left alone with the
yirl, our son Charles being away in
college. My wife always locked the
ioor leading from the hallway to the
girls room, thus cutting the girl off
rom any other part of the house. The
,irl used the backstairs altogether, and
am inclined to believe she received
one of the wounds from falling on
he stairway, which is very steep, as
NY son fell on them a year ago and
vas seriously injured.
Stands BY His Wife.
Now, I don't care to say any
nore," he said choking a sob. Il
would rather you would not ask me
bout it, for all this horrible affair will
ome out in court. I will say this:
elieve my wife to be one of the best
women in the world. We are simply
by the people of Parkston.
t is true that my wife has grieved
much over the loss of our daughter. We
ave but the one child now, our son
,harles."