Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-06-21
Prominent Sioux Falls Woman
Convicted ofKilling Her Maid,
Miss Agnes Polreis
MANsLAUGHTER THE CHARGE
Minimum Penalty Under the Verdict
is Twenty Years Imprisonment -
First Trial Resulted in Disagreement
Of Jury-History Of the Famous
Case.

Flandreau. S. D.. juno 21.-Mrs.
Emma Kaufman, wife Of a prominent
citizen of Sioux Falls, S. D., was last
night convicted of mssnslaughter in the
first degree She has been on trial for
several days charged with causing the
death, from brutal treatment, of her
maid, Miss Agnes Polreis.
The minimum term of Imprisonment
fixed by the statutes for the crime is
twenty years Imprisonment In the
pententiary.
The case was submitted to the jury
at o'clock in the afternoon and the
verdict was not reached until several
hours later.
This is the second trial of Mrs. Kauf-
mann, the first having been held in
Sioux Falls. The result was a dis
agreement of the jury. A change Of
venue to Flandreau was then taken.
The Kaufmanns have resided in
Sioux Falls for abou' quarter of a
century and are known to practically
every man, woman and child In the
city Mr.. Kaufman for years has\been
prominently identified with state pol
tiles and is generally known turnout
South Dakota and adjoining states.
Agnes Polreis, the, domestic whom
Mrs. Kaufman has been convicted Of
killing, was native of Austria Hun
gary and arrived in South Dakota from
the old country with her parents dur
ing the closing months Of 1905. The
girl went to Sioux Fails and entered
the employ of Mrs. Kaufman on Feb
ruary Is, only a few weeks after the
family arrived in South Dakota. and
she died at Sioux Falls hospital from
numerous wounds, bruises, and cuts.
The girl, while of small stature, was
robust and healthy when she arrived
in Sioux Falls and weighed 1873 pounds.
At the time of her death the girl, ac-I
cording to competent authority, did
not weigh more than ITO pounds.
After her death irl a local hospital
on June l her remains were prepared
for burial and shipped to the parents
of the girl at Parkston. Wounds upon
the head of the dead girl were discov-
cred by young daughter of William
Moeller, business man of Parkston,
who was an intimate friend of Miss
Polreis. 1t was from Miss MoelIer
that the first disclosures came.
After the burial the girl friend of
the dead girl was so persistent in the
r1dfro that de- hor
head that it was determined to disin-
ter the remains and make an investi-
cation. When the body had been lifted
from it's place in the grave the other
wounds, gashes, and bruises were dis
covered.
To convince the authorities of Min
nehaha county that the girl had been
the victim of foul play the coffin of
the dead girl on the evening of Satur-
day, June g. was for the second time
lifted from the grave to the surface
of the ground in the presence of States
Attorney Quinn of Hutchinson county,
Drs. Olney and Billion of Sioux Falls,
DR.. Quinn of Memo, and Drs. Schofield
and Landmann Of Parkston and about
a hundred Parkston people. A much
larger number of physicians and 9TH
ers We're present than on the first oc-
casion when the body was exhumed
The evidence secured as the result
of the second examination resulted in
the arrest of Mrs. Kaufman on the
charge of having been responsible for,
the wounds, gashes, cuts and bruises
which caused the death of the girl.
Since a few days after the conclu.
sion of her preliminary hearing on
June 20 of last year Mrs. Kaufman
has been at liberty on bonds of $685.,
900. she having been admitted to bail
by the state supreme court.