Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-08
MURDERS HER
MOTHER AND
TRIES SUICIDE
Brother Kills Him
self on Grave of
Parents
Uncle Kneels Before an
Onrushing Express
Train
Girl Dies at County HospitaI--sweets
heart, Who Was Arrested, Charged
with Staying Her with Poison,
Makes Statement

THERE is tragedy in every line OF
life story Of Olga Miller, who died
at the county hospital May 21.
Her real name was Bertha Beilstein.
She was society belle of Allegheny,
Pennsylvania.
Bertha BeiIstein murdered herr
mother on the night of October 2. 1898.
Her brother committed suicide a few
days later on her mothers grave. Her
uncle, a respected citizen, threw him
self in front OF an express train, and
was instantly killed.
| After she had slain her mother the
girl made five attempts to take her
own life. Her pitifully mutilated body
was patched up by surgeons and the
| girl underwent the. terrible ordeal of a
trial for her life on the charge Of MUIR
| der.
Experts declared her insane, and she
was sent to the Dixmont asylum,
where she remained a model inmate
until last September, when she es-
capped and made her way to Chicago,
where she. was assisted by her brother
and smuggled to Los Angeles.
Haunted by Remorse
Every waking hour of her life Bertha
Beilstein was haunted by the demon
remorse, which hourly ate into her soul
until she at times cried aloud from
the very agony of her secret.
"Oh, the horror of remorseful con-
science!'' she exclaimed to Richard l.
Hardin, a day before her removal to
the county hospital. where she died.
The story of Bertha Beilstein's life
was intermingled with pitiful tragedy
that has become part OF the bloody
history of Western Pennsylvania.
The blood stain upon the escutcheon
of the house of Beilstein reads like
chapter of MEDIEVAL history.
dispatch from Pitsburg gives an
outline of the series of tragic events
in the lives of the members OF the
Beilstein family.
It has been almost ten years, reads
the dispatch, since the first of the
series of Beilstein shocks tore Western
Pennsylvania into shreads.
! Deraneed by Fathers Deatf,
On December 81, 1897. John Frederick
Beilstein, one of the very wealthy
butchers of Allegheny City, arrived
home from Chicago in time to sit down
| to breakfast with his wife and their
beautiful daughter, Bertha
He was telling them funny story
of his Just completed trip when ne tell
over dead. Later, when Bertha nau
killed her mother, there was rumor
that she had also killed her father, pEt
this does not appear on investigation
at that late day to be borne out.
There is no doubt, however, that the
tragic death of her father deranged the
mind of Bertha Beilstein, who at this
time was a girl of less than 20 years.
On October 2 of the next fall the fear
full Beilstein tragedy occurred
1t was on Saturday night, and Ser
tha with her mother had spent mucn OF
the evening in the butcher shop OF her
brother, Edward Beilstein. Both
seemed in the best spirits, and before
night they went into the Beilstetn home
with a bucket of ice cream. Ihat was
the last seen of Mrs. Beilstein alive
The howls of dog the next nnornins
awoke the neighbors, and Edward beil-
stein, summoned from MIN noipe hee.r
by, broke into the homestead ~
Revolver Looked Too Big
He found the mother dead in bed,
She had been shot several tunes ana
dubbed with a slung shot and then tut5
with a butcher knife. g on the noor os-
side her was Bertha, almost lifeiess.
In her right hand was a butcher knife,
covered with blood. aid in her left was
q 2o-caliber revolver, empty. Ou tue
chair beside her was a 32-calther re-
volver with all chambers full, ma Df-
side 1t the bloody slung shot.
Bertha later admitted that she hao
killed her own mother, which was seif-
evident, and she also explained tnat
she had intended to kill herself VITA
the 32-caliber revolver, but at the last
moment the mouth of 1t looked too biE,
she said. and she feared It would make
too great holes in her body.
For weeks the girl laid IN the hospital
between life and death. Loter she was
tried for murder and acquitted on the
grounds of insanity, but recomrnen endeu
To Confinement In an insane asylum,
and she was sent to Dixmont-
Brother and Uncle Commit suiclds
Before the girl came TO trial, however,
there was a series of other tragedies ~
.(Continued on Page Twezve.l