The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-06-13
STAR WITNESS
Peter Erickson Tells Horrible
Story of Agnes Polries'
Death.

Flandreau. June 12 Peter Erickson,
the star witness for the state in the
Kaufman case was on the stand to
day. Erickson was the man of all work
I about the Kaufman home.
Not once did ne lose his head under
| the 2rueling ross-examination by
counsel for the defense who entered in.
l to the private life of Erickson in order
to discredit him.
Erickson was cool, posse ssed. com
ment effective. He was confronted
with transcript of the testinnoy he
gave at the preliminary hearing in
Sioux Falls. This he corrected in part.
He claimed some of the statements he
made there were inaccurate. Some of
these had quite little bearing on what
the defense will be. This defense will
probably be that the girl was diseased,
and that her death was due to some
disease of the brain.
Erickson s story was listened to with
the closest attention. He was still
court went in after the noon recess,
and he commenced again to tell how he
had, at the instigation of Mrs. kauf
mann, disrobed the little sixteen year
old girl and bandaged her wounded
back, elbows and feet. 1t was he who
unbuttoned the gauze undervest and
slipped it from her shoulders. At this
time he first noticed that the girls feet
were raw, and Mrs. Kaufman told
him she had the girl soak her feet in
wood ashes. He also noticed that the
girl s face was bruised.
On the Wednesday before the girl
died. be scrubbed the furniture in the
girls room There were then no blood
clots On the floor Friday morning in
again assisting to bandage the grill in
the presence of Mrs. Kaufman he no
ticed blood in her matted hair and ask
ed Mrs. Kaufman about it. She said
Never mind about that. Go on with
your work
Witness described how he carried
the girl down the stairs to the ambu
lance. He described the condition of
the girl, saying that her eyes and
cheeks were sunken and that she seem
ed dazed There were black spots
under her eyes. Further on in this
recital witness described what Mrs.
Kaufman said and what she did when
she heard of Agnes death, showing
how Mrs. Kaufman paced the rooms
of her house saying, What shall do
what shall | dol" Erickson also stat
ed that be noticed a smell of turpentine
about the girl, and that Mrs. kauf
mann told him that she used turpentine
on the girl to take down the swelling.
on her body. He asked Mrs. Kaufman
if it was not too strong, and she said
no, that she always used it in her fam
lily.
Erickson told how he had removed
all the furniture and furnishings from
the girls room after her death, how he
scrubbed up blood stains as large as a
dollar from the floor. On the walls the
blood had spattered and run down, and
Mrs. Kaufman helped him to take the
paper from the walls.
At 2 80 O. clock Erickson went into
the hands of the defense for cross exam
mat ion, and-as was expected-he was
shown no mercy.
Are you paid TO testify in this
case9''
mo sir. -
Have you been offered any money
by anyone to testify"
''Yes sir. -
BY whom?'
~> by yourself and Mr.. Kaufman.
At this point the crowd rose and
cheered ana applauded. The court had
difficulty in quieting the assemblage
because of this unexpected answer to
such leading question.
Counsel for defense asked Erickson
to explain, and witness told of meet
ing with Judge Aikens by appoint
ment, in the Cataract hotel in Sioux
Falls.
looking straight at the defendant S
counsel, Judge Aikens, Erickson said ::
You told me if / would treat Mrs
Kaufman right they would treat me
right, they would give me anything
wanted.
This was the morning before Erick
son was to testify in the preliminary
hearing, he said
Erickson is tall and massive, broad
OF shoulders, head with name of hair,
big browed, big featured. direct, frank
we'll spoken, apparently without the
knowledge that he is the hinge on
whicn the weight of testimony in this
important case may swing. Erickson is
figure on the witness stand
He tells a terrible tale. It reeks
with horrors. 1t is pungent with
cruelties. 1t is one of the awful tales
of criminal jurisprudence
All of the details, of what he saw.
what he did. what was said to him ut
the Kaufman house, he tells with
readiness that pleases the government s
counsel and is disconcertine to those
who are at the helm of the defense.
Rem arkable Rescue
mt -, ,t- e.