The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1907-05-10
MRS. EMMA KAUFMAN.
Sioux Falls IS. o. woman whose trial for alleged brutal murder Of servant
girl is expected to open within next ten days:

SnfeWu rrlfillnal dWNer, Judge Frank
X. Aikens, and his able partner. Harry
{. Judge. Behind the prosecution will
be the sympathy of that great body OF
middle II Oorer classes to which
belonged the unfortunate girl whom
Mrs. Kaufman is charged with hav-
ing murdered, and which, notwith-
standing that the evidence Of only one
side-the proscuUtion-thus far has
been presented, sIrears to firmly be-
lieve in the guilt of the accused wo-
man.
The star witness Of the prosecution.
Peter Erickson. the former hired man
Of the kaufmalns, upon whose testi-
mOny the prosecution will have to de-
pend to ecure a conviction in the
case. testified fully at the preliminary
hearing of Mrs, Kaufman.
The theory of the prosecution is
that the girl, for an unknown motive.
was deliberately beaten and pummeled
to death by Mrs. Kaufman, and that
at least on one occasion, that testified
to by Peter Erickson. the hired man,
Mrs. Kaufman threw boiling water on
the girl after the girl had fallen to the
floor from sheer exhaustion.
The prosecution also will offer teSti-
mony at the trial of Mrs. Kaufman TO
the effect hat on a number of occa-
sions the eirl was e on her knees
before Mrs. Kaufman, with her hands
appraised in an appealing manner, as
though pleading for mercy 1t the
hands of her mistress. Upon these oc-
casions the only words uttered by the
girl, who could not speak English.
We're Frau hartmann Frau Kauf-
manu-"
Lay Injuries to Disease.
1t is thought in some quarters that
the defense, when the case to
trial, will seek to show that the eirl
was affected by anemia deficiency of
blood accompanied by vertigo dizzy
spellsD. The anemia will be alleged to
have been developed by diabetis and
gangrene. 1t is expected the defense
also will allege that a blood clot on the
girls brain, taken in connection with
the anemia and diabetis, had the effect
of preventing the girl having control
over herself, especially so far as the
use of her lower limbs was concerned,
and that because of this she had fire.
quent falls.
The gashes, wounds n bruises
found upon her head. body and limbs.
it is thought, will be accounted for by
the defense by these frequent falls, it
1.s-r .Iln-cl %La{ an rpn Noaac{nn cha
fell down stairs through having no con-
troll over her lower limbs. The I'M
iointing Of one of the fingers of her
left hand and the protruding of the
bone probably will be explained by
the defense to the effect that in fall
ing the girl threw out her hand to
save herself, and that her finger
caught on a hook or other obstruction
and inflicted the injury noted by the
physicians.
Mrs. Kaufman is said to be abso-
lutely without intimate friends,
because she does not have the fac
ulty Of making friends with members
of her sex, but because she does not
to have friends. She has no init
mate friends even among the other
Jewish women Of Sioux Falls, some of
whom are numbered among the socie-
ty leaders.
She seldom reads a newspaper, and
apparently takes but little interest in
happenings around her. She sits for
hours at a time in a rocking chair. mo-
tionless. and with her mind evidently
unoccupied. Although she is an &C
complished musician, and a fine piano
occupies a place in the Kaufman
home, she seldom if ever opens it and
plays.