The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-06-13

F'landreau, S. D., June 1.-THE jury
as finally sworn in to try Mrs. Emma
Kaufman is made up as follows:
Sever Benson, farmer.
c. Buck. farmer.
Irving Stombaugh, farmer.
e. G. Pettigrew, farmer.
B. +. Nichols, carpenter.
A. G.. Platts carpenter and farmer.
Ed. Benewise, farmer.
william Cone, farmer.
Ben Mace, farmer.
Christian Lee, farmer.
George Pearly. farmer.
Ray Pierce, farmer.
After the jury had been sworn in
George B. Egan, for the state, read the
Information charging Mrs. Kaufman
with the crime of murder, and after
concluding this announced that Mrs.
Kaufman already had entered a plea
Of not guilty. .EN
The state withdrew IA its motion,
made soon after the convening Of
court Tuesday afternoon. that there
should be a separation of the wit
nesses during the time the trial was
In progress.
Opening Statement by Eaan.
Mr.. Egan made the opening state
ment for the state, setting forth in
detail the facts which would. he said,
be proved by the testimony of wit
nesses, to show that Agnes Polreis
had been the victim of cruel and
wanton murder. and that Mrs. Kauf-
mann was guilty OF the crime OF end
ing her life. Attorney Egan made
concise statement, which was listened
to with the closest attention by the
attorneys, court attaches, court Off
cials and the several hundred spec
tators who crowded the court room
to its utmost capacity as socn as 1t
became known that q jury finally had
been secured after a tedious delay
and that the offering Of testimony
was to commence.
The first witness called was Ar
thur A Snashall, a Sioux Falls un-
dertaker, who prepared the body Of
Agnes Polreis for burial. He told Of
mann home with his ambulance to
take the girl to the hospital.
This was about 10 o'clock on the
morning OF Friday, June /, of last
year About o'clock in the even
ing Of that day he was summoned to
the hospital to remove the body of
the girl, who had died between 5 and
Q o'clock. N.a.. .... g.
The witness described the wounds,
bruises and abrasions discovered by
him upon her body and head at the
time he embalmed the remains. The
limbs were wrapped, so he did not
notice their condition.
On cross examination the witness
stated that while on the way from the
Kaufman home to the hospital, the
girl was alive and gave utterance to
several exclamations in a foreign
tongue. He also told of having been
x,rn af parIrafnn II1na m Uhan
the remains for the second time We're
removed from their place in the grave
and examined by physicians, and
stated that there was six or eight
inches of water in the grave at the
time the remains were raised to the
surface of the ground. . ~.
Hospital Superintendent Called.
The second witness was Miss Janette
Larson, superintendent of the hospital
where the girl died. She described at
considerable length the nature Of the
wounds, bruises, cuts and abrasions,
and told OF what had been done for the
girl during the time she was in the
hospital prior to her death. She min
utely described the wounds, ETC., and
referred to a number OF black and blue
spots which she noticed upon the body
Of the girl. She testified, among other
things, that bruises upon each of the
shoulder blades were black and Of gan
grcnous appearance. This gangenrous
condition, to judge from the import
ance accorded 1t by the cross examila-
tion by the defense, will play a con-
siderable part in the line of defense
to be followed in behalf of Mrs. Kauf-
mann.
The third witness was Miss A. M
Thornburg, professional nurse, who
had assigned TO her the duty of car
ing for Agnes Polreis after she had
been taken to the hospital. Her tes-
timony was along much the same lire
as that Of Miss Larson. and related
chiefly to the cuts and bruises upon
the girls head. According to the wit.
ness the patient talked some during the