The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-06-03
SOUTH DAKOTA
FEMALE H|END
FACES GALLONS
Woman Charged With Brutal
ity Towards Servant Girl
to Be Tried For Life.
MAY PROBABLY ENTER
PLEA OF INSANITY
Death Of Daughter May Have
Unbalanced Woman's
Mind.
MAY PROBABLY ENTER
PLEA OF INSANITY
Associated Press to The Evening Times.

Associated Press to The Evening Times.
Sioux Falls, S. D.. June o.
Charged with a'crime which, for fiend-
ish and inhuman cruelty, can scarcely
be surpassed in the criminal annals
of South Dakota, Mrs. Moses Kauff-
man, wife of millionaire brewer of
this city, will be placed on trial for
her life in Flandreau, in Moody coun-
ty, this week. The case will be
called tomorrow, when attorneys for
the accused woman will probably at
tempt to secure another delay. The
case was set for trial here on May
p last. but Judge Smith brought the
proceedings to sudden end by de-
claring fair trial impossible in this
county and granting change of ven
lie to Moody county, which adjoins
this county on the north.
The crime for which this woman of
wealth. and fashion is facing the gall
lows is the murder OF Agnes Polreis,
aged sixteen, a Bohemian girl who
died under terrible and suspicious
circumstances at "a Sioux Falls hos
pital early least year. Prior to her
death the victim had been employed
as domestic by Mrs. Kaufman Ru-
mors of fiendish brutalities practiced
on the maid by the brewers wife
caused the body to be exhumed. 1t
was found to be a mass of bruises,
scalds and cuts and there was every
appearance that the girl had met
death by violence. AT the prelim-
mary hearing other servants of the
Kaufman household testified that Mrs.
Kaufman, animated apparently by an
insane hatred toward the girl, had
often beaten and otherwise abused
her and upon one occa sion had forced
her to take bath in scalding water.
Mrs. Kaufman was arrested and
lodged in Jail to protect her from the
fury of mob, composed mostly of
women. which hooted and howled and
spat upon the former society leader,
threatening terrible punishments.
When public clamor had subsidized
Mrs. Kaufman was released on a bail
of $25,000, and has since spent most
OF her time at a northern summer re-
sort. Last winter it was rumored
that the indictment against the wo-
man would be quashed and all pro-
ceedings against her be dropped, be-
cause of lack of sufficient evidence.
Recent actions Of the prosecuting Of
ficials belle this rumor, although
many Sioux Falls people believe that
Mrs. Kaufman will never be tried.
1t is rumored that attorneys for the
accused woman. who include some of
the leading legal lights of the north
west, will, as last resort, enter a
plea of insanity, alleging that Mrs.
kauffman's mind was temporarily de-
ranged by the untimely death of her
daughter, thus leading to a mad ha-
tired of all young girls. This theory
is borne out by the statements OF
young women formerly employed at
the Kaufman mansion, who assert
that they were often awakaned in
the middle of the night. to find the
brewers wife beside their bed, glar-
ing with the malevolent light of in
sanity cleaning in her ferocious
eyes. until the frightened victim of
her hatred fled from the house. At
other times friends of Mrs. Kaufman
declare. she would sit brooding for
hours at a time before life-size por-
trait of her deceased daughter. occa-
sionally breaking forth into wild, de-
moniacal blasphenlies against God for
depriving her of her loved one.
Agnes Polries was Bohemian girl
and could speak little English. On
the night before her death. it is al
legged. the girls mother dreamed that
her daughter was in great trouble.
and SO frightened did she become
that she asked merchant to tele-
phone to Sioux Falls and inquire
about Agnes. At that instant he was
called to the telephone and received
message announcing the girls
death.