The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1907-07-05

E .aUT.ES ~ ~ RitO l
wrote to her chum FREQUENTLY. and
her letters We're answered. This cor
respondence seemed to have the eff
feet OF making pretty Olga quite
reckless. She plunged into pleasures
and designations, and one day her
body was found in her room where
she had lived for some months after
running away from home. She had
drank carbolic acid.
When Bertha had nearly complet-
ed her sixth year in the Dixmont asy-
lum---during which period she had
repeatedly written coherent letters
to the authorities declaring herself
sane and asked to be discharged
she effected her sensational escape.
A key was m~ysteriously obtained and
a man in an automobile had stopped
near the institution and sounded his
horn; then shortly, an automobile
whirled swiftly away with q passen-
ger beside the driver---these were
practically all the details of the es-
cape to become generally known.
After that---until the first week in
the present mountaineering Beilstein
seemed to have disappeared from the
surface Of this earth.
One day in the last week in May
the authorities of a hospital in Los
Angeles, CAL, suddenly came to the
conclusion that they had a case of
murder on their hands. Ayoung wo-
man patient who had entered the hos
pital two weeks before, giving the
name Of Olga Miller, had died after
drinking a glass of milk given to her
byaman visitor who had been so per-
sistent in his efforts to see the pa
tient that he had finally been admit
ted.
This man, who was young and good
looking, and well dressed, had given
the name Of Richard Hardy. After
talking with the patient for a few
minutes he asked the nurse for a
glass of milk. The nurse brought the
milk and gave it to the visitor, who
put it to the lips Of the patient. She
choked while drinking it. Nurses
came hurriedly from other parts of
the ward, w%hercupon Hardy jumped
up and ran away.
The next morning Olga Miller was
dead. During the night Hardy had
called up the hospital anxiously ask
ing after the patient. When the
girl was dead the hospital authori-
ties, believing that Cigar Miller's
visitor had given her a dose Of CO.
cainc in the milk. had him arrested
on the charge Of murder. But when
the autopsy showed no trace Of poi
son, showing instead that death had
been caused by a tumor on the
brain, which had been gradually
developing for years, the prisoner
was released.
This was after Olga Miller had
been buried. The fact now came to
light that Olga Miller also had been
living at the Royal Hotel while work
ing as a waitress in Los Angeles for
$35 a month. She was supposed to
be getting ready to marry Richard
Hardy, who sold books Of a poetical
nature. He seemed to be very much
in love with the girl.
Presently there was a startling de-
vclopmant. Frederick Beilstein, a
cousin of Bertha Bcilstein, had tele-
graphcd from Chicago that the dead
Olga Miller" had been none other
than Bertha Beilstein. He ordered
her grave to be guarded until he
could arrive and take charge Of the
body.
How could Frederick Beilstein, in
Chicago be so certain that Olga Mil
le, dead in Los Angeles, was Bertha
Beilstein. No one had reason to
doubt that the hospital paticnt was
other than the Olga Miller. she claim
ed to be, and, therefore, no descrip-
ton Of the dead woman had been
circulated. For answer to this
question the scene changes to Chi
cagO.
A few days prior to the death of
the Los Angeles hospital patient En-
mund w. Wander, in Chicago, re-
ccivcd the following telegram from
Richard Hardy, in Los Angeles:
Olga Miller is dying in hospital.
Send $50 at Once"
Mr.. Wander lost no time in see
ing his friend, Frederick Bcilstein.
Bertha is dying in a hospital in
Los Angeles" he said, and showed
the telegram containing the intclli-
gencc about Olga Miller" o
There was no need Of any descrip-
ton of "Olga Miller" Both men
knew that Bertha Bcilstcin had as
sumcd the name Of her dead girl
chum, fearing rccapturc, during
her w~andcringS after escaping from
the asylum.
HAD VISITED IN CHICAGO.
When Mr.. Wander was a boy, liv-
ing in Allegheny City, Pa, his pco-
PIE had been intimate friends Of the
Bcilstcins. He had gone to Chicago
and married. Frederick Bcilstcin,
Bcrtha's cousin lived there. Dur
ing the visit of Bertha and her moth
To the Chicago worlds fair they had
stopped with both families.
The Wanders and the Chicago
5cilstcins heard of Bcrtha's escape
from the Dixmont asylum, and anX-
lously awaited further news. In a
few days it came, brought by Bcr-
tina herself. She was exhausted and
almost in rags. Having insufficient
money for her journey, she had
been forced to tramp the last stages.
She was in great fear of rccapturc
and anxious to get further West.
so, after She was rested and pro-
vldcd her with proper clothing, the
Wandcrs and BciIstcins provided her
with money and a ticket to Los An
gcles, giving the Pullman porter a
generous fee to look after her on
the journey. They had advised her
to take another name. and she had
chosen that Of her dead chum, Olga,
because Of her blond hair and gen
eral Twcdish appearance.
Her Chicago friends heard from