Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-06-21
DECLARED GUILTY
Mrs. Emma Kaufman of Sioux
Falls Found to Have Caused
the Death of Servant.
LIKE THE MCKINNEY CASE
But in This Instance Abuse Caused
Death-Convicted of MansIausht-
er, First Degree.


Emma Kaufman, wife of Il prominent
citizen of Sioux Falls, S. D., was last
night convicted of manslaughter III
the first degree. She has been on trial
for several days charged with causing
the death, from brutal treatment, OF
her maid, Miss Agnes Polreis.
The minimum term of Imprisonment
fixed by the statutes for the crime :
20 years Imprisonment in the peniten-
tiary.
The case was submitted to the jur,
at O'Clock in the afternoon and tn.
verdict was not reached until several
! hours later.
| Disagreement at First Trial.
This is the second trial of Mis-.
Kaufman, the first having been heli
| in Sioux Falls. The result was Il dis
| agreement of the jury. a change Of
venue to Flandreau was then taken.
! The Kaufmanns nave resided in Sioux
| Falls for about Il quarter Of a century
and are known to practically every
man, woman, and child III the city. Nj.
Kaufman for years has been prom
ncntly identified with state politics ami
is generally known throughout South
Dakota and adjoining states.
Came to This Country In 1905.
Agnes Polrcis, the domestic who II
Mrs Kaufman has been convicted OF
killing, was native of Austria Hun
gary and arrived in South Dakota
from the old country with her parents
during the closing months of 1905. The
girl went to Sioux Falls and entered
the employ of Mrs. Kaufman on Feb
is, only few weeks after the family
arrived i'll South Dakota, and only (
little over three months before she
, died at a Sioux Falls hospital from
numerous wounds, bruises, and cuts.
The girl, while of small stature, wa.
robust and healthy when she arrived
in Sioux Falls and weighed 13S pounds
At the time of her death the girl. &C
cording to competent authority, did no
weigh more than 10 pounds.
, Suspicious Mounds Are Found.
l After her death in a local hospita
T on June 6 her remains were prepare,
for burial and shipped to the parents
of the girl at Parkston. Wounds upol
the head of the dead girl were discoy
cred by young daughter of William
} MOellcr. a business man of ParkstoE
who was an intimate friend of Misg
, POlreis. 1t was from Miss Moller tha
. the first disclosures came
T. After the burial the girl friend =
G the dead girl was so persistent in H..
l. claim that there were wounds on he
q head that it was determined to disia
\ ter the remains and make an invest
+ cation. When the body had been lif.
. ed from its place in the grave Ii
iOther wounds, gashes and bruise
were discovered.
;. body IL Again Disintcrrcd.
To convince the authorities of Mil
L nehaha county that the girl had bee
It the victim of foul play the coffin of tn
dead girl on the evening of SaturGa,
= June .. was for the second time lifte
from the grave to the surface of tn
ground in the presence of States A
tOrney Quinn of Hutchinson count
Drs. Olney and Billion of Sioux Fall
= Dr. Quinn of Menno, and Mrs. Sch,
field and Landmann of Parkston an
] about a hunderd Parkston people.
, much larger number of physicians an
- others were present than on the fir
-. occasion when the body was eXhume
=. The evidence secured as the rcsu
-, of the second examination resulted
the arrest of Mrs Kaufmann on Z
charge of having been responsible f
the wounds, gashes, cuts. and bruisi
. which caused the death of the girl.
" Since few days after the cOncl
sion of her preliminary hearing {
L. June 20 last year Mrs. Kaufman h.
VI been at liberty on bonds of $4,000, 81
ne bo,.iner hoor ad,i+tod to h,u hr 81