The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1907-05-09

shrewd criminal lawyer, Judge Frank
r. Aikens, and his able partner, Harry
| c. Judge. Behind the prosecution will
be the sympathy of that great body OF
! middle and poorer classes to which
| belonged the unfortunate girl whom
| Mrs. Kaufman is charged with hay
| ing murdered, and which, notwith-
standing that the evidence of only one
| side-the prosecrtion-thus far has
been presented, eTpears 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 Kaufm AIMS, upon whose testi-
mony the prosecution will have to de-
pend to secure 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
ut 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 that on a number of occa-
sions the girl was seen on her knees
before Mrs. Kaufman, with her hands
appraised in an appealing manner as
though pleading for mercy at the
hands of her mistress. Upon these oc-
casions the only words uttered by the
girl who could not speak English,
were Frau Kaptmann!" FRAU Kauf-
mann!"
Lay Injuries to Disease.
1t is thought in some quarters that
the defense, when the case comes to
trial, will seek to show that the girl
was affected by anemia deficiency OF
blood accompanied by vertigo (dizzy
spells). The anemia will be alleged to
have been developed by diaDetis 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 and bruises
found upon her head, body and limbs,
1t is thought, will be accounted for by
the defense by these frequent falls. 1t
being alleged that on one occasion she
fell down stairs through having no con-
troll over her lower limbs. The UNI
jointing 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 d hook or other obstruction
and inflicted the injury noted by the
physicians.
Mrs. Kaufman is said to be abso-
lutely without intimate women friends,
not because she does not have the fac
ulty OF making friends with members
of her sex, but because she does not
care 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 time In rocking chair, mo-
tionless, and with her mind evidently
unoccupied Although she Is an ac-
complished musician, and fine piano
occupies place in the Kaufman
home, she seldom if ever opens 1t and
plays.