Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1908-10-10
WOMEN HELD FOR
KILLING ERB
Sister-ln-La and Widow Locked
Up on Murder Charge.
SCREAMS PRECEDED SHOTS

Mrs. catharine BelseI Accused Of Kill.
ina Politician and Mrs. Erb In Jail
As An Aceessory-"I Shot Him: |
Could Not Help H." Is Alleged Con-
fesslon Of Wife's sister--Was Struck
On the Head With a Vase During
a Bitter Quarrel and Then Shot.
Chester, Pa. Oct. ST shot Captain
Erb am sorry. but could not help
IT, He pointed revolver at me. SUD.
denly had the strength of seven wo'
men. took the revolver from him
and pressed the trigger. II kept on
shooting. | could not stop 1t"
This is the story of Mrs. Catharine
Beisel. OF 162 South Fifteenth street.
Philadelphia. as retold on the witness
stand by Detective Richard Doyle. of
the Philadelphia police department. in
the combined alderman's hearing and
coroner's inquest To- fix the RESPONSE
bility for the murder of Captain j..
politician. who was shot 10 death at
his country home near Media.
The coroner's jury promptly found
the following verdict:
I'VE find that J. Clayton Erb's death
was due to internal hemorrhages. the
result of gunshot wounds inflicted By
Mrs, Catharine Beisel."
mi i'm "A to-.
" held Mrs Beisel and Mrs. Clayton
Erb for trial without bail District
Attorney McDade argued that Mrs.
Erb had been proved TO be an acces
sorry to the killing.
The story in its essentials was veri-
fed by other witnesses 10 whom Nj $
,,''sel and Mrs. j. Clayton Erb had
talked In those hysterical hours that
followed the killing OF Israel w. Dur.
hams confidential man aud widely
known politician.
Some witnesses heard the crash OF
glass and the screams OF Mrs. Erb
before the shots were fired. Some saw
two broken vases. Others did not hear
the screams or the crash of glass.
neither did they see the broken vases.
although they went up to the blood
spattered hall Immediately after the
killing.
The commonwealth made II plain
that II will proceed on the theory that
Mrs. Erb. after dining in her own room
with her sister. Mrs, Beisel. TO whom
Erb had cancelled the hospitality Of
II -
Village Green inn after her husband
had arrived home from Philadelphia.
that she and her sister had drunk por-
ter in the inn and had made an agree
ment that she would telephone to Mrs.
Beisel II there would be trouble In
Red Gables. the Erb home.
She said she and her husband had
exchanged bitter words and that she
had telephoned her hister. that she
had battered at her husbands door.
the woodwork showing evidence OF
this action: that Captain Erb had
come from his room aud that his wife
had thrown glass or vase al him.
cutting his scalp to the skull in
wound two inches long. from which
the blood flowed freely.
Then. she said, Erb was shot, the
first bullet breaking his leg. ann as
he fell the second bullet struck him In
front just below the collarbone. break
ing the first rib, blowing downward
through the lung fracturing the spinal
column and passing through the body
In the lower part OF the back. That six
-. IL. IL Al "A
going wild.
The commonwealth will maintain
that the revolver was In Mrs. Erb's
possession; that II was her weapon.
The contention will be made that IL
had been loaded recently from the box
OF cartridges that was found by Chief
OF Police Berry OF Chester. on the bu-
reau in Mrs. Erb's room.
This chain of facts. according to the
police authorities. will prove that Cap
tain Erb was called out of his room
TO meet his death. They will point to
the fact that no powder marks were
found on the dead mans body or pa.
jamas These. they say. would have
been found In such hand.to.hand
struggle as Mrs. Beisel and Mrs. Erb
describe.
The defense. plainly. will rely upon
the theory OF selfdefense The law
yers for the women were well pleased
with the testimony OF the servants
who described the manner In which
Mrs. Beisel called to them to shut the
door OF Mrs. Erb's room. declaring
frantically that he was going 10 kill
her sister.
This was after the shooting. This.
they argue. proves that the shots were
fired In the white heat of fear. and
that she did not know she had killed
her brother.in-law