Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-07-31
MAN THEY
ACCUSE OF KILLING
MOTHER OF FIANCEE
Police Take August Eberhard
Into Custody at Pat
erson, N. j.
LURED THEM FOR MONEY?
Theory Is That Young Man Murdered
Prospective Motheriniaw n
Took Her Purse of
$2,450.

New York, July 25.-AuguSt EDer-
hard, nephew of Mrs. Ollie Eperhard,
the Austrian woman who was shot to
death Saturday near Hackensack, was
taken into custody today by the police
of Paterson, n. j. Eberhard was found
lying on the lawn in front of a farm
house. He was suffering from a wound
in the leg, which the police believe he
might have received at the time his
aunt and cousin were shot.
Eberhard denies any part in the
tragic death of his aunt. He main
tains he himself narrowly escaped
death at the hands of her SlayerS.
The police of every city in the coun-
try have been on the lookout for Eber-
hard. 1t is believed hat Eberhard
lured his aunt and her 2~0-year-old
daughter Ottilie here from their home
in Austria, under pretext of marrying
the latter, with the intention of killing
them for the little fortune he knew they
possessed.
The murderer of Mrs. Eberhard took
81, 450 from the bosom of her dress after
shooting her through the heart and
brain. and then threw her body before
a train, where, frightfully niangled, 1t
was found when the girl, who had been
shot three times, gave the alarm.
Wrote Letters.
Fol months Eberhard, who worked
in a grocery store or the upper West
Side of New York, has been writing
to Mrs. Eberhard and her 20-year-old
daughter in Austria.
Come to America.
Come to America and bring o u
money" he wrote. Then the daughter
and / will marry and we will all be
happy
This amazing development in the
tragedy came when he autopsy re-
vealed the presence of bullet wounds in
the woman's head. and following the
autopsy came the thrilling story Of her
beautiful daughter, Ottilie. who was
shot three times, but who escaped from
the murderers of her mother and fled
TO the refuge of a farm house.
Young Eberhard had taken his aunt
and cousin. whom he met at the steam
er when they arrived from Europe,
over into New Jersey on an outing, n
was with them when the shooting oc-
Cured.
Sold Their Home.
Mrs. Eberhard and her daughter ar
rived rs second class passengers. They
had sold out their little home in Wen
ma, and. in response to glowing letters
from young Eberhard, had come to this
country. The girl was to marry her
cousin as soon after her arrival as
would be convenient.
Eberhard met them at the pier and
accompanied them TO the Adelphia ho-
tel, Tenth avenue and Twenty-third
street. He left them to their own de-
vices until the following morning.
Miss Eberhard is authority for the
statement that her cousin was cor
dial, but he displayed little of that
ardor which SWANS are usually ex-
pected to display.
With equal frankness she admits
that she told Gus that she had be-
come very fond Of a musician, Ernest
Held, whom she met aboard the ship.
He played in the Deutchland's or
chestra. When Gus called on them Fri
day morning he escorted her to 1446
Amsterdam ave-, where the aunt paid
IS deposit on the rent of a small apart
ment.
1t was then, either in conversation
or from the sight of the large roll
of greenbacks that the young man, ac-
cording to the girl, first discovered the
amount of money the aunt had with
again. The aunt complained of the ex-
cessive neat of the day and suggested
a walk in the park.
The story at this point is told by
the girl with considerable directness,
for she apparently has a clear recol-
lection OF the strange chain or events
that led up to the tragedy.
Ottilie Eberhard toll District Attor-
ney Ernest Goester, of Berger county,
how Gus had come to the hotel and
had been requested by her mother to
take them for an outing in Central
park. The young man said he would
rather take them to the country. Otti-
lie says she noticed a revolver in his
pocket, and asked why he carried it.
He told them that it al necessary for
defense in this country.
They went to Ha~ckensack, then far
Their into the country n got off at a
lonely station. A storm broke, and the
sky was overcast with darkness. While
walking along a railroad track, lined
by freight cars, Ottilie says she heard
a shot and her mother dropped. She
cried out that she had been struck by
lightning. Then Gus grabbed her by
the arms and pushed her forward.
She began to run. Gus dropped back,
and h heard two more revolver shots.
She did not know that she had been
hit, and kept on running and wander
ing about until she reached a house,
where she was taken in and cared for.
After she removed her clothing. the
young woman found that she had been
wounded in the shoulder and that her
head and neck had been grazed by two