Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-07-21
BRUTAL MURDERCASE- -
FULLY PRE-ARRANGED.
Murderer EntiCeS Victims to America,
Lures Them to Lonely Place In Country
And Kills One Escapes.

l. New York, July 20.-The tale of q crime
so revolving and cunning to be almost
unbelievable has been disclosed by inveS-
! tigation ineo the case of Mrs. Ottiilie
Eberhard, a well-to-do Vienese widow,
whosee body was found on the railroad
| track i'll lonely section of Hackensack.
| N. j., early yesterday. At first it was
believed that the woman had been struck
| by a train and killed.
| Subsequent investigations however, re.
vealed that she had been murdered and
her body placed upon the track in an cf.
| fort to destroy traces of the crime. AS !,
result the police are searching for Au-
gust Eberhard, the dead woman's nephew.
| who had imrortuned Mrs. Eberhard t.
come to bis country and to bring her
little fortune of $2600 and her 20-year-old
daughter, whom August had promised to
marry. The Young woman herself, how
| ever. refuses to believe that August had
any part in the tragic death of her moth
err Detectives, however, have gone to the
home of the mans parents, who live on a
farm near Duchess Junction, n r. and
the search for him is being vigorously
prosecuted.
The police say Eberhard had been at
work for months plotting the crime. He
wrote his aunt many letters, painting
in glowing colors the riches that would
be their if they would only leave Austria
and come here. To the womans daugh-
ter, girl of %, also bearing tie name
Ottillie, Eherhard promised marriage if
they would but come to America. Mrs
Ottillie Eberhard and her daughter ar
rived in New York last Thursday on tho
steamer Deutschland, the mother carry
ing with her $780, Eberhard met them
at the pier.
After settling them at a little hotel in
| 10th avenue at 23rd street. he took the
women to a money changer. where her
money was quickly converted into Amer
iecan notes. Eberhard suggested a troll.
ley ride in New Jersey. Mrs. Eherhar;
consented and the three crossed the Hud.
son by ferry on their way to the country
At Rochelle park, two miles west of Hack
ensack, the nephew suggested a walk and
the three left the car to stroll through
the fields. Evening came on as the group
passed along the tracks of the New York,
SusquehaEna & Western Railroad at @
lonely spot.
Eberhard told the women he had lost
his way. A thunderstorm was coming up
and as it broke the trio pushed ahead
down the track until i'll a deafening crash
of thunder accompanied by vivid light
ming the elder woman stumbled. II have
been struck by lightning" She screamed
as she fell by the track At the same
instant, Miss Eberhard says, she saw a
flash coming evidently from behind a car
.;.l;,
third.
AZ her mother fell the girl felt bullet
Craze her own neck, cutting a thin gold
chain from which lockct was suspended,
Suddenly Eberhard urged her to run and
as a second bullet pIowed into her Shout
der she started down the track scream
ing. Once she turned back to see if her
mother was following her and again there
was shot which passed above the bridge
of her nose, the blood from the wound
half binding her.
Through the darkness the wounded girl
fled until she reached a cottage where
she was cared for until dawn, when the
storm had passed. Then the Hackensack
police were notified. Meanwhile an engi-
neer on passing milk train had seen the
body of woman on the track and when
he arrived in Jersey City he telephoned
| to the coroner OF Hackensack. Upon Wis.
| iting the spot indicated by the engineer
| the coroner found the body of Mrs Eber
| hard horribly mangled. Close examina-
| ton, however showed that the woman
| had been shot twice and was dead wnen
the train struck her. The murderer must
have shot the woman as size lay prostrat"
| on the track in order to make sure of her
death before dragging her body across the
| rails
| BY his questioning of the girl, Pros
ecutor Rooster learned how deliberate
| ha.! beer the plan Eberhard had made
| for the murder and robbery. The man
knew that neither of his intended vic
tins could read or speak English, that
they had no knowledge of the country
into which he lured them and that no
more lonely place than the coal yards,
locally known as Coalburg, could be
ensack vicinity.
| Because of the noise of the coal
scoops no one heard the sound of the
shots except John Platt whose house
OH Maple avenue, Rochelle park, is
| dDOuI tuJ lctL away IIOII Tie SCcIic VI
| the murder. Plat told the Hacken-
sack police that he heard six shots out
behind his house and that he saw two
men walking hurredly down the rail-
road track when he went out behind
| his house to investigate.
It was evident from the position Of
| the severed portions of Mrs. Eber-
hard's body that after shooting her
opposite the roaring coal bunkers and
frightening the girl by attempts to
kill her also the murderer had taken
the body of the slain woman from
where it had fallen across the west
bound tracks ard carried it over to
| the eastbound tracks.
He may have known that the first
train to pass would be on those rails.
A fast milk train bound for Jersey
City was cue to go by Rochelle park