Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-02-03
is 1T A CASE
OF POISONING?
Bodies OF August WoIS and Woman
Found Beneath Overturned
Sleigh Near Glen Flora

Much ex :itement was caused Satur-
day morning when the report reached
this city that the dead bodies of man
and woman were found by the side of
the road between Tony and Glen Flora,
underneath an overturned sleigh, with
a Ladysmith team hitehed to it. The
news was telephoned to District Attor-
ney A. N. Andersen by DR.. H. c. john
son of Glen Flora. He stated that he
saw nothing suspicious about the case
and had ordered the bodies sent to
this city. j. L. Ryall at once suspect
ed that it was his team, as his driver,
August Wolf, had started out on a
drive at 80 in the morning, leaving a
note saying that he had gone to Shell
don.
The bodies arrived here soon after
noon. brought in a sleigh by A. |.
Singleton, opposite whose farm they
were found. A quart bottle of whisky,
half emptied and two full pint bottles
of beer were also picked up on the
scene at the time; also suit case tied
up with rope. The bodies were laid
out in the morgue of the Ladysmith
Furniture Co. and were viewed by
large number of men and some women.
The man was readily identified as Au-
gust Wolf, but no one identified the
woman at the time.
Justice w. S. Manning ordered an
inquest and jury was empaneled, con-
sisting of Mayor D. H Richards, R. J,
Sands, J. B. Welpton, G. B. Goocher,
P. S. Reed and A. A. Hadden. The
bodies were examined by Dr. L. M.
Landmark and DR.. w. l.. Stephenson.
No marks of violence were found upon
them, nor any outward condition of the
bodies to indicate the cause of death.
The stomachs and hvers of the victims
were ordered sent away for an analysis
of the contents.
Following the rumor that a second
man had been seen with them when
they left this city, Sheriff McNally had
arrested on suspicion Richard Kempt,
who was acquitted by jury few
weeks ago charged with being an in
mate of house of i'll fame.
The woman was found to have 81 Is
tied in handkerchief in her stocking,
also two slips of paper with the names
of Stephen Gross and R. Kempt written
thereon. In her suitcase were found I
letters from Bob Maxwell of Sheldon
addressed to Mabel Richards at Lady
smith. There was also letter signed
"Coriene Holiness" dated Dec. 25th at
Ladysmith and addressed Cc Mabel
Richards, Superior, urging her to come
to this city and telling of the many ad-
vantages here. The suitcase also con-
tanned numerous bottles of toilet arti
cles and drugs, many of them poisons.
There was also small account book,
which had been balanced to the same
amount as the money found upon the
body.
A. I. Singleton was the first witness
called. He was returning home from a
camp where he had been working and
was met in the road BY some women
who told him of the accident. He went
to telephone to notify DR.. Johnson
and while he was gone the section men
came along on the railroad. Mrs. Mar
tinson was the person who first saw the
overturned rig and was afraid to go
past it alone and stopped in to get
neighbor woman to go past with her.
The scene of the accident was about q
miles east of Tony. The sleigh was
tipped bottom side up on the north side
of the road, the bobs still attached,
and the horses were standing quietly
facing the west. When he returned the
section men had tipped the rig on it's
side. DR.. Johnson pronounced Doth the
man and the woman dead and made ar
rangements to have Mr.. Singleton
bring them TO Ladysmith.
Stephen Gross W .s the n ext witness.
It was he who left Ryall's barn about