The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-18

said:
Eyes, I will give 500 to the person
that will find or cause the arrest of the
fellow that killed my sister. If I had
plenty of money l would offer a $10,-
900 reward. I feel so done up over the
affair that 1 can hardly stand up. l
am weak all over but can not give in
now as am too badly needed to help
the rest of the family. No one has
been to Betta's grave besides myself
and younger brother since her burial.
My father was so broken down over
| the erroneous newspaper statements
and untrue stories circulated that he
almost went to pieces last night. He
wanted to get up in the night and go
to her grave. he was so grieved MY
mother is also very weak and calls
Beta very often and repeatedly de-
clares she will go to her daughters
grave. think several of us will take
some of the flowers to her grave to-
with flowers"
When asked if he had any suspicion
who the murderer was. he said:
There was some fellow who follew-
| ed Beta nightly before the robbery
and she mentioned it quite often to
the family. She described him as a
heavy, medium sized fellow wearing a
black slouch hat and a dark suit. She
worked at nights and it was generally
| dark when she returned This fellow
has not been seen since her death and
| this leads me to believe that he is the
guilty of the crime. This fellow that
followed Beta met her at nearly every
corner. He must have had a confed-
crate because do not believe any one
could make trip around a block in
that short time. That is why L think
there was two connected with the
murder"
Suicide Theory Disposed OF.
That Miss Benignus committed sui
eide has been held as a possibility un-
til statement by the brother of the
undertaken Wednesday absolutely dis
posed of the theory of suicide. The
bottle of chloroform found in the girls
room on the table was not the bottle
from which the chloroform was taken
to use on the girl 1t was found in a
drawer at the bottom of a pile of mis-
cellaneous articles by Harold Efcholtz
brother of the undertaken. who was
in the searching party which searched
the house The bottle was not noticed
by the undertaken until the search had
been in progress some time. In an
interview Harold Eicholtz said:
while was ransacking the drawers
of her dresser in search of some evil
dence 1 found this bottle of clloroform
at the bottom of one of the drawers
with pile of other things on top of il.
There was no cI1loroform in the bottle
and there was no smell of chlorofOrn
in it, I set it on the dresser and did
not think to say anything about it un-
til my brother came home from the in
quest and told me about being ques-
toned concerning the bottle. Then I
told him of my finding it,
This story of young Eicholtz puts the
officers in better spirits. 1t was one of
the drawbacks in the case and now
since it is believed that this bottle did
not contain the chloroform used on the
girl the theory of suicide is disposed of
and murder is a certainty.
Two Benignus Girls Examined.
County Attorney c. E. Rugh inter
Viewed two of the Benignus girls yes
terday afternoon concerning the note.
| Fanny, the eldest daughter of the fam
| lily, declared that she had never seen
any writing before like that in the
| note A postal was found in the dead
girls room which was addressed by
Hattie. the other sister. at the inter
view, and when asked if she addressed
it. admitted she did. She told the at
torney that Beta wrote in a distinctly
German hand and was unable to write
English in good form and requested her
! to address the postal card. Then the
attorney had her write several ad-
dresses like that on the postal and
they all corresponded. The note was
also compared to the writing on the
| postal card but no likeness was found
as Hattie also had German script
and the note was written in rough
English.
| Amelia Beuttel's Testimony.
Miss Amelia Beuttel, cousin of the
murdered girl, who was also question
| ed by the county attorney, replied TO
| the questions in straightforward man
ner. She told him that she was awak-
ened by the telephone call and she,
sleeping down stairs. went to the foot
of the stairway to call Mr. Ben1gnus,
who was already on his way down,
| partly dressed. When he had returned
| to Betta's room to call her she heard
| him give a startled cry and went up
| TO find Mr. Benignus kneeling over the
dead girl
He Slept Upstairs.
c. A. Benignus. father of the muir
dered girl has been sleeping on one
of the porches until about o'clock in
| the morning during the hot weather
but slept with his son, Albert, IN the
room adjoining Betta's on the night OF
the murder Mr.. Benignus feels that
he might have prevented the death OF
his daughter had he been out on one
| of the porcheS and is deeply grleVeo
because he did not. He said:
! Il generally sleep out on the front
| porch during this hot weather because
! it is so warm in the house. I intended
| to on the night Beta was murdered
and had my hand on the door ready to
go out but gave, it up. went up
stairs and slept with my son Albert In
the room next to Betta's. l wish had
stayed out doors that night because
believe 1 could have got that man.
1 do not care if a man is as big as
mountain and comes into my house at
night 1 will go after him. Oh. how l
| would liked to have gotten at that TEL
| low that killed my Beta!
II have always scolded my girls of
being afraid to go out at night" said
Mr.. Benignus, but now they shall not
90 out unless they have company My
| daughter, Marie, has also been follow
ed by men and has never been afraid
but now she is scared to go down town
alone after dark and she shan't either.
| If 1 ever catch anyone following her
will break that person of the habit. "
| Buy Elmhurst lots while they last
and make money. Ind. Phone 1927.