The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-04-01
GIRL LBRIDE'SSTORY
Mrs. Eva Kreiter Tells Why She
Killed Husband.
Says That He Was Drunk and
Abusive.
HAD A LONG STRUGGLE
Used the Knife i'm Self Defense.
She Says.
Mother Returns From a Visit to
Her Daughter.

| Relying on a plea of self-defense,
| attorneys for Eva kroiter expect to Sc
cure the release of the Topeka girl
when her case is tried in Aberdeen. S.
| d. sometime in April. Eva Kreiter is
in jail in Aberdeen charged with the
murder of her husband, Philip Kreiter,
to whom she had been married Just
seven weeks
Not until the girls mother went to
Aberdeen, did the girl discuss the case
with a degree of freedom. Then she
| talked of the incidents surrounding the
killing of Kreiter and her attorneys
have outlined a plea of self-defense
which they expect to establish. 1t was
the first time that the girls side of the
story had been told. AS she related the
incidents of the killing, the girl sat in
her cell with her mother and two at
torneys. Mrs. .Kreiter is stout, healthy
young woman. but according to her
mother, the six weeks in Jail have had
telling effect on her health. She
broods over the murder seldom sees
visitors and is alone in the western
country, hundreds of miles from rela-
tives and former friends. Here is the
story as told by the mother, Mrs A.
Gracey, who has just returned from
Aberdeen.
Il didn't intend to kill Philip, honest
l didn't" declared the girl bride, as
she talked of the murder and told her
| side of the story to her mother, "but he
was drunk and beat me. He threatened
to kill me and I thought he meant it.
Then almost before 1 knew what 1 was
doing. 1 grabbed the butcher knife and
struck him. just wanted to make him
! stop. That was all.
Man Drank Much.
You know Philip drank a good
DEAL" continued the girl, land when he
got too much, he was pretty cross and
mean. Well, he came home Saturday
night and brought lot of liquor with
| him. He was drunk and tried to stay
| away from him. We had quarreled be-
| fore and I was beginning to learn that
| it wasn't good idea to bother him
when he was in this condition. But we
| quarreled anyway. Philip was insane
| Iy jealous. He 5llardl5 allowed ne to
/ speak to anyone and then when he got
drunk he made me pretty n1isera BILE.
HE abused me Saturday night
slapped my face. My nose bled and
ened several teeth. Then he grabbed
me and tore my waist almost off of
me. You ought to see it. l have it
there in my suitcase and will use it
when the case is tried. 1t is torn in
strips and there is lots of blood on it.
well. Sunday night I tried to hu
NOR Philip. He was still drunk. We
played pitch until almost midnight.
The fire almost went out I asked him
to put on more coal and he refused.
Then he told me to go to bed 1 want
ed to warm my feet and opened the
oven door. I guess I sat there two or
three minutes, when he began ours
ing me and told me to go to bed. Then
he struck me. Next he picked me up
and threw me to the floor and kicked
me in the side. 1t hurt awfulIy. AS
lay there, he shouted: When 1 tell
you to do something, l want you to
remember that you are in my house.
You will do as 1 tell you or will kill
you
Feared a Revolver.
"Then he walked toward a little
cupboard. His revolver was there. I
made a rush for the door to get away.
But the door was locked and Philip
had the key. He grabbed me and we
Wrestled about the floor for several
minutes. / screamed for help, but
guess the folks in the other part of
the house didn't hear me. Then he
choked me. He kept looking about
but didn't seem able to find his re-
volver. AS he bent me backward over
the kitchen cabinet, 1 saw him reach
for the butcher knife. He couldn't
hand and just reached the knife AS
he saw me get it, he put a hand in his
pants pocket and took out his pocket
knife. I struck him in the side with
hold on my throat and staggered
backward. His face turned pale and
he caught the table for support. L
didn't intend to hurt him. I just
wanted to stick him with the point of
the knife and make him stop. 1 was
afraid of him and when he held me
by the throat, I looked up in his wild,
glaring eyes and knew he intended to
kill me-
Kreiter lived several hours after he
was stabbed He was taken to a room
in the house occupied by another fam
lily. Several members of this family
will testify for the defendant Others
are witnesses for the state. Mrs. Krei-
ter is the only living witness to the
struggle which preceded the killing
The young woman is a daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Alonzo Gracey, of Fourth
and Leland streets. She was married
to Kreiter New Years day Then the
couple went to South Dakota. where
Kreiter bought a farm. He is said to
have had about $1,000 at the time he
married the Gracey girl. It is the
states contention that the young wo-
man killed her husband in order to Sc
cure the estate. The defendant is II
years old The couple had been mar
ried just seven weeks the night of the
killing.
TROUBLE OVER STATE LINES.