The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1915-10-14
DOUBLE KILLING TAKES
PLACE IN SAUK CENTRE
believing she could escape from thu

linen came the nrSC Curn OF aIIalCS
which finally ran into chain of af-
fairs to tragedy. Miss Della was en-
ployed as assistant cook at the Palm
er House. Schwenton had formed
the habit of calling on the young lady
in the kitchen Of the hostelry. Mrs.
| Sanderson, wife of the proprietor,
warned Miss Della that the calls could
not be permitted. Della told Schwen-
ton but he persisted in his visits.
Again Mrs. Sanderson spoke to Miss
Della and informed the young woman
that if Schwenton continued making
calls that she would lose her position.
This message was impaired to
Schwenton. He protested but the girl
remained firm and refused to meet
him again at the hotel. 1t was per-
haps the first quarrel but, according
to relatives and friends, they followed
rapidly.after that.
Schwenton was insistent that the
young girl become his wife. She as
insistently refused, her vehemence OF
refusals increasing in direct ratio to
the passing of weeks. She used every
subterfuge at her command to retain
Schwenton in good graces with the
family and yet to keep him at dis
lance from herself. In her resist
ance of Schwenton's advances she re-
ceived little aid from her parents
when it was brought home to them
that Schwenton was serious and that
their daughter had only a friendly
feeling toward her sutton.
Climaxes came fast in the few days
before the shooting. Schwenton had
lost his job as bartender at the Allen
saloon just after county fair week.
The frequency of his visits at ting
Bentz home increased and he became
more persistent that Della marry him
and that they go either to North d.
kota or Canada and take up tract OF
land. Della as persistently refused.
The day before the shooting
Schwenton called at the Bentz home
and asked Della to take a walk with
him UP town. She refused. Schwen-
ton remained but left the home in an
apparently ugly mood. ~>- D.. +.
The morning of the shooting
Schwenton made another call. Della
met him outside the house. Schwen-
ton asked again that she marry him
and she replied in effect that she
would rather die than become his wife.
Neighbors saw Schwenton attempt to
place his arm about the girl but she
resisted him successfully and then
struck at the man. A few moments
later he departed.
That afternoon Schwenton was en-
gagged in assisting his brother, Theo-
dore Schwenton, who was moving fur
niture into a house almost directly
across the street from the Bentz home.
About 4:30 O'clock the two brothe: IS
finished unloading a dray.
John called to Theodore that he was
| going over to the Bentz home and
started across the street. A few mo
ments later Theodore was startled by
Mrs. Bentz dashing out of the door
and crying out to him, John has shot
Della" -
Mrs. Bentz continued up the street
and summoned DR.. Moynihan. Unbc-
lieving at first, Theodore finally went
to the Bentz home and found Schwen-
ton and Della both dead in the kitchen.
/ A few minutes later Mrs. BeEtz and
| DIR. Moynihan arrived and were quick
ly followed by Chief of Police Fish
and Mayor John McGibbon. Theodore
left the house at their arrival and did
not return. E4s
Della was found sitting upright in a
chair. near the kitchen window, tn.
body reclining slightly over the ad-
Joining kitchen table and her head
resting against the window casing,
Two feet away the body of Schwenton
! was sitting upright onsa couch with
head tilted back against the wall.
1t took only the examination Of Z
moment for DIR. Moynihan to pro-
nounce both dead and that both had
died Instantly when the bullets crash
ed into their brains. Further exam
ination was deferred until the arrival
/ of Coroner Goehrs from Melrose, who
4 was 1NlIneu1dtcly Sull1llOIlSu Ny -
Moynihan and who arrived about two
/ hours after the shooting in company
/ with DIR. Hilbert.
| Further examination revealed that
Miss Della had died from bullet
wound in the head, the missile enter
ing the left, temple. Another bullet
had cut furrow in the left ann and
was. found imbedded in the window
casing in front of which the young
woman was sitting when she met her
death. II is the belief of the author
/ tiles that the bullet which killed Miss
Bentz was the. first fired by Schwen-
| ton but that the two shots were fired
so quickly that they sounded almos;
as one shot. Under. this theory Miss
Bentz was looking away from Schwen-
ton when he drew his revolver; that
she turned. just as he levelled the
/ weapon and threw up her arm IN pro.
lection; that the first snssilet pierced
1.-THE brain and the second: fuEfowed