Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-09
GIRL GIGGLES
ON BEING HELD
IN MANS DEATH
Slayer of Chicago Lawyer
Laughs When Bound
Over to Jury.

Chicago, July "a coroner's jury
yesterday held Margaret Seitha-
mier to the grand jury on a charge
CT murder. Margaret is the II year
old girl who shot and killed Attor-
ney BENJAMIN Burr in his Offices on
Monday.
Mrs Marie Hermes. her compan-
ion at the time of the shooting, was
held as an accessory. Mrs. Hermes,
who is 20, is said to have given the
younger girl the gun and urged her
TO kill Burr.
1t was the first time the two
girls had heard distinction made be-
tween killing and murder, ana for
a moment they lost their bIase ce-
meanor. Margaret was not permit
ted to testify by her attorney, al
though her eagerness to tell WY
she had killed the attorney was ap-
parent.
Other Women at Hearing.
In the undertaking rooms where
the inquest was held sat the aged
mother of Burr, the common-Iaw
wife and his fiancee-all principals
in the attorneys tangled love af-
fairs.
The girl who had shot Burr re-
garded them with detached scorn.
She giggled throughout the hearing.
Mrs. Mary Burgess, Burr's moth
er. was the first to testify. In a
helpless way, the old woman gave
her sons history from birth. From
the stand she asked to see the wom-
an who had killed her son, a msrth
prOvoker that caused Margarec to
litter
She was asked if she had ever
seen margaret before. She said she
had not
Morris Goldsmith, a client OF
BUrr's, told the circumstances of
the shooting.
81 was in the outer Office" he
said. Burr went on into his private
room. l heard a woman's voice say
I've got you now Then Burr re-
piled, Honey, don't shoot. There
were several shots and the girl
stepped to the door of the outer Of
fee with the revolver in her hand"
Fiancee on Stand.
Mrs. Tillie Sauter, Burr's fiancee.
took the stand. She testified tnat
she was a widow and that Burr had
been paying attention to her for
eight years. They were to be mar
ried next week, she said. She said
she had known of Burr's troubles
with women all along.
Margaret called me up on even
ing" she testified "She told me she
would shoot my head off if didn't
keep away from Bennie. He was in
the house at the time, and l called
him to the phone. He told me after
wards all about her, and he said
she was trying to make trouble for
him.
Tells of Marriage.
Mrs. Myrtle Burr, whom Burr
supported, said she was married to
Burr in 1906 in a small Michigan
town. She could not recall the
name of the town nor whether it
was a minister or a justice OF the
peace who had married them. Burr
tore up their marriage certificate,
she said.
'T met him in 1905, while he was
a student at the University of
Michigan" she said. Later 1 met
him in st. Louis. He asked me to
marry him and we both went to this
little town in Michigan for the cere-
mony. Our honeymoon lasted a
week, and we lived together for
eight months"
Mrs. Sauter. she said, broke up
her home soon after this, by send
ing Burr presents and otherwise en-
ticing him from her.
Counr-f RneOrd RAtOId
Juvenile court attaches testified
of their efforts to locate the girl
after she was released on proba-
ton last Tuesday. She was arrested
two months ago in the company OF
several holdup men. She had a gun
then. They found no trace of her
until they heard of the murder.
The last witness was Capt. Nor /
gan Collins, who read Margaret's
confession to him after the shoot
ing. 1t was a story of cabarets and |
cocktails and Inconsistencies such |
as may be found in any loop movie |
house. The denouement, too. was
the same-waking in the home of |
her supposed benefactor.
Soon after that, she said IN ner |
she learned of the ex-
istence of other women, and plan |
ned to kill him.