Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1920-07-30
County Attorney Hopes to Un-
cover Fresh Evidence in vio-
lent Death Of Frieda Bostel-
mann of Stoddard.
AUTOPSY SHOWS TRACE
OF DRUGS, SHERIFF SAYS
Father Still Held in Jail for
Murder Of Young Daughter
Who Was Engaged to Wed
Teacher Three Days Later.


Frieda Bostelmam of Stoddard,
Neb., who died in convulsions after
a buggy ride with her father on
June %, three days before she was
to have been married, will be re-s
sumed next week, Harvey Hess. at
torney for Thayer county. an
nounced yesterday.
Mess has received a report of the
autopsy on the liver. kidneys and
other organs of the dead girl, which
were sent to laboratory for exam
nation, but says he will not make
public contents of the report until
the inquest is resumed.
Residents of Stoddard and
Hebron believe Hess statement to-
day indicates the report shows Miss
Bostelmann was poisoned.
Seeks New Evidence.
Sheriff Hall said yesterday Coun-
ty Attorney Hess had gone to Hen
ley, Neb.! near Oxford, Neb.. to Sc
cure further evidence in the case.
The sheriff said the county attor-
ney would try to establish that Bos-
telmann purchased poison while on
trip to Henley few days before
the death of his daughter.
The report of the findings Of the
hospital in Omaha was mailed by
mistake to Sheriff Hall. he said, and
he had already opened it when Mr..
Hess met him in the Hebron post
office.
The sheriff admitted that the coun-
ty attorneys actions in the case in
dicate that the finding of the board
at the hospital reported the presence
of poison in the girls body.
.%.. Father Still Held.
Bostelmann is still in Jail, the
sheriff said, and continues to declare
lis innocence.
His wife and members of his i'm
mediate family have made numerous
visits to the jail to see him since the
continuance of the inquest.
The girls father, Fred Bostei-
mann, was known to have been op-
posed to the marriage of his daugh-
ter to Prof. w. ]. Butzke, teacher
in the Lutheran school at Chester,
Neb.
Father Arrested.
When Miss BosteImann died
County Attorney Hess arrested
Fred Bostelmann and ordered an
inquest held. Testimony at the in
quest was that Bostelmann had
threatened his daughters life. A
chemical analysis of the stomach.
made at that time, revealed traces OF
poison believed to have been aeon
itine.
The mother and sister of the
dead girl told of the mysterious dis
appearance of large number of
headache tablets which doctors said
contained acetanalid. A doctor said
the pumber of tablets missing
doubtless contained enough acetan-
aid to cause death, but the .symp-
toms in Miss Bostclmann's case
were those of strychnine and not
acetanalid.
Strychnine in House.
The girls mother testified that
strythnine had been kept in the
house for some time ito poison +.
gophers," but that it had been dis
posed of about the TIME of her
daughters death. She did not says
in what manner it was disposed of.
County officials seized the bottle.
that had contained the headache,
tablets and other medicines found in
the house. but no strychnine was
found at the Bostelmann home, they
said. 81
Continue Inquiry.
Both the county attorney and the
coroner's jurywere dissatisfied witt,
the inquest and tho, jury instructed
the county attorney to secure fur
ther evidence and continue the inves-
tigation later.
Hess ordered Bostelmann held in
jail without bond and had the body
of the dead girl exhumed and sent
the liver, kidneys and other organs
to laboratory. for examination.
During the inquest T. H. Geisler,
Chester undertaken, testified that
Fred Bostelmann stood over the
casket containing the body Of his
daughter and dramatically ex-
claimed:
II warn every member of this
household not to buck up against a
love affair again. You can see what
this has led to"
Prof. Rutzke, to whom Miss Bos-
telmann Was to have been married,
was respected in the vicinity OF.
Stoddard and Chester. and when
the girl died and her father was ar
rested. feeling ran high. The ex-
citement spread to Hebron. where
Bostelmann was in jaiE