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The Murder of Anna Wiese | ||
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EVENING TIMES REPUBLICAN |
FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 1894 | |
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HEADLINES APRIL 13, 1894 TOLD BY THE TWIN Mrs. Shattuck, Sister of the Defendant, Testifies In Her Behalf Says Mrs. Bennett Was In Feeble Health, and Had a Lame Arm Her Version About the Waist - Several Other Witnesses Sworn THURSDAY AFTERNOON CONTINUED F. L. Ernst testified - I knew Anna Wiese; lived at our place four years; she was about my age and about five feet ten; weighed 135 to 140 pounds; Anna was a strong girl; I have scuffled with her; think I am an average in strength; think she was as strong as the average young man and was above the average of girls; she had as large an arm as I have; think she had more than one shade of hair; saw mother comb it; she wore bangs; she coiled her hair some and sometimes braided it. I saw her in the winter before she was killed; she was looking well; saw her in the coffin; her hands were pricked and bruised in several places and she had a cut in her right hand. I never knew of her keeping company with any one. Cross - I would say her hair was a real dark red; don't know whether she was sick last spring. G. A. Ernst sworn - Knew Anna Wiese; she lived at our place about four years; think she was full three inches taller than I am, and I am 5 feet 7 inches. When she was at our house in the winter she said she weighed 145 pounds; she was long armed; was a great deal above the average in strength; was uncommonly quick for one of her size. The second winter she was at our place she had the grip; I would call her hair a dark red; there was a reddish shade in her hair; on top of her head her hair was of a lighter shade; part the hair and it was darker; it was quite visible. She never stopped to put on a bonnet. Cross - Have had no education in colors; I am speaking of what her hair was a year ago last Christmas. S. W. Ruby testified - Am a sexton; assisted at the exhumation of the body of Anna Wiese twice. Cross - Ricker cut off the hair; Caswell held the envelopes and marked them; Caswell stood off about fifteen feet, and Ricker would cut off a sample and carry it over and put it in the envelopes. Redirect - I think there was something said about finding the hair in the hand at the grave; can't tell whether Caswell heard it or not. C. N. Smith sworn - Am a clothing merchant; know what kind of buttons were used in shirts and underclothing (shown button); very often find two-holed pearl buttons on underclothes and soft shirts; the pattern of the buttons varies - some have two holes and some four holes; such buttons are used very largely on underwear. Frank Benedict testified - (Shown the button). Buttons similar to this are used on underwear; I think the two-holed buttons are used more than the four-holed ones; in our line they are not used much but are sometimes; the pattern varies according to the grade of button; they are kept as part of the common stock. Cross - We buy the buttons by number; this is about the medium size. Frank Nickerson called - Arrived at scene of murder about 1 o'clock at night; body was lying in the road yet; the hair was in various shapes and was down on her neck and shoulders. The weeds extended down to Bennett's corner. The people who came to the place of murder were considerably excited; they talked of Albert Isenhart as being the man who did the deed; others were also suspected; I was one of the first persons to go into the field east; it was about sun-up; got over at place where blood was on the fence and went east to the partition fence and then south east to Bennett's line fence and crossed into Bennett's field; tried to make a trail in the grass to see if we could follow it, but could not; came back and crossed one of the little ponds; there had been no one through before us; there was not trail in the direction we went. I don't think there was anything to obscure a person walking through there; would think they would have to lie down to be hid. The wire in the fence was tight. Cross - The coroner came about 4 o'clock I should think; I stayed until the body was removed to the house; others were suspected except Isenhart; heard it talked of before the cornoner came. Miles R. Clark testified - Knew Anna Wiese; saw her five years ago at Weber's for the first time; she was a good sized girl, rather slender, and seemed healthy and stout; she had darkish red hair, with lightish shades through it. Cross - I have seen her several times in the last five years; never lived in a family with Anna; saw her the last time about a year or fourteen months before her death; there was nothing special to call my attention to her hair; I noticed that she had light streaks and dark streaks in her hair; you don't often see such a head of hair. Henry Coleman sworn - I have a brother John; I was out warning people the night of the murder; don't remember of anyone staying at home in particular; I think a larger number of people were at the place of murder; I helped pick the girl up; think her hair was down on her left shoulder; saw a fire at Eugene Hill's , in his hog lot. Cross - I think the fire was there the night before; they were burning corncobs. Eugene Hill lived two miles away. Mrs. Emma Shattuck testified - Am the twin sister of the defendant, we were born in Kane county, Ill. in 1844. She worked on the farm in Illinois because our brothers went to the army. My sister was 25 years old when she was married; married Abraham Sherlock; when she came here she worked pretty hard; Mr. Sherlock died in 1867, of consumption; after her husband died she worked out; the boy was four years old; she was married the second time about seven years ago; since that time she has worked awful hard at all kinds of work; her left shoulder slipped out of place when she was 13 years old; has not had the use of her arm since; her health was not good last summer - I can say that positively; she could work where it was low, but if up high could not do such work. I had not been to see her for about a year before the murder, went up there the first time after the murder about two weeks after her arrest; Iva Bunday was there; the waist was among the dirty clothes and I gathered it up, took it down and had it washed; saw no blood on it nor stains resembling blood; my sister did not tell me what clothes to wash; saw the old pants button on the waist after it was ironed; I took it up and hung it on a nail in the west room upstairs. I was up there before she was arrested; think it was the 17th of November, but can't tell whether it was October or November; I know it was the 17th; did not see any blood about the house while I was there. I don't know anything directly or indirectly about my sister killing Anna Wiese. Cross examination - Have lived near Rhodes for twenty-two years; we lived near each other until seven years ago; saw defendant about twice a year; she could not put her hand to her head except about the ear. After the murder I came to help her; stayed from Saturday to Saturday; the washing was done October 17; found all the clothes together. It was more than one week's washing; this waist was with the other clothes; don't know of anything else that had buttons off; the last I saw of the waist it hung up in the east room up stairs; know the metal button was on the waist; there was no talk at the time about the buttons; can't tell what colored thread the button was sewed on with. Re-direct - I can't say whether it was October 17 that the washing was done. I picked up the clothes the morning we washed; the old pants button was washed with the other buttons; it was nice weather; I was going to wear the waist, but did not; the clothes dried in one day. It was not allowed to remain with damp clothes to rust the button. Re-cross - It was not so dirty but that I intended to wear it if I could find a skirt to wear with it. FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 1894 Continued with the Following Headlines: A SENSATION SPOILED Mrs. Bennett Expected to Have Testified This Morning but Did Not Not Deemed Expedient to Subject Her to the Severe Ordeal Retains Her Nerve but Shows Indications of Physical Collapse The Husband of the Accused on the Stand - Closing Up the Case A DISAPPOINTMENT Mrs. Bennett Not Called to the Stand Today, as Expected, and May Not Be - How She Is Holding Out - Her Husband Testifies Contrary to expectation this morning the defense did not put Mrs. Bennett on the witness stand. A few parties on the "inner circle" were informed last evening, confidentially, that the defendant would be the first witness this morning. For obvious reasons this information was not made public. Had the fact been generally known that Mrs. Bennett was to testify in her own behalf there would doubtless have been such a crowd on deck and such a clamor for admission as has not been known since the court house was dedicated. Thousands of people are anxious to hear the defendant speak. Thousands are anxious to observe her demeanor in the crucial test of the witness chair; to note whether the same inflexible composure, the same rigid reserve, the same apparent absence of emotion or concern will be maintained as has characterized her throughout the trial. Much speculation has been indulged in relative to how she would act on the stand. Some were free to declare that the mask would fall, that the tense and terrible restraint would dissolve, that she would break down and present and abject and pitiable spectacle. Some of her friends even feared that not only her wonderful self poise but reason itself would desert her and that a scene would be enacted such as few criminal trials furnish. Others, however, had stronger faith in the woman's indomitable nerve and in her ability to hold out to the end. Natures like hers, they assorted, are not broken up easily. The storms of overwrought emotion may stir the soul to its profoundest depths, while the exterior remains as calm and placid as an inland lake when the winds are hushed. As this article is being written the defendant has not yet been placed on the witness stand, and it is improbable that she will testify at all. Her counsel have about decided that it will not be expedient to call her. The train is great enough already, and it is doubtful if anything could be gained, if any material facts could be evolved from her testimony to strengthen her case. One thing is patent to the close observer of the accused. That is that she has suffered by this terrible tax upon her nerves. Her face or features do not indicate it, but her form is daily growing more bent, her step more feeble, and she seems to have aged. Should the trial continue another week, it is more than probable that she would be prostrated, for human nature has evidently about reached its limit of endurance. She looks like one who has held a long vigil serenely but cannot hold out much longer. The husband of defendant was the principal witness today. Intense interest was manifest in the large crowd of spectators. Several other witnesses were examined. The proceedings are given in detail: FRIDAY MORNING Arthur Sherlock recalled - The last time I remember seeing my mother wear that waist was last spring, in April; wore it because she had poisoned her arms and they were sore; she wore it about a week; didn't notice it after that; I didn't see her wear it on or about the 26th of August; when I started to Green Mountain I did not know she was going to Hill's that night; didn't hear her spoken of that night before the murder; did not know she had been there until after the murder. When I went to Green Mountain I did not go past Hill's or Russie's; turned south at the Hill corner and did not go up to the house, nor did I know Anna Wiese was there; I usually went for the mail on Saturday night. I never noticed blood stains on the door knobs. |
Our folks kill chickens quite often through the summer and in winter dress ducks for the market; they wore old garments in dressing ducks; would kill chickens every week or two; mother dressed them. I was present at the well the next morning after the murder; mother was washing and taking care of her milk dishes; she washes them on the well curb and platform; milk is kept at the well in cans and the cans in a barrel; the milk was strained there through a cloth strainer; she had her dish cloth and strainer cloth there that morning and had no other cloth; she strained milk through a flour sack; she had no clothing in the washing that morning. I saw Kinney and Beebe at the gate that morning; Kinney stopped and talked to me a few minutes and went on; Beebe did not stop but rode on. (Shown dress). This is the dress mother had on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. I don't know as mother was any more excited than others; all that were making the search were excited; I saw so many people going to the place of murder on the day of the big search that I quit work in the field and went up there. I have never seen blood stains on mother at any time; have never seen mother burn or bury or conceal anything on or about Aug. 26 or since. Cross - I have noticed the garments mother wore; don't know all the clothes she had; I can't tell when mother bought the dress; can't give date when mother wore the blue waist; don't take down dates when mother changes her dress; don't remember when my attention was called to the fact of my mother wearing the dress on the day of the murder; can't remember of mother wearing the waist after April. It might have been the latter part of April when she was poisoned; don't know whether the waist was washed in April or not; it is in my mind she was poisoned in her right arm. My mother wore this dress all the week; we threshed Wednesday or Thursday the week of the murder; can't say what dress she wore two weeks before the murder; can't tell how long she wore it after the murder; I haven't discussed the question of wearing this dress much with my mother; haven't told any one that I saw Anna going to Hill's that night. There is no carpet on our front room or bed room floor; mother did the work around the house and helped milk the cows; she has milked all the cows sometimes; we milked seven or eight cows; pump is west of the house; barn is west of house and about one rod north of pump; I was doing work around the barn Saturday morning; mother was taking care of the milk; went to the well to get a drink; can't tell whether mother washed the milk cans with hot water that morning. When I got a drink I went off to work; was in the barn door when the boys rode up; mother was at the pump I believe; don't remember who pumped the water; don't remember whether there was a tub there or not; can't tell what mother washed the strainer in, but think she washed it in a bucket; am not positive there was a tub there; don't remember how many cans mother washed that morning. When mother went up to Russie's she put on a black dress. I know Albert Isenhart; in the summer of 1892, when he worked for my stepfather, I did not say to him that Anna was an improper girl; didn't say she was immoral. Volney Kent testified - I know Maud Stover; have known her ten or twelve years; know her moral character; it is bad. Smith Millard - Know of Maud Stover; her moral character is bad. Leroy Meeker - Maud Stover's moral character is bad. C. A. Bennett sworn - Am 42 years old, and husband of defendant; lived where I now reside five years; my wife has done her housework and helped milk; takes care of the milk. We milked six cows last summer and seven part of the time; her left arm has been bothering her very much the past two years; hurts to lift it up high or back; her right arm was put out of place once when we were scuffling; don't know that the other ever slipped out. For two years I have assisted her in putting on and taking off her clothes; working down low does not hurt her. Our house has sitting room in east part, off that a bed room, also a hall leading west and door to stairway, on west side of room. Usually kept dirty clothes in west room; believe they have a box for them; soiled and stained clothes were thrown into that same box. We kept the milk in barrels under a tree near the well; does her work of washing and caring for milk cans, etc., at or near the well; uses flour sack for strainer; uses cloths to wash out cans, etc. She was working near the well on the morning of Aug. 27; I know she was there and tending to her work as usual; I saw nothing unusual there that morning; no bloody clothes around there that morning. Before her parents moved away Anna was at our place quite frequent; when she went by generally stopped. I never noticed anything but friendly feeling between her and my family. I saw Anna at her father's house in June, 1893; my wife went with me; stayed there two or three hours; Mrs. Bennett went into the house; Anna was there; they all acted friendly; the family all came and shook hands with us. We ate dinner there; the old people asked us back; Anna went away before we did; she did not act unfriendly towards us. Saw Anna the Sunday before the murder; she was in the road in front of the house; we had just been eating supper; I saw her first. Defendant's attention was called to her and she went down to the road; I did not hear any invitation; Anna stopped when they began talking; they stood in the gate at driveway; did not hear any of the conversation; they talked quite awhile; can't give the exact times. Heard Anna talk to Mrs. Bennett and Sherlock; told them she had been to Marshall the day before; told them what she had to eat and talked about who had the most money, Anna or Mr. Sherlock; don't know as I was about there at the time she left; don't know when she went; I spoke to her, passed time of day, is about all. Arthur started to go to No. 5, to church. Anna appeared in good spirits; never saw her alive again. I talked with my wife about her, Anna, being there. She was killed the next Saturday night. That morning I started to work, and got sick and went to the house. Hoopers came to our house about 3 or 4 o'clock; came to pick cherries; Mrs. Bennett was out where they picked cherries. I saw no difference in my wife's work that day from any other Saturday. I did not see her preparing any clubs or knives that day. Hooper's left very close to sundown; we went in and ate supper; my wife prepared it. Hooper's were invited in but did not go in; after supper I went and fed the hogs and then got on a horse and went after the cows in the west field, in southwest part of the field; did not see Annie while after the cows; did not see Arthur start for Green Mountain; we usually get our mail Saturday night; did not see Arthur go away for the mail. I put the cows in the yard; we were milking six or seven cows then; don't know what my wife was doing while I was after the cows; think she milked four cows that night; after we milked she went to the well and strained the milk, rinsed the strainer out and hung it up and washed out the pails in cold water; there was nothing done that night that was unusual; took some milk to some small pigs; she went with me; no one else was there; the pigs were ten rods north of the house; after feeding the pigs we came back to the well; she took a pail of water to the house. I went out and threw the wind mill out of gear and then came to the house; was not gone over ten minutes to the wind mill; it stands pretty nearly on the ridge; when I went to the house found my wife in bed, and I went to bed, in same bed, in the bedroom leading out of the living room; we remained there in bed until Arthur Hill came; I can say positively she was in bed from the time I came from the wind mill 'til Arthur Hill came. It is not possible for her to get out of bed and I not know it. She was undressed; there was nothing unusual about going to bed that night. Arthur Hill called "Si" to me, called once. I made no reply; she said "someone is calling". The second time he called I jumped up and went to the door; I had no overalls on, but was undressed. Hill said Anna had been murdered within the last half hour; he was on a horse in front of the door; said it was in the slough north of his house; said Anna had been visiting at his house and was murdered while going home. Mrs. Bennett asked me what was the matter; I told her Anna Wiese was murdered; she jumped out of bed; the door was open; I told her if she wanted to talk to this man to get her clothes on; she went back a little ways; I believe she was in sight all the time; she was in her night dress. Arthur wanted me to go and alarm the neighbors. I asked her if I should go or Arthur; she said for Arthur to go; Arthur was upstairs when the call was made; went with Hill, or started off with him. Arthur got back from Green Mountain just before Hill came; don't know what he did after he came home; he went into the kitchen; came in first at the east door; went from kitchen up stairs to bed. I asked Arthur when he came in if it looked like storming and asked him if he got any letters. After Hill and Arthur went away we both got up and dressed; did not go to bed again until nearly morning; sat at window watching if anybody came around; my wife was with me part of the time and part of the time lying on the bed. She had on a wine colored plaid dress all day Saturday and put it on that night when she got up; I know she had that dress on when Hooper's came and had it on then until she went to bed; am positive of this. After daylight she had on the wine colored dress. Frank McKarrel came to our place after Hill; we both went out and talked to him for about fifteen minutes; saw nothing unusual in her manner while talking then; got a gun of McKarrel - borrowed it; I kept a lookout that night for anyone that might pass; when it came morning we did our work as usual; my wife washed her cans and took care of her milk dishes at the well; used the same sack strainer, as on the night before. There was no clothing about the house that morning; defendant got breakfast, in the usual way; after breakfast she did up the work and got ready to go over to Russie's ; we went over there together; saw a crowd of people. I didn't go in, but defendant did; remained there about two hours, then went home. It was talked there at that time that Albert Isenhart murdered Anna; defendant knew of this talk; after I got dinner I went back to Russie's; did not see the body. I did not see Mr. and Mrs. Hooper at our place Sunday; the morning of the murder I saw men standing at wind mill; saw two men, don't know how they came; didn't see but these two. I went Sunday to the place of murder; did not see where any one had been in hiding; the corner of my farm is in the edge of the slough; the weeds extend up to my corner in the road. The funeral was on Monday; myself and defendant attended it. Neither I nor defendant placed any blood on any door knob or gate the night of the 26th of August; there was no blood on either of us that could have been imprinted on a door knob or other place; didn't know there was any blood on the gate; first had my attention called to it after defendant was arrested; blood could have got on it in several ways; the cattle passed through there after they were dehorned and horses passed there. I don't know whether there ever was blood on the gate; when my attention was called to the gate I examined it and did not find any blood; found a dark brown spot on a board; it was a three board gate. I never saw anything about the door knob and casing except a print on the casing; never saw blood on the knob. I have never secreted any clothing or knife or anything with blood on, neither has my wife to my knowledge. I don't know anything about who murdered Anna Wiese; I know my wife did not murder her. (Shown board). This is casing off my door. It is casing claimed to have the red marks or stains on. I have never seen it in any different condition than it is in now. The first I heard that anyone claimed to see blood about our house was after my wife was arrested. I never tried to obliterate any marks and never saw my wife do so. I was in the hay field the morning of the great search. FRIDAY AFTERNOON Examination of Mr. Bennett continued - I went up where the men were and joined in the search. I don't know that my wife knew Anna was at Hill's that night; after coming from the pasture after the cows there was no conversation about Anna Wiese. I had a knife, and the boy had a knife, and there were a couple of butcher knives - that is all I know of (shows his knife, with one good blade and two broken ones). That is all the knife I owned. This knife is the same as then except that the smaller of the larger blades has been broken since; my wife had no knife; I think about two years ago this spring my wife bought her sone a knife; we have bought no other knives; the butcher knives are an inch to an inch and a quarter wide (produced 2 butcher knives). These, with the jack knives, all the sharp knives there about the house on Aug. 26. I generally at that time wore overalls; when I got up that night I put on overalls; my wife did not have any wearing apparel missing; I had two pairs of boots; I now have the articles of clothing I had at time of murder except what I have worn out. My wife had but one pair of shoes; after the arrest I examined them, but could find no blood on them. There never was any trouble at home about Arthur going with Anna; he was going with another girl at that time; I never knew of Arthur exhibiting any inclination to go with Anna Wiese. The night of the murder we were all excited; on the day of the search the people were pretty well excited; I could not see as defendant was any more excited than others. For the last two years my wife has been complaining; she got medicine at Gladbrook; it was a liquid; she took the medicine according to directions; at another time the doctor left powders of two or three kinds; she took the medicine and got better after taking it.
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