The Murder of Anna Wiese Green Mountain

The Murder of Anna Wiese
Green Mountain, Iowa

EVENING TIMES REPUBLICAN

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1894

HEADLINES

SEPTEMBER 12, 1894

CLOSES THE CASE

The State Rests in the Bennett Murder Trial This Afternoon

Attendance Largely Increased Today - Many Witnesses Examined

TESTIMONY IN

The State Rests This Evening

Interest in the Bennett case is increasing. There was a larger attendance today than at any time during the present trial, many ladies standing in the aisles this afternoon. Many witnesses were examined and pretty good progress was made. There were no new developments or special features. It is expected that the state will rest this afternoon and one or two witnesses may be examined for the defense before the evening adjournment. The state rested at 3:30 this afternoon. The testimony is herewith taken up at the point reached yesterday:

TUESDAY AFTERNOON

Cross examination of Dr. Cottle continued. Anna Wiese may have gotten fibers under her nails from the red waist on which she had been working prior to her death; fibers from the waist may also have floated and settled in her hair. Witness said he differed with authorities quoted, to the effect that human hair could not be certainly identified by any known means.

Redirect – Examined Anna Wiese’s hair for fibers; found none similar to these.

Wm. Barrow was the next witness. Lives in Chicago, and is a new witness for the state in this case. Said he knew nothing of the science of microscopy. His business is dealing in human hair. Have examined hair from specimens furnished in connection with Dr. Cottle; spent about twenty four hours in the examination. Identified exhibits as the specimens he examined. Pronounced one of the samples drab, another auburn or red brown; latter of a course nature, the former of a decided fine nature. His observations of the hair was that that purporting to be from the girl’s head was fine and smooth, while that from Mrs. Bennett’s head was coarse and frayed at the ends. The evidence of this witness was corroborative of that of Dr. Cottle in nearly all details.

Cross-examined by Caswell – My business is selecting hair for my customers. I have been in the business since July 1871. I make piece wigs to match colors, texture, shades, etc., of persons particularly bald. Constriction is caused by diseases of the system, such as fever, which causes contraction of the skin around the follicle of the hair; shocks on the head will produce like results, a shock to the internal nerve of the hair will also produce constriction, and affects the color. It is not impossible to identify hair, though the books say so; I differ with the leading medical men on this question. I can tell the difference between the hair of a person and that of a dog. High fever will cause ends to split by stopping the nutriment. I know that nutriment passes to the ends of the hair. Anything that affects the physical or mental condition of a person affects the hair and may cause constriction; not aware that there is any difference in hair from different parts of the same head. It is not a fact that hair in some portions of the head will be split more than in other portions. Curling the hair will not cause it to split in the shaft. Hair is uniform shade on head of same person. Without knowing anything about what portion of the head these hairs came from I should be able to identify it, not by its color but by its texture, splits, etc.

Re-direct – Anglo Saxon hair differs from that of other nationalities, being distinguished by a greater variety of color.

Re-cross – Pulling hair out of woman’s head it will break and not come out by the roots, while from a man’s head it will.

Walter Wilson testified regarding the stains on the cowyard gate. Nothing additional to evidence already adduced was elicited.

Ed Beebe was next called – He testified to the fact of having given a pearl button to Alva Nicholson, on the Sunday after the murder.

Ella Roberts sworn – Saw Mrs. Bennett at E. N. Hills on the Wednesday after the murder. She seemed to be greatly excited. Said she thought they had Bert Isenhart at the place of murder and were going to hang him; spoke about how she said the murderer ought to be killed. Said she fell on her knees the morning after the murder when she heard her son Arthur Sherlock coming down stairs, after the search; she at first thought it was Isenhart; said she did not know what made her feel so strange; did not know Arthur had got home; defendant said she told Arthur to go down there and see how young men had to suffer who committed such deeds.

Cross – Mrs. Bennett did not seem more excited than others.

Philip Rusie – Helped search for the murderer of Anna Weise; it was just before sunup. Saw the grass and weeds broken or bend down through the slough; did not follow the trail further than the fence east; found a pearl button along the trail. (Button appeared in evidence.) Button was on top of some of the lodged grass.

Cross – Might have been a number of persons through there while I was on the coroner’s jury. Did not show button to any one right away. Saw no trail after we reached the fence, but there were other tracks close to the fence.

Ed Beebe recalled by state’s counsel – Passed Bennett’s house going east about 3 a.m. after the murder on horseback. Was no light in the house; saw no one there; came back about 7:30 a.m.; Mrs. Bennett was at the well; appeared to be washing something; looked like a cloth; Arthur Sherlock was with her; Arthur came out to the road and Mrs. Bennett came later; Arthur asked us what we had found out. Mr. Bennett was back of the barn.

Cross – Saw no milk cans or casks or bench to keep them on at the well. Will say there were none there.

Miss Bessie McKerral – Had conversation with Mrs. Bennett about year before the murder. Said she didn’t like Anna very well; said she was too hot after the boys. Talked with Mrs. Bennett two or three weeks after the murder. Spoke very well of Anna that day; that she was a nice girl, that she had always liked Anna and she didn’t see who the murderer could be.

Cross – Never heard her speak unkindly or threateningly of Anna. They always seemed friendly when they met; never was any exhibition of jealousy or unkindliness on the part of Mrs. Bennett. Observed nothing wrong or suspicious at Bennett’s after the murder.

Mrs. McKerel – Had conversation with Mrs. Bennett three weeks after the murder; said she was sorry Anna was killed and she didn’t see who could have murdered her. Saw Mrs. Bennett after her arrest; said the officers had taken a waist of hers, but that they would find nothing on it but paint.

Cross – This talk was after the report was current about a bloody waist having been found. Saw nothing out of the way in Mrs. Bennett’s manner after the murder.

Maud Stover sworn – Saw defendant in jail the night of her arrest, Nov. 9. She seemed to be well formed and strong; grasped my arm hard enough to leave marks on it. Talked about the crime; I told her that if she killed the girl she would have to suffer for it. She said that if she had to suffer others would have to suffer. She said Anna was freckled and red-headed, and a bad girl. She took a few doses of medicine prescribed for her and threw the rest away, as it did her no good.

Cross by Caswell – Never was convicted before and put in jail for keeping house of prostitution; shot at man one time who was peeking in from roof while I was taking a bath.

Re-direct – One of the charges I was in for was lewdness.

Thomas Fleming – Heard Mrs. Bennett say the morning after the crime that she thought Isenhart was the murderer, as she said there had been some trouble between them. Saw defendant work helping to cock hay in the field, over five years before the murder.

City Marshal Emmet Waters sworn – Was in Vienna township on Tuesday after the murder. Was present at the post mortem examination. Saw no hairs in either hand. Went out to Bennett’s to get the knob from the door, but it was not there.

Cross – Did not look at the gate; no one spoke of it at the time; Mrs. Bennett seemed to think Isenhart was the murderer, and that he was a bad fellow, that he swore at the horses. Asked me if I had come to tear the house up like the sheriff had. Mr. Bennett went with me and turned over some boards to look for a knife, or clothing, or any possible clue.

Adjourned till Wednesday morning.

WEDNESDAY MORNING

Mrs. Wiese, mother of the murdered girl, was the first witness this morning. She talks in broken German, very difficult to understand. She related some conversation that occurred at Bennett’s prior to the tragedy regarding her daughter Anna and Arthur Sherlock, Mrs. Bennett’s son. She seemed to think there was some misunderstanding or estrangement between the young people, and that they wouldn’t speak to each other. After the murder she met Mrs. Bennett and the latter threw her arms around the witness and kissed her. I was at Bennett’s and Mrs. Bennett asked my husband if he thought the defendant killed Anna. He said she couldn’t kill a chicken and could no more have done it than one of my little girls could. Bennetts came to our house and asked for some of Anna’s hair; this was in November or December. We lived near neighbors to Bennett’s for four years. Knew of no trouble with her arms.

Cross – Mrs. Bennett and I were good friends when we lived neighbors. We moved away in March before Anna was killed. Bennetts came to our house in the spring. My husband and I and Anna shook hands with them. Mrs. Bennett asked us to come and see them. We visited Bennetts two weeks before the murder. She asked Anna to come and see them, but Anna said Arthur was mad at her.

J. A. Pinkerton sworn – Was at place of murder the night of the crime. Measured blood stains on fence wire with my hand. The stains were about two inches apart; were not quite as broad as my hand.

Mrs. John Glass – Reside in Vienna township, mile and a half from Rusie’s; was there Sunday morning after murder. Mrs. Bennett came while I was there, between 9 and 10 o’clock. She sat near me and said: “Poor Anna, who could have killed her? Why, Arthur heard her bid Arthur Hill’s good night as he returned from the postoffice.” Someone said that whoever stabbed Anna that way, referring to the corset, ought to be punished in the same way, and she said she could state the person.

Cross – Did not see Mrs. Bennett’s face. Noticed no shyness or disposition to keep away from the body.

Mrs. Hugh Brown – Live south of Gladbrook. Was at Anna Wiese’s funeral. Heard Mrs. Bennett say she had often warned Anna not to have anything to do with Isenhart and that the latter had killed Anna.

Cross – All seemed to think Isenhart was the murderer and that he ought to be killed for it.

B. F. Glass – Live in northwest corner of Vienna township; haul cream; Bennett’s cans would hold about 45 pounds of cream when full; kept them in barrels by the well; cans eighteen inches high. Mrs. Bennett usually took the cans out of the barrels. She would stand on the platform and lift the cans out; did this immediately before and after the murder.

Cross – I never measured the cans, the height is only estimated. She acted and worked like an ordinary country woman; often told her she was working too hard.

Mrs. Wiese recalled by Mr. Carney – Never had any conversation with Mrs. Bennett regarding Anna being in delicate condition by Ernst.

Mrs. Laura Hill – Wife of Arthur Hill. Saw Mrs. Bennett on day of search; seemed to be considerably excited and frightened; wanted some of us to go to top of hill to see if they had Isenhart and were going to hang him; said she wanted to see the poles go up and see the wretch hang; said she told Arthur to go over and see the hanging and take warning; said the murderer when found would have the death mark on him and scratches on his face. She lay down and rolled under the wire fence when she started back home. Year or so before the murder heard her say she wouldn’t have Anna in the house, and that she was pregnant; she also talked against Anna’s character while she worked at Eugene Hill’s.

Cross – Wasn’t dark when Anna came to our house. Think a person could see a person on the hill at our house from Bennett’s cowyard. Never heard others talk against Anna’s character. We kept no revolvers in the house. Did not hear Anna bid us “good night.”

Dr. Devine was recalled to more fully explain the anatomy of the throat, particularly the trachea and larynx.

James Bowles – No one was allowed to go over into slough east of place of murder until coroner and sheriff arrived. Phil Rusie and I went over after sun up, not later than 7 o’clock; found an apparent single trail, going in eastern direction, and turned south near second fence; latter is two or three wire fence; lost trail in corn; grass near where trail became obscure was shorter and not beat down so much. Weeds were scattering in the slough, and taller than the grass. Weeds next to road would not obscure the view into the field. Trial looked like there might have been two persons part of the time. There were some brush and a patch of willows on north line of Bennett’s field east of where we found the trail. Saw Mr. Rusie pick up a pearl button, from the grass that was mashed down.

Cross – I served on the coroner’s jury; got through soon after daylight. Did not see whether anyone went into the field while I was on the jury. Button seemed to have been dropped after the trail was made. Trend of trail was a little north of east. (Bennett’s house lies due southeast of scene of crime).