On this date in 1948, a flood of oratory marked the closing of the trial of August Pusch, who was charged with the poisoning death of his wife. The jury began deliberations in what was headlined as Wahpeton’s most bizarre murder trial.
All four principal characters in the sordid drama were neighbors and past or current employees of the local Peavey elevator: the victim, Mrs. Pusch; the elevator manager, Mr. Pusch; his mistress, Mrs. Witt; and her husband, Mr. Witt.
Mrs. Witt, the state’s witness for the prosecution, was also charged and tried later. Described as a comely mother of four, she provided the cringe-worthy details of the case. Her affair with Mr. Pusch began in May 1943.
Mr. and Mrs. Witt and their children traveled around the country with Mr. Pusch, who, according to Mrs. Witt, wanted a baby. His wife was an invalid with an unspecified nervous condition, and took pills that Mr. Pusch filled with strychnine on successive occasions. Mrs. Witt testified that she had a daughter with Mr. Pusch. Mr. Witt helped Mr. Pusch build a ranch house in Arizona, but had no knowledge of the actions his wife and former boss were plotting.
Mrs. Witt had signed her name at the drugstore where she obtained strychnine for Mr. Pusch, making her an accomplice. Mr. Pusch had previously purchased the poison under a false name and disguise. The pharmacist, suspicious after Mrs. Pusch’s death, alerted authorities.
Mr. Pusch was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Mr. Witt signed a statement declaring that the baby in question was his daughter and that he would raise her alongside their other children.
Mrs. Witt was tried and convicted of second-degree murder in January 1949 and sentenced to ten years. The courtroom was packed with spectators, and the crowd was as large or larger than the one that had attended Mr. Pusch's trial.
In a bizarre prequel to the trials, a baby was left in a packing box on the doorstep of Mr. and Mrs. Witt in May 1946. The baby was taken to the hospital and placed in an incubator, but despite efforts to save it, the baby died from exposure. The parentage and motive for abandoning the baby at the Witt home remained an unsolved mystery.
Dakota Datebook written by Lise Erdrich
Sources:
- Farmer-Globe Pictures Murder Trial Principals. The Richland County Farmer-Globe, Volume LXVI Tuesday, December 7, 1948, Page 1
- Testimony of Mrs. Witt is Voluntary - States Attorney Forbes Says Witness Also is Defendant in Case. The Richland County Farmer-Globe, Volume LXVI Tuesday, December 7, 1948, Page 1
- Mrs. Witt Says She Watched Pusch Filling Capsules. The Richland County Farmer-Globe, Volume LXVI Tuesday, December 7, 1948, Page 1
- August Pusch Gets Sentence in Murder Trial - Jury Returns First Degree Verdict After 11 Hours - State Law Makes Imprisonment for Life Mandatory; Prisoner Requests Stay of Sentencing. The Richland County Farmer-Globe, Volume LXVI Tuesday, December 14, 1948, Page 1
- Pusch Painted As Man With Spotless Record - Roger Dell Argues to Jury that Client Is Innocent. The Richland County Farmer-Globe, December 144, 1949, Page 1
- Witt Family In Court As Trial Ends - Beautiful Little Girls Led From Court Before Arguments. Richland County Farmer Globe, January 11, 1949, Page 1
- Mrs. Lydia Witt is Convicted of 2nd Degree Murder - “I Have Told the Whole Truth,” SheTells Judge before Sentence if Pronounced in District Court Here.
- Richland County Farmer Globe, January 11, 1949, Page 1
- Child Abandoned On Door Step Here Dies Of Exposure - Services for Little Boy Found At Otto Witt Home Sunday Will Be At 2:00 P.M. Wednesday. The Richland County Farmer-Globe, Volume LXIV, Tuesday, May 28, 1946, Page 1
