The Kaufmann House Mystery

BY WAYNE FANEBUST

The cool essence of October is Halloween, the chilly, autumnal time for ghost stories and other tales of suspense and horror, of which there are many. There is, of course, the old saw that “truth is stranger than fiction.” The Kaufmann house mystery bears evidence to the veracity of the old expression, for the terrible ordeal of young Agnes Polreis, who worked in that house, is one of truth in its most profound and painful form. Whether one believes she died of disease or at the hands of her employer, the suffering of Agnes Polreis was tragic and brutal, but it was preventable.

Agnes Polreis, a 16 year old Hungarian immigrant, was hired to work as the livein maid for Emma Kaufmann, the wife of Moses Kaufmann, a millionaire Sioux Falls, S.D., businessman and part owner in a successful brewery. Agnes had been living with her family near the small town of Parkston, S.D., when, on February 15, 1906, she reported for work at the Kaufmann mansion. She could not speak English, but was not able to go to school, for like other teenagers in a poor family, she had to work to supplement the meager income of her parents. She was promised that she would be working in a loving, caring home, but that was not to be. On June 1, she died a mysterious death that set in motion one of the most sensational and shocking criminal cases in South Dakota history.

Her body was quickly prepared for the grave in a manner that suggested a coverup. But foul play was suspected and after the body of Agnes Polreis was exhumed

and examined, by several doctors including the state medical examiners, it was discovered that the corpse bore evidence of 49 wounds, cuts and gashes. Evidence surfaced indicating that Agnes had been beaten and tortured in the Kaufmann mansion. Emma Kaufmann was arrested and charged with murder. Both sides lawyered up with hired guns.

Newspapers throughout the country jumped on the story, reporting it in graphic, lurid detail, setting off a lengthy battle of the presses. It was as if there was a struggle among American newspapers to come up with the most sensational and prejudicial articles about the accused woman, with a total disregard of the matter of innocence or guilt.

Because they feared that the Minnehaha County prosecutor, Alpha F. Orr, would not strongly pursue the case, due to his ties to Moses Kaufmann, the Parkston people hired a special prosecutor, Sioux Falls attorney, Joe Kirby, known for his passion for justice and devotion to his client’s cause. The “dream team” for the

defense was led by Frank Aikens, a former South Dakota judge and a lawyer with a reputation for representing his clients with a bulldog’s unreasoning tenacity. Aikens would pound his fist, raise his voice to a thundering pitch, or, if need be, whisper and weep in front of a jury.

Because of the bizarre set of facts and the expectation of legal fireworks, the entire state was aroused; at the preliminary hearing in Sioux Falls, a mob threatened to lynch Emma Kaufmann. After the hearing was concluded, and the defendant

was officially charged with murder, she and her husband, along with Minnehaha County sheriff, Nyrum Phillips, barely escaped the hands of the mob as their coach moved away up 7th Street to the Kaufmann mansion.

The Sioux Falls press, led by the Daily Argus-Leader, was mixed in its approach to reporting on the story of the case that had framed the city and state in a bad light. Because the Argus was a Republican paper and generally favored business interests over social justice, it was accused of sympathizing with the Kaufmanns. Another weekly paper, The Soo Critic, run by a firebrand Democrat, John Ross, took up the case for conviction with rabid eagerness, because Editor Ross hated the rich and believed that accumulated wealth could, and invariably would, lead to corruption and oppression of the people.

The defense legal team was able to get a continuation and a change of venue to Flandreau, S.D., allowing the Kaufmanns to get away from Sioux Falls and its lethally charged atmosphere of anger and outrage. But eventually, Emma

Kaufmann was brought to trial in June of 1907. By this time, special prosecutor Joe Kirby had been replaced by George W. Egan from Iowa, a narcissistic man with an overweening appetite for selfaggrandizement. South Dakota — and the rest of the nation — braced itself for a courtroom show like no other. During the course of the trial, there were outbursts of wild applause by an audience on its feet that could barely be silenced by the angry judge and his gavel.

When the trial finally ended, Emma Kaufmann was convicted of manslaughter thus creating a spotlight for Egan, the new legal star in South Dakota. But Egan was allowed to bath in the bright light for a relatively short time, for Emma Kaufmann was granted a new trial due to numerous errors on the part of the special prosecutor. For example, in his closing argument, Egan told the jury that God had guided him to the Kaufmann mansion the very night that the defendant struck the fatal blows that led to the death of Agnes Polreis. For the South Dakota Supreme Court, it was an easy call to overturn the verdict because of Egan’s outrageous and prejudicial antics, thus giving Aikens the satisfaction of having conducted the trial within the guidelines of the law.

At the second trial in June of 1909, also in Flandreau, Emma Kaufmann was convicted of battery only, and sentenced to pay $100.00 fine. She was set free immediately after the fine was paid by her husband. The bizarre verdict sparked renewed confusion and outrage in the public mind, leading to accusations that the jury had been bought. Newspapers in the state and other parts of America erupted in a final chorus of white-hot anger and condemnation of the jury and the legal system.

In the aftermath of the long, legal ordeal, Moses and Emma Kaufmann lived quietly in their stately mansion. But the stress and the financial and emotional strain were overpowering and both died within a few years after the second trial. Public fascination with the tragedy gradually faded away. The loss of interest or the death of the observers and participants in the dark drama, eventually led to community healing. In the final analysis, however, there was no justice for Agnes.

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BY MARY MICHAELS | PHOTOS BY JULIE PRAIRIE PHOTOGRAPHY

Uma linda casa.

In Portuguese, the language of Tania Grogan’s home country of Brazil, that phrase means a beautiful home. And, that is precisely what she and her husband Kelly have created.

Their story is a bit of a fairy tale. Tania grew up in a large family, living on a ranch in Brazil. Kelly is a Sioux Falls native, part of an 11-child Irish family. And they met…in Madison, South Dakota. In 1974, Tania’s parents gave her a trip as a graduation gift. Having studied languages, she wanted to visit the United States and assumed she would go to a larger city. But, she ended up in Madison, where Kelly happened to be attending Dakota State University (Dakota State College, at the time). They met in March, 1974. Not long after they met, Tania says, Kelly wrapped

a gum wrapper around her finger.

“I asked him what he was doing,” she recalls, “and he said he was measuring my finger for a ring because he was going to marry me.”

She remembers not being too sure of the proposition at the time, because her entire family was in Brazil, and she couldn’t imagine staying so far away from them. But, when she saw the warm and loving way Kelly interacted with his mother and his 10 siblings, she knew it was right. Tania traveled home that summer to her family, and returned with her parents to the U.S. in the fall for an October wedding.

The Grogans moved to their current house in 1991.

“It was very ‘70s,” Tania says. “Everything you can imagine from that era, including burlap wallpaper. Some of our friends had seen this house and passed on it, thinking it would take too much work. But, I love a challenge.”

Tania praises Kelly for being “very handy.”

“I can see what I want,” she explains. “I can picture colors or how something

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Mixing colors and textures is how Tania approaches everything from decorating to cooking, including infusing plenty of culture – and references to family – along the way.

The living room is comfortable and inviting. The chairs hold colorful pillows with sugar skull images, a reference to Dia de los Muertos, or “day of the dead,” which is an annual celebration to remember family members who are gone. The walls are filled with pictures of both Tania’s and Kelly’s families – their parents and siblings.

While they have made annual trips back to Brazil to visit Tania’s family, COVID-19 canceled their trip this year.

“We go in the summer, which is winter in Brazil. But, it is still 85 degrees there,” Tania says. “My mom is 95 now, so we hope to go back next summer.”

A special photo for Kelly is a black and white image of his parents and 10 kids (the arrival of the 11th was not yet known)

in a VW bus – a bus they took on a trip to New York City. Tania recalls an interesting story Kelly told her about that trip.

“Apparently, the family was there in New York City, and they were trying to cross a busy street,” says Tania. “They were just having trouble navigating that traffic, and then a police officer stopped traffic so they could all get across. It was like when you see people trying to help a goose and her goslings cross a street. There even ended up being a picture of it in the newspaper.”

Because of the fond memories Kelly holds of family travels on the bus, there are VW bus references throughout the Grogan home – from art or a planter to a metal version with hooks for their keys. That particular VW, Tania adds, bears the license plate of a model made in Brazil.

During the remodeling process, the Grogans flipped the kitchen around to create more cabinet space. The wood is Brazilian Eucalyptus, and the granite countertop is also from Brazil.

“It’s nice to feel like there is a little bit of ‘home’ here,” Tania says.

By changing the room around, they were also able to create a dining area and a beverage station. Shelves hang on the wall for mugs and boxes of tea, and a dark wood buffet holds the coffee maker and various mix-ins, from syrups to a little Bailey’s Irish Cream. A color print of Frida Kahlo holding a cup of tea hangs on the wall in the little alcove.

The Grogans have three children and are thrilled they all live close by. Next to the door from their kitchen out to the deck hangs a collection of photos featuring the smiling faces of their grandchildren.

Going up the stairs to the second floor, the opposite walls are brown and turquoise, and the railing has alternating spindles of wrought iron and white painted wood. Along with colorful art, some of Tania’s own photos hang on the turquoise wall leading up the stairs.

“The last time we were home in Brazil,

I wanted to not only get pictures of family, but also of the scenery around my parents’ ranch.”

She captured several black and white photos that hang in a collage, including scenes of the ranch land, the house with a hammock hanging on a porch and a closeup of the bell her parents would ring to call the children back to the house. Next to that hangs a framed trio of color images of sunsets at the ranch.

The colors in the guest bathroom at the top of the stairs are warm and earthy, but Tania added bright-colored photographs of flowers from their garden in rustic wood frames.

“We love to garden, and this way, I can have a little bit of summer all year round.”

Across the hall is a combination office and playroom-sleepover spot for the grandchildren, who range in age from 4 to 24. The Grogans enjoy being able to “hang out” with the older kids and being able to “play” with the younger ones.

Their oldest granddaughter is currently living with them, having moved from Chicago after the pandemic took hold.

“It was getting just too challenging for her to stay there,” Tania explains. “I moved some of my own things out of the guest room so she could make it her own. She’s a thrifter, so it’s been fun to see her take some of my ‘old’ things like vintage photo frames to put on the wall.”

The master bedroom features a traditional bedroom set in rich, dark wood with a few contemporary touches like lampshades with multi-color circles. In the corner stands a lovely blue cabinet that Kelly made for Tania to use as a quiet place for prayer. The shelf holds their Bible, photos of loved ones and other special mementos.

“This is a special place to just be quiet and think of our loved ones, especially those no longer with us.”

Aside from the special photos in her prayer corner, Tania likes to keep all of the photos in the bedroom to just those of

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Kelly and her. Hanging on the wall are three framed photos from their 1974 wedding at St. Joseph Cathedral here in Sioux Falls (they’re celebrating 46 years this month). Others show the couple on various adventures like riding horses in Brazil.

The bedroom flows into a walk-in closet and the master bathroom.

“I kicked Kelly out to a closet in another room, so this one is mine,” she laughs.

The lower level of the home features a spacious bathroom with the laundry area and a cozy family room with a brick fireplace and built-in cabinets on either side. The brick is painted white and at times of the year other than winter, the firebox is cleaned

out and becomes a place where Tania can create vignettes with pictures, candles and decorations for St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and other seasons.

St. Patrick’s Day is a big one for the Grogan side of the family. One table in the family room is filled with pictures from the family gatherings at the annual Sioux Falls St. Patrick’s Day parade. That, unfortunately, was another loss this year due to COVID.

“It was so hard not to be able to gather with everyone and have that parade,” says Tania. “We really missed it.”

The couple’s great teamwork wasn’t just put to use for interior renovations. They created several interesting areas in

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the backyard, which they designed and landscaped themselves. Perhaps the most unique is the spacious fairy garden. The entrance is an archway built from wood and tree branches, on which hang rustic wood circles decorated with the grandkids’ names. Inside are things to see in every direction – little houses, gnomes, fairy lights and whimsical faces attached to trees. In the center sits a round wood table with tree stump seats.

“It’s such a fun place for the grandkids,” says Tania, “and Kelly can’t wait to decorate it for Halloween!”

Across the back border of the yard are a combination of their favorite flowers, with Kelly picking a variety of roses and Tania adding her favorite wildflowers and hydrangea. Kelly’s handiwork shows in wood arbors, a bench and even a little arched bridge. Tania says they tried growing grape vines on one arbor but without much success yet.

“I’m not sure if it’s just us or if the birds are getting to the grapes first.”

A fenced-in garden area in the main yard is filled with a variety of plants but is protected from the active deer and rabbits in the area.

When they aren’t in the fairy garden, the younger grandkids are likely in the tree house, which has a full staircase leading up to the space. And, there are enough swings hanging down on the sides for everyone to enjoy.

Faith is important to the Grogans, and they celebrate their blessings of children and grandchildren and rely on that faith when times are hard. They are still hurting from the loss of their 22-year-old granddaughter, and they find ways to keep her close. Shayla was an avid reader, so they built a free mini library that sits in the front yard with a small plaque and a photo that shows smiling and surrounded by sunlight.

No matter how you say it in Brazil or Ireland - Família or Clan – the Grogans know very well that it is family that makes a home.