The Bizarre Murder of Pauline Amsel

"Indian Citizen," November 12. 1914, via Newspapers.comA frightening and inexplicable tragedy hit the normally peaceful town of Durant, Oklahoma in 1914. According to Jake and Celia Amsel, a well-to-do, respectable couple, at about one-thirty a.m. on the night of November 11, they were awakened by screams emanating from their home’s outdoor sleeping porch. They were horrified to recognize the voice as that of their only child, fourteen year old Pauline. Jake Amsel leaped out of bed, only to be confronted with an intruder. The man took out a pistol and fired it into the floor, while pleading with Amsel to let him go. After his gun jammed, the stranger pulled out a small knife, and began to stab at the father. The two men struggled for several minutes before the stranger broke away and escaped.While this fight was going on, Pauline walked into the bedroom and announced that she was sick. While the mother called for help, the girl walked into her own room, and fell onto the floor.As it…