Sophia Eberlein, (1889–1931), was beaten to death by her second husband Jacob Bentz in her home in Harvey, North Dakota. According to author William Jackson, the ghost or the "presence" of "Sophie" might be haunting a library built on this location.

Murder

Sophia Eberlein was born in Russia and emigrated to the United States. She married Hugo Eberlein, a well-known Harvey businessman, and had two daughters, Lillian and Alice. After Hugo's death in 1928, Sophia married Bentz.

One night Bentz bludgeoned Sophia to death while she slept. He did his best to clean up the scene of the crime and tried to make Sophie's death look like a car accident. However, when Sophia's daughter Lillian came home for the funeral, she found blood in the house and reported her findings to the police. Bentz admitted the crime during the investigation and was sentenced to life in prison. He died in 1944 behind bars in the state penitentiary.

In 1990 a new library was built on the site of the former Eberlein house. According to author William Jackson, the librarian's office is built directly over the site where Eberlein's bedroom was and librarians report cold chills and other oddities.

Reference

Jackson, William, The Best of Dakota Mysteries and Oddities, Valley Star Books, 2003.

Harvey Public Library

Locals believe that the ghost of Sophia Eberlein, who was beaten to death by her second husband Jacob Bentz in her home in Harvey, North Dakota in 1931, haunts the local library.

Librarians in the Harvey Library, which was built on the site of her former home and place of death, now believe that the ghost or the “presence” of “Sophie” might be haunting the library.

Sophia Eberlein was born in Russia and emigrated to the United States. She married Hugo Eberlein, a well-known Harvey businessman, and had two daughters, Lillian and Alice. After Hugo’s death in 1928, Sophia married Bentz. One night Bentz bludgeoned Sophia to death while she slept. He did his best to clean up the scene of the crime and tried to make Sophie’s death look like a car accident. However, when Sophia’s daughter Lillian came home for the funeral, she found blood in the house and reported her findings to the police. Bentz admitted the crime during the investigation and was sentenced to life in prison.

He died in 1943 behind bars in the state penitentiary.

In 1990 a new library was built on the site of the former Eberlein house. Librarians report that the library door mysteriously relocks itself after they have opened it, that lights have blinked on and off in the library and that on one occasion one entryway light remained mysteriously on after the librarian flicked off the other lights. One night after everyone had left, a heavy library cart filled with books was moved to block a doorway and the librarian and her assistant were unable to move it back by themselves. The librarian also reports unexplained cold chills whenever she sits in her office, even in the middle of the summer. The librarian’s office is built directly over the site where Eberlein’s bedroom was.

Heather K. Adams of the North Dakota Newspaper Association reported on the background of this legend and some of the experiences of librarians in February 2008:

Ask anyone in Harvey. The haunted place in Harvey to visit is the Harvey Public Library, located just off Harvey’s main street. Flickering lights, misplaced items, even unexplainable computer glitches have been reported.

The eerie phenomenon could be explained by the presence of a spirit, which is what both librarians at Harvey Public Library have come to believe. They even know who is haunting their workplace: Sophia Eberlein-Bentz, or “Sophie” as she’s been nicknamed.

Sophie was brutally murdered by her second husband, Jacob Bentz, on the morning of Oct. 2, 1931, in their home, located at the site now occupied by the Harvey Public Library. According to Librarian Marlene Ripplinger, from a 1997 article in the local newspaper, The Herald-Press, “We moved into the new library on the anniversary of Sophia’s funeral, in October 1990.”

Sophie was a 41-year-old mother of two girls. Her husband Jacob at first covered up the murder, stating that he and Sophie were on a business trip early in the morning of October 2. Sophie was driving and the car jumped the road, took the ditch, and caught fire. He claimed to have attempted to save Sophie, but he could not.

Once the evidence pointed to murder, Jacob confessed that he had killed his wife. He said that he and Sophie quarreled and he struck her several time with a hammer. It is believed that she lived a short time after he attacked her. According to a 1931 article from the Harvey Herald newspaper, Jacob “busied himself in cleaning up the murder chamber. Blood had flowed over the bedding, upon the floor, and was splattered upon a portion of the wall.”

Both Ripplinger and Stephina Gisi, assistant librarian, regaled me with tales of the infamous Sophie. They recalled times where strange keys unlocked the doors, lights flickered six times (Sophie has six letters in her name), and documents have disappeared.

“I was working feverishly one afternoon on the computer on some reports that needed to be done,” Ripplinger said, “when suddenly, all my work was gone.” She went on to relate that the local computer technician couldn’t retrieve her file. All that remained was a big, bold S. Ripplinger’s office is located where Sophie’s bedroom once stood.

Gisi said there are plenty of other haunted places in Harvey, people who have experienced very similar instances, in buildings or at sites which were once connected to Sophie. But no one wants to discuss them.

If you’re planning a trip to tour haunted places in Harvey, you had better act now. A group from Fargo, North Dakota, may travel to Harvey and ‘release’ Sophie’s ghost later this year. “She’s unhappy here, and she wants to leave,” said Ripplinger.