The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-12-30

Il have heard that Nh. 6Sol30 ee90oo 90
ranged. I did not knov her except b. eight
I have met her rsmhlmg around, seemingiy
ton. / never heard Inst anybody considered
ner dangerous. Tho children seemed Lively
and comfortably cared for. " 5..r.
MES. ono PxxHY, swoR1.
Wnen nrs. cullinane came into our honss u
wae . lev minutes past six. Ny opinion d
that the deceased woman WAS insane. fro.
qusntly remarked to my sister when saw hel
wandering about that the woman WAS out Of
her mind: She seemed much detected and sad.
Mrs. Cullinsue told me that abe Wa out OF hel
NARY 4. wIlsOs, SWORN.
Ihave seen Mrs. sselser frequently. It VA.
my opinion from what Isaw Of her that abe
was ont Of her mind. e4s4ir.; ...-.' -'-
t..tr.t mn. srHrzxR, RaCALL8D. - .....
My wifes mother was nervous ffettish wo.
man. Any excitement would mako her shive,
or tremhie. She died from ffettinE.
Think my wife killed tho children with thu
Ratchet producing IT, 1t lay beside the head
Of the Oldest girl. The Ratchet belongs to me
knife which was found sticking in my wifet
throat was mine. had it hid carefully away
as felt afraid she might uso 1t. ,s!s r. 49,
u4af,i:. D1. J. H. STEWART, SWORN. .-oi5!i
was called to tho bodies about half past
seven O'Clock. The children were evidently
killed by como heavy sharp instrument such
g hAtchet or Axe. 1t couldsRot have been q
blunt weapon, for tho skulls had ineised
wounds. 2. .. ...-....-...s ...-....-5
The woman was dead OF just about 20,
when examined her body. She had evident.
carotid artery, caused BY 8 knife which
found still In the wound It had been driven
In with great force. Tho handle was almost
pushed Into the wound. s.4-.s' &.
Tie heads ofthe children seemed HseroQy cAop-
ped to pieces With several bososi One blow could
not have produced such wounds. It was the
most horrible sight ever say, even In army
In my opinion the woman was insane. I was
consulted BY Mr.. Stelzer in regard to her twice,
and she came herself to see me. This was af.
ter the death of her child She was troubled
with melancholy, which he said was from tho
loss Of the child. When she came to my house
she saw my little girl, and remarked that she
reminded her of her lost child. She got quite
overcome with sorrow, and cried 80 much that
she could not say werd more and thus went
dead child. Her husband said she sometimes
acted very "ugly." I was afraid he would
scold and abuse her, and directed him to treat
her gently and kindly-and to take her to
places of amusement and pleasure, so as to en-.
liven her mind. He did not seem to know how
to treat her case. We exempted Stelzer day
or two ago for phyeical disability One of the
Board who knew him also said that he was
afflicted with dementia. uos-.-f - 81 81.
This type of insanity (Mrs, stelzers) produ-
ces desire to die. If In woman, it would
naturally cause wish to take all her child rem
with her. She had doubtless . monomania
about her dead child, and - It conld not come
back to her, she wished to 70 to it, and take
her other children too. =,
THE VERDICT.
This completed the testimony taken by the
Coroner, and as 1t was considered BY the jury to
fully establish the insanity of the mother - the
cause of the murders and suicide, they returned
the following verdict on the bodies Of the
That the deceased came 10 their deaths by
blows inflicted on the head with Ratchet, In
the hands of their mother, Eleanor B. Stelzer,
on the evening of Thursday, December %,
1864, while the said mother was In fit of tenn
porary insanity, resulting from melancholy
state Of mind, caused BY the death Of one of
her children sometime previous. .a-i
In regard to the mother, the following Ii the
finding of the Inquest: So
That her death occurred between the hours
of six and eight p NJ. on Thursday, December
o. A. d. 1864. from wound in her neck in
ficted by butcher knife said knife having
severed the carotid artery and iugular vein.
inflicted by deceased, Eleanor Baxter Ste!ser's
own hand, while laboring under fit of tempo.
rary insanity, said insanity being the result of
melancholy, arising from the death of one of
her children sometime previous.
TUE RESULT OF THE INQUEST
has been to bring to light the whole history of
this occurrence. 1t leaves no doubt of the in
sanity of the mother, and that she was laboring
under IN aggravated attack of 1t when she
tooS her own life and those of her children.
Indeed, 1t would seem that mental infirmity
was hereditary in her blood-that her mother
had been "nervous and fretful and "fretted
herself to DEATH" The daughter doubtless par
took of the same organization. Her loss of
mother and home when young-her morbid
fondness for stories of murder and horrid
crimes-may these not have still farther disor-
dered the delicate machinery of the mind
And when the death of her favOiite daughter
occurred few months since, it is presumable
that the stroke quite completed tho overthrow
of reason. Her husband, q right-meaning and
kind-hearted but not very intelligent man, as it
seems, unfortunately knew not "how to min
lister to mind diseased, and the poor dement,
ed mother grew worse until the event of
Thursday occurred as tragic finale to her I'M
fortunate life.
THE BODIES OF THE DECEAsKp,
Were placed in collins furnished by order of
the coroner, (Mr. Steloer being destitute of
money to procure them) and-taken to the vault
of Oakland Cemetery yesterday afternoon. The
poor babe remained in the chamber of death up
to yesterday noon, when 1t was taken charge
of by some ladies at the Carpenter House, who
will care for it until other arrangements can
be made for the little sufferer. 1t seemed some
what better Yesterday, and slept quietly. as if
would be really mercifal dispensation if it
did not, as 1t may be idiotic from the blow it
has received, even If it does not inherit the in.
sanity of its mother, perhaps years hence to
repeat her awful crime and tragic end.