Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-11-26
Brutal Child Murder An Infant Beaten
and Stamped to Death by Young
Girl

One of the most horrible cases of
child Murder it has been our lot TO
record occurred on Sunday on what
is known as the Waterloo ridge, in
Wisconsin, about six miles vest of
Potosi, near the Waterloo mills
twenty-five miles from this city.
About two weeks ago Jacob Sickle,
farmer residing on the Waterloo
ridge, came to Dubuque bringing
with him soldiers widow named
Annie Field, who was seeking ems
ployment by which to earn support
for herself and two small children
Mrs. Field had been at work for Mr..
Sickle since the death of his wife.
which occurred about fifteen months
ago. this service she had been
employed ot only in the house as
housekeepe but in the field as u
farm hand, receiving in compensa-
ton only board for herself and little
girl, aged three years. Farm labor
being nearly over Mr.. Sickle had no
further employment for Mrs. Field
and she came to this city tor work.
Her little boy had meantime been
taken by her brother, Morgan Reed,
and Mr.. Sickle promised to keep the
little girl, Ellie Field, while the moth
er was away earning livelihood
Jacob Sickle has daughter about Is
or 10 years of age, said to be the IN \
fortunate possessor of very bad
temper. On unday MIR. Sickle was
away from home. About II o'clock
Of that day the daughter Lizzie Sickle,
for some cause unknown as yet, fell
upon the little girl and beat her IN a
most brutal manner When the
child became unconscious and was
apparently dying. she became alarm
ed at the result of her brutality and
called in a neighboring woman. To
her she told story improbable on
it's very face. She said that the child
had fallen from a chair by accident
and hurt its head. But it required
only glance at the mutilated body
to show the falsity of this story
The body was one m ass of bruised
and broken flesh. On the head was
afrightful wound giving every indica
ton of broken ll,sand one of the
hands was crushed SO badly that, it
is said, not bone in it remained un.
broken. A physician, DR.. Graham,
of Potosi, was sent for Immediately,
and everything possible was done for
the little sufferer, but to no avail,
the child dying at 2 o'clock on Mon
day.
Mrs. Field, the mother, had been
employed in the family Of Mrs. 2.
Quigley, in this city. Monday after
noon messenger was dispatched to
her bearing the terrible news of the
death of her child, and she started
Immediately to take last look at
the face OF the murdered innocent,
and see the mangled body laid away
in the grave. Such sorrow as fell up
on the heart of this poor widow comes
not to other mothers. Death in any
form is terrible, but to think of her
child tortured to its death must have
been burden without the possibili \
ty of relief.
Our informant had heard of no con,
fession being made by Lizzie Sickle,
the murderess. She probably holds
to the lying statement first made
An examination of the body of the
murdered child shows that it was
first beaten until the flesh became
black and then the elimination of
the barbarity was reached in throw :
ing it upon the floor and stamping
upon lis head The skull was bro :
ken, the forehead being smashed in
evidently by stamping it with heel>
ed shoe. The hand may have been
crushed by stamping or may have
been broken by pounding.
The child had also been violently
kicked in the stomach, and received
injuries there which alone would
have caused its death.
An officer was sent for Immediate
ly to arrest Lizzie Sickle, and she
will be placed upon trial for murder
The case justly creates great excite
ment in the neighborhood dubuque
Herald.