Litchfield enquirer., 1870-08-25
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.
A NEW HAVEN HUSBAND SHOOTS HIS WIFE,
 HIS CHILD, AND HIMSELF.

A NEW HAVEN HUSBAND SHOOTS HIS WIFE, HIS CHILD, AND HIMSELF.
 
 On Saturday evening a terrible tragedy occurred at the Phoenix House, in Church St., New Haven. Our readers will recol- lect the burning of the Baumgarten Organ Factory some three months since. A broth CT of the owner of that establishment, Otto Baumgarten by name. married Clara Katsch daughter of the proprietor of tbe Phe- nix House, German Hotel, in the summer of 1868. Her parents were greatly oppos- ed to the match, but the fear that Clara might commit suicide finally induced them to withdraw their objections. The young husband was then at work at his brothers factory and continued there till about three months since, when the factory was burned.
 During this twenty months. they lived happily together, and had one child about year since. Mrs. Baumgarten's mother frequently upbraided her daughter for be- ing in straitened circumstances, but with no result. till the burning of the factory threw the husband out of employment. She then prevailed on her daughter to leave her husband and return to her fathers house with her infant son. Baumgarten brooded over his domestic and financial difficulties, became dissipated in habits, and perhaps deranged in mind. After vainly attempting to get his wife to return to him, he began to use very violent lan- guage. which, however, excited little att tention. On Saturday, at about 7 P. M., he went into the Phoenix House, passed through the bar-room to the kitchen where the family was at supper, the child being in little carriage outside the door in the rear yald. He motioned to his wife to come into the garden, which she did, fear ing that he intended to take the child away.
 On reaching the garden he sat down on settee, gave his boy some candies and cakes, and began talking with his wife. The three then went further back to pig pen. While standing here Mrs. Baumgarten heard noise of pistol and found herself wounded in the head> The ball entered the right side just at the joint of the lower jaw and came out on the right side of the bridge of her nose. Having done this, he placed the pistol to the head of the child and fired, putting ball through his head, and in the next instant placed it to his own head and fired, falling instantly. Mrs. B. picked up her child and ran towards the hall, where two men were sitting on the steps. They heard the firing, but did not know what had been done until they saw the woman ,ming toward them cover ed with blood. The child was unconscious but Mrs. B. bore up with remarkable for titude, and she now lies in critical condi- tion with hope of her recovery. The child died Sunday morning at o'clock. Baum garten seems to have died instantly. The parents of Mrs. Baumgarten claim that for the past year Baumgarten had become shiftless and idle, and refused to work, k,say- ing he was not going to work as long as he had father-in-law able to support him. That MT. Katsch had often given him mon ey to maintain his family, but some weeks since he told Baumgarten that he would give him no more help-that he must work for himself, and support his wife and child, which he failed to do.