Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-06-27
THE HOLYOKE TRAGEDY.

A FATHER SHOOTS MS THREE CHILDREN TO
SEND THEM TO HEAVEN AND SAVE THEM
PROM "Go1NG TO THE BAD"
One of the most horrible tragedies which
has ever occurred in this section took place
at So. Hoyoke Mass, last Saturday after
noon, when John Kemmler, German, shot
his three little girls, aged, respectively, 10
months, and 6 years. All three of the chill
dron were shot through the head-Ludmilla,
the eldest, and Emma, the youngest being
apparently killed instantly, while Anna the
little 4-year-old, lived in an unconscious con-
dition until O'Clock Sunday morning.
The murderer, who was born in Germany
in 1891, and is described as man of average
intelligence came to this country in his early
manhood and had lived in Holyoke about seven
years. During this time he has been en-
ployod at some of the mills, and last worked
at the Germana wooden mill He has al
ways been sober and industrious, and, though
he has at times acted very queerly he was
never considered otherwise than an odd
genius" About the list of last March he
drew out all the money he had in the local
savings banks, and, after paying what debts
he owed, had about $40 left, with which he
started for the Black Hills. About three
weeks ago he came back, and since that time
has done nothing. He has not so far as
known tried to obtain employment, and has
been possessed with the idea that he could
not work any more and was unable to sup
port his family, and he had had constant
impression that his little girls would grow up
land go to the bad, rs he expressed it, Act
ing on this thought, he resolved some time
ago, before he returned from the Black Hills,
he says to kill his three children rs the only
way to save their souls His wife has been
afraid of him, and has feared that he would
cnrry out some of the threats he has made
against her and the children, but seems to
have been taken off her guard He says that
he had fixed upon Saturday as the day when
the children must die, and two or three days
before bought some cyanide of potassium to
poison them. He apparently watched his OPP
portunity to have the children alone and Sat
urday afternoon sent his wife up town to buy
Il hat for the youngest. After she had gone
he called the children in from the street
where they were playing, telling them they
We're to be washed and dressed, and then he
would take them up street and get them some
candy. After getting them in the house he
attempted to administer the poison to them
but as they would not take it he deliberately
shot them with revolver i'll cold blood. He
then wrote a letter in German to one of his
neighbors, telling what he had done, and
limiting ut suicide, and closed by saying that
his wife knew nothing about it. Carrying
the bleeding body of little Anna into the
room where the others were murdered he
laid it on the bed beside the baby, leaving
the eldest on the floor in pool of blood. He
then went out, locking the door, and entered
a lager beer saloon, near by, where he told
NIl1 ha la1 nd bod fNV.n fr1,g s,NF
beer. Deputy Sheriff Kingsbury happened
to be in that part of the city, and followed
Kcmmler up the street, and found him in
Martin Smiths saloon. He was at once tax
EN- to the station house and put under guard.
Meanwhile so great crowd had gathered at
the scene of the murder that the officers with
difficulty effected an entrance to the house.
When they had done SO, what a sight to be-
hold The tenement was n small one of four
rooms on the third floor. Everything spoke
of poverty, but the rooms were neat and
clean, showing that the poor mother had done
her best to make her home pleasant and
cheerful. The first room entered was evil
IDENTIFY used for a sort of n living room, and
on n clothes line hung the dresses and aprons
of the little victims, washed and ironed ready
for the Sabbath. Scattered here and there
on the floor were the playthings they had
last used. On the table stood the bottle of
cyanide of potassium, and near it a teacup
which smelled of the poison, showing that
the unnatural father had tried to feed it to
the children before shooting them. In the
cupboard was half loaf of bread and the
, remnants of the MONDAY meal Opening
out of this was the bedroom where lay the
bodies of the victims All were shot between
the ear and temple, the bullets in every case
having gone entirely through the head. Lud-
milla the eldest had evidently stood beside
the bed when shot, and fell over on the floor,
where her body was found.
large number of people visited Kemmler
in his cell, with whom he talked with the
greatest freedom and unconcem about his
crime describing infinitely the manner in
which he performed his horrible work. He
had "made a good job of it., he said, and
had no doubt that he had done entirely right,
in sending the little girls to heaven while
they were young and innocent When asked
why he did not kill himself he said because
then he should have gone to hell, while now
he is all right, and the sooner he was hanged
the better.
The funeral of the murdered children took
place at the Holyoke city hall Monday after
noon and was attended by 25OO people. Mr..
Hanle, the Lutheran pastor, spoke to the
German part of the audience, and Mr.. Trask
of the Second Congregational church to the
English. The mother bore up during the
services with wonderful self possession. Mon
day morning Mr.. Trask had a talk with KEN
mler in his cell. On being asked if he thought
he had a right to kill his children, Kemmler
said yes. But" says the visitor, 'suppos-
ing was out of work and hard up, should
be justified in killing my child" Kemmler
couldn't say that he would. When told of
his wifes sorrow and loneliness, he leaned
back on his cot and laughed heartily, as
though it were a good joke. Kemmler said
he believed in the Bible, but thought it was
murder only when the killing was to obtain
money. When in court he answered to the
indictment with grin, Eyes, yes, I shoot
en-" Parties who have been acquainted
with the family say that Kemmler has had a
mania, and took particular pleasure in max
ing his wife unhappy. He has repeatedly
beaten her, SO that two or three times she
was almost beyond recovery, and six weeks
before giving birth to triplets he had a rope
around her neck dragging her about their
apartments.