Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-13
BATTLING WITH A MANIAC.
Desperate Struggle OF a Lady With a
Crazed Servant.


~ -
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, March 9 For
about ten days Carolioe Metzgar, q
and strong German girl l8 years
Of age, has been q servant with the
Of Mr.. Samuel May, of No.
1921 North Ninth street. Tho girl
has only been In this country about
three months, but she vas genial and
obliging and soon became q great
favorite with Mrs. May, and appeared
to take great pleasure In attending
the 8.months. old baby of the
latter. A few days since Mr..
May left the city on business,
and Mrs. May allowed the girl
to sleep with her. Or Thursday even.
Ing, only q few hours before this para
gon of servants was tranformed into Q
blood.thirsty ierd bent on murder,
she sang German lullabys to the baby
until the little thing dropped off to
sleep, Mrs. May then took the child
and placed 1t in lite crib, after which
servant and mistress lunched together
before retiring for the night. At mid.
night, according to the girls state.
ment, she went into the cellar and
procured a Ratchet, which she care.
fully placed under the bed in which
Mrs. May was sleeping. Then she
went to sleep alongside her intended
victim.
Mrs. May awoke at l o'clock, and
did not fall asleep again until 4. She
cannot tell how long she slept, but
she was awakened In the most fright.
full manner. The servant girl had
arisen, and grasping q long. necked
pint bottle which stood on the dresa-
ing case, crept to the bedside and
dealt the sleeping woman q blow on
her head.
THE MuRpRRoUs BLOW
had not been well aimed, and the bot
tie was scattered into pieces against
the head of the bed, the glass flying
over Mrs. Mays face and around her
head. With q shrek, she sprang up
and grappled with her assailant, sup
posing At first that 1t was q robber.
The girl threw her off and got pos.
session OF the Ratchet, with which she
struck Mrs. May Q terrible blow on
the forehead. my God, my ohild!'
exclaimed the wounded woman, az the
girl again raised the deadly wea-
pom and struck another blow
upon the mothers head, Telling her to
the bed, the blood squirting In
streams from two CHASTITY wounds.
With the strength of despair Mrs.
May sprapg from the bed, and elud-
Ing n third blow aimed at her, grasped
the girl by the throat. Then q des.
perate struggle ensued. From end to
end of the room the two women
fought with almost superhuman
strength. Mrs. May ohoked her
would.be slayer until the Ratchet fell
to the floor, and she caught 1t up to
defend herself with. Her clothes
were covered with blood, and the car.
pet and furniture were spattered with
the dark fluid. Another struggled
followed for
POSSESSION OF II RATCHET,
and the girl succeeded in getting II
again. Fortunately Mrs. May sue,
oeeded In forcing her assailant into the
hall and closing the door between
them. When help arrived It wal
found that the baby had been serious.
ly, perhaps fatally, injured by beir
knocked against the side Of the bed
Mrs. Mays injuries are not fatal, al
though there Is great danger of erysi
pelas. 1t is generally believed tha'
the girl was driven to the deed by q fl
of insanity. She say 8 several days sgt
she was instructed In q dream by Goo
to kill Mrs. May and her child, and
that the dream was repeated several
times. She had determined on . prev
ious occasion to obey the command,
but 30 great was her affection for thu
little baby that her heart failed her,
and she could not accomplish her pur
pose.
THE GIRLS STORY.
In giving an account of the terrible
struggle with Mrs. May, she said:
"After Mrs. May caught me by tn,
throat l fought for my life for
thought she was going to kill me i
she got the hatohet. I managed t.
get 1t back after she let 60 OF m,
throat, and IL I had not been pu,het
out Of the room I would have killet
the baby with it." At this point tn,
girl burst Into tears aud exclaimed
"Oh, l am sorry; I had to do 1t; I hal
to do it,"
|. The girl Is suffering with q diueas'
peculiar to women which has cause,
her parents much anxiety. and recent
ly she IVES taken to the Episcopal hos
pital on Lehigh avenue, but was no
SUCCESSFULLY treated. This disease,
is said, frequently caused mental dc
rangement.