The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-29
THE FRENZY OF STARVATION.
Parents without Food for Their Children
Mistaken for Insane People.
New York World, Tuesday.

New York World, Tuesday.
Justice Morgan yesterday committed two
little girls, one five and the order three years
old, to tie care of the Society for the Pre-
vention of Cruelty to Children, and their
parents Franz and Annie Alderman, to jail,
pending an examination into their sanity.
The latter were arrested on Sunday, on COM
plant of Father Durthaer, of st. Joseph S
German Catholic Church, in East Eighty
seventh street, after having been declared in
sane by DR.. Van Musit of No. 1,266 Lexing-
ton avenue. They occupied miserable
tenement on the top floor of No. ,613 Second
avenue, and when arrested the rooms were
strewn with pieces of broken china The
two children were found almost naked and
nearly starved to death, huddled together on
a straw mattress in the rooms. From in
quiries, made by reporter of the World
in the neiglIborhood, it appears that until
about three months ago the family was
living comfortably and happily Mrs. Acker-
man being especially well liked, and being
noted for the neatness and taste with which
she cared for her rooms and dressed her chill
dren the elder of whom is bright little girl,
who formerly attended German school in
the neighborhood About three months ago,
however. Alderman had his head so severely
injured by an accident i'll the brewery where
he worked that it was necessary for him to
go to the charity hospital on Blackwell's
Island He was in the hospital nearly two
months. During this time his wife worked
bravely. washing and ironing day and night
to care for her children and take little deli
cacies to her husband.
When her husband returned home, about
six weeks ago, he was unable to find work,
and became very morose and sullen for hours
at time, and at other times raved like q
maniac. Mrs. Alderman became despond-
ent in consequence of her troubles and their
poverty, and although of very social ma
ture before, during the last few weeks she
has seldom left her apartments or admitted
any one into them, and when she did meet
the neighbors she avoided speaking to them
Saturday night the neighbors became
alarmed by hearing violent noises in the
Ackermans' rooms, and rushing in they
found the father raving violently and smash
ing the furniture, while his wife was throw
ing pots and pans out of a window. Quiet
was restored, and it was believed that Acker-
mans temporary fit had subsidized. The next
morning Mrs. Alderman attended mass at
st. Joseph's Church, and so disturbed the
congregation by her violent and disorderly
behavior that she was elected 1t was then
that Father Durthaler, who has visited the
Ackermans frequently paid their rent and
given them other relief, had the examination
made which resulted in their being arrested
to prevent them from Setting the house afire
or iniuring the children" as a neighbor COM
planned When arraigned yesterday morn
ing, Mrs. Alderman said they had had no
food for several days past Both denied en-
phaticallv that they were insane, and pro-
tested that they would die rather than go to
charitable institution.