Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-24
4 Horrible Crime.

Il If OfPIOte CFtHte'
MILWAUKEE. Jan. pa terrible crime
was discovered at noon to-day. The wife
of John Zembrick, a laborer, living on
Sixth street, killed her three children, the
oldest seven years, the youngest eighteen
months, in the most brutal manner, liter
ally cutting them to pieces and completely
disemboweling them. The neighbors rat-
tention was attracted to the scene by the
woman's attempt TO hang herself in an
clubhouse. They cut her down and took
her inside. when horrible spectacle was
discovered. Mrs. Hembrick was at once
arrested. She took the arrest very calmly,
stating she had read to sacrifice her chill
dren in the good book. The woman is
doubtless suffering from religious insan-
ity.
The name Of the Bohemian woman who
butchered her three young children this
forenoon in horrible manner is not Zem
brick, but Zempircb. She is the wife of
machinist, twenty-three years old, married
about five years, and came to this country
a little over two years ago. The children,
all three girls, were four years, twenty
months, and four months old respectively.
When a reporter reached the dingy apart
ment where the deed was committed he
beheld a terrible sight. Left of the door
stood large, low bed, and on the scanty,
dirty bed clothes lay the PROSTATE forms
of the three girls, the Oldest apparently
four or five years of age, the youngest a
babe of only few months. They were
ghastIy group. The little bodies were
nude and cut up in terrible manner. The
oldest girl had a large number of gashes
made with butcher knife all over
her little body. The arms of the
second girl were cut off near
the shoulders, the lower extremities hung
to the body by thin shreds of flesh, and the
little body was completely disemboweled.
The small body of the babe was cut into
six pieces, the head and extremiti es being
completely severed from the body. Near
the foot of the bed young woman, only
partially dressed, with dishevelled hair,
crouched on the floor, held down by strong
men. Upon the table near by were the
remnants of frugal breakfast,
and carelessly thrust among the cups and
saucers lay an ugly looking butcher knife,
blood dripping from its blade, and
cooper's knife or scraper, with two han
dies, also smeared all over with blood.
The woman had been caught in the act of
hanging herself to the knob of the door
leading to an adjoining room, and at the
same time the lifeless and bleeding forms
of the children were discovered on the
bed. The butchery was hoarible. Blood
dripped from the bed onto the uncarpeted
floor, forming a large pool. The
whole surroundings were exceedingly
soualid. The bare floor looked as if 1t
had not seen a cleaning brush for months
The plaster on the walls was cracked and
had fallen in patches on the floor, where
it had been trodden under the feet of the
inmates. Close to the door opposite the
bed stood an empty cradle with few
dirty covers laid over in q careless man
ner. East of the empty cradle stood a
cooking range which, with the table and
few chairs, denoted that the room served
as kitchen, sleeping and sitting room.
From this room door, standing ajar, led
into front room whose
furniture consisted of a rickety table, four
cane e-bottomed chairs, the white washed
walls adorned with few cheap imprints
of Catholic saints. Poverty and unclean-
ness alike gave the rooms a dreary hook.
which was not improved by the bitter cold
atmosphere. The young woman held down
was the murderess. Her hands were
smeared with blood, and the front of hel
dress was dyed in gore. A Satanic
smile played about her mouth. and her
whole appearance was that of an insane
person. She was fair haired, yonng, ano
her featurers were not bad. She is about five
feet three inches high. Over her head was
a bed quilt, and when she had been placed
before the fire in the police station she tole
part of her story in broken German
When asked how she murdered the chill
dren, she said she stabbed one in the breas
and another in the shoulder. They crieC
but little, as she made quicl
work of the butchery. Sh
smiled as she pronounced tn
last words The woman used draw-shav
and two small carving knives. With tn
former she shaved the flesh off the chill
drens bodies and with the latter stabbed
and disemboweled them. While thei
bodies were shockingly mutilated, thei
heads were untouched. When asked wha
had caused her to do the fearful deed, sh
replied, Il read it in the book" Her in
sanity is of religious form, and sh
thinks she has made a great sacriic
She kept smoothing back her hal
with her bloody hands, locke
at the crimson stains and smiled. He
eyes had wild look, a sight so terribl
that the officers turned away, sick at hear
Hacked, and cut, and stabbed. and chopped
legs and arms horribly severed from tn
body, is the butchery described in tn
shortest way.
The husband stated that ever since thei
arrival in this country they had troubl
as there has been considerable sickneE
among the children. In answer to qUe'
ton as to whether or not hi
wife had ever shown any signs of insanit
previous to this morning, he replied ths