The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-04-04
TWO HUMAN FIENDs.
The Starvation and Torture of a Child
From the Hanorer. Ra.. Citizen. Aprl 2.

From the HGRoUer, Pa, Citizen, April 2.
About O'Clock ON Tuesday morning of last week
Minnie Dolkey aged years, died at the home of
her father. Charles Dolkey, near Krentlers school
house. on the Black Rock road, in Penn township,
~ miles from Hanover. After her death, or even
before, severe bruises and other presumed evidences
of ill-treatment were noticed the childs body.
and there a general belief in the neighborhood
that death had been caused by i'll -treatment The
body was however buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery
on Thursday morning.
The rumors having reached the coroner, DR..
Spangler, he, accompanied by DR.. S. ]. Rouse of
York, arrived in town Friday noon, went to the
cemetery, had the body of the child disintered and
| impanneled jury ofinquiry.
Drs. Rouse and Spangler made a most thorough
postmortem examination of the body, and the jury,
after viewing the remains adjourned until Saturday
morning at o'clock to take testimony in the case.
The revelations show such depravity of human
nature, and such brutality, as seldom equaled
in the annals of crime. The father and step-mother
are both German he being from Prussia and she
from Saxe-Weimer. Blame centres more particu-
larry on the woman, it is said in the favor of the
man that he was kind and affectionate father be-
fore he married his second wife.
Following is the testimony given before the
! jury on Saturday morning:
| Charles Dolkey Gather of the deceased), sworn,
sdIu. was UOIh III 1oOO dul peuuST VI rugs anu
bones; deceased was my daughter by my first wife,
child's name was Minnie Dolkey; she died about
o'clock Tuesday morning; did not see her die she
not sick before her death, except she complain
ed of pain in her side about IL O'Clock the night
of her death; slept in same room with deceased, it
was upstairs; the house is one-story with garrett
Minnie always well before this; her lips and
| eyes got blue sometimes she was not good child
l whipped her often with rope, about feet long
and as thick my finger; on one occasion went to
| the woods and got a stout chestnut sprout, with
which thrashed her good-until the blood ran
down OH her right side; this was three weeks ago.
we rubbed salt and pepper into hewounds; she was
born May G, 1885, have whipped her since with the
| same rope-about week ago. her feet were frozen
four winters ago. when 1 lived in Matthias Mum
merits house; last winter her feet were very bad
also this winter; this winter we put her feet in
bucket of snow; she wore shoes and stockings; Fri
day two weeks ago she fell from the hay NOV about
| eight feet and cut a cash above her right eye
| which caused discoloraton; she had a good appe
tite ate at same table with the family; ate bread
and coffee for breakfast meat, potatoes, &C., for
dinner; never gave her corn; last whipping was for
eating corn; tried to stop her from the habit of
eating corn, and for week past had the corn box
locked; she got enough to eat; never whipped her
from the table, whipped her several times for eating
|
often with the same rope my wife wanted to leave
me, because she said Minnie would not listen to
her but persuaded her not to go; never struck or
kicked the child; been whipping her for year.;
whipped her for drinking milk she had been sent
for at Mr. Schwarzs; on one occasion tied the child
| down to a bed. without clothing on, and whipped
her until the blood ran; "a child of Dolkey's being
present its feet were examined and found to be
frozen; penned Minnie in the stable awhile never
| tied her there; did not whip her the day or night
! previous to her DEATH her last supper of meal
soup and Bread wife and 1 went to York day
and left them alone; they had plenty to eat-four
slices of bread and two pounds of beef didn't whip
her for going to Schwarzs; got the beef from Daniel
Slime, Hanover; never put her i'll a cave or hole
| in the ground"
Mrs. Charles Dolkey (step-mother of deceased,
sworn said: Am the step-mother of Minnie Dol
key; have been married two years in December;
| whipped Minnie when she did not listen; whipped
! her with rod from the woods with a rope and
with my hands; saw Charles Dolkey whip the child
when it was tied to the bed; whipped it often, and
SO did he; about once week; the bruise on her
right eye was caused by falling from the hay NOW
on u fodder box; blood ran from the cut and from
her ears; one occasion the child was stripped
naked and tied to bed, and my husband whipped
it until he was out of breath then whipped it
until the blood ran, rubbed salt and pepper into
| the wounds did it because it would cause more
pain for she had lied; did this about four weeks
ago; did not whip her the day before she died. gave
her enough to eat-all she wanted twice gave her
no dinner because she ate corn; did not whip her
! for eating too much; never put her to bed without
| supper; never went away two days and left them
alone; never stayed later than or clock in the
| evening" went to York last Whitsuntfde and left
the children alone left them bread meat and coffee
to eat that day; Minnie ate meal soup the night be-
| fore she died; she died at a. NJ, Tuesday, March
| a; between II and l o'clock that night she com
planned of pain in her side it then subsidized, but
| she complained again few hours afterward; she
was dead in the morning; neither my husband nor
| saw her die"
Frank Martin sworn KNEW Minnie Dolkey; did
not see her often never saw the child lily treated
never talked to her. it is the general belief in the
neighborhood that she not well treated; heard
her" ollow' and cry my neighbor Henry Schwartz
says he took the chlds shoes off at his house, and
her feet were so sore she could hardly walk; know
nothing for or against Dolkey.'
! Michael Luntz sworn: Live about 200 yards from
! Dolkeys knew Minnie she was never allowed to
go among people, when anybody came to thelI
house the child was sent to the garnet; when was
there-at Christmas-their dog tore loose when
Minnie came from the garnet she had black and
| blue marks about the eyes; she was never allowed
to talk to strangers last Monday evening she opened
the large gate for her father never saw child KEPT
! as hard she was; last fall, during thunder
Storm her father sent her for dung fork not bring
ing il in time Though thought she came quickly
he struck her the side of her head severe blow
and put her TO pumping water during the storm; a
jew Nieman Marble, told me he stayed all night
there some three weeks ago, and while the family
ate supper Minnie had to set by the stove; that the
! step-mother compelled her to carry in wood, bul
because of her weakness unable to carry but
little at time for this the stepmother struck heI
over the hands with piece of firewood, Minnie
was not allowed to talk to anybody and was kept
confined in the garnet when not at work; sometime
ago George Brown wanted to adopt the child, but
the parents would not give her up; he was there
again for her the day before she died
Mrs. Michael Luntz sworn: Wife of Michael Luntz
! live near Dolkeys next neighbOr; was often at
Dolkeys while his first wife lived since the present
wife is there have not been welcome; saw Minnie
i'll treated; saw the father whip her very often and
very severely; often heard crying and screaming
! from hay stable often last summer after harvest,
! me and my children saw him pound the little girl
with a stick of wood until the stick was worn out
| and then took another from the wood pile and
| thrashed it. after which the child was put Ill the
/ house and the windows and doors closed to conhne
/ the noise of her screams.
| children that she could not lie down for several
weeks because of welts her body; she was always
/ hungry and would oGten have given her vitcuals,
! but she was not allowed to come out to us; when
/ ANYBODY came about she was locked i'll the garrett
/ often when the parents were away, took food to
the children but the father quarrelled with me for
so doing upon his return; did not know Minnie was
| dead until Wednesday morning; Minnie had to get
I'D about an hour befo re the family every morning,
4 make the fire and do work far beyond her years
/ they never washed the chids clothing; she could
mt 90 to school for the want of clothing; Mr. DOL
kew was kind father before he got this wife, since
then. both have been very cruel to the child now
dead deceased was kindly disposed and smart
child for her age had many good and womaniy
qualities.
Francis Morelock sworn: Live about miles from
Dolkey's: have known the family for number oil
wears; knew deceased; the family were very poor,
sometimes something to eat and sometimes not
had the children for some time after the motner
died they were good children good as other emil
dren: whenever went TO the house since they
/ have a step-mother the children seemed down
hearted and distressed; the children were not sent
to school.
Mrs Francis Morelock affirmed Previous 10 some
nine months ago got to the house OF Charles DOL
key occasionally; whenever asked Minnie now IL
goes she would cry and the step-mother would look
at her with such terror that believe the child was
H.