Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-01-03
German woman Kills Her Child
aua Seriously wounds Herself.

A Rochester (N. " special says !;
The little town of Macedon, eighteen
miles from Rochester on the direct road
east. is the scene Of a tragedy most
mysterious in its nature. Ordinarily
that village is very quiet place, with
scarcely anything to cause ripple oil
excitement. A young German woman
named Anna Dickhof arrived in the VII
lage yesterday afternoon on an cmigrant
train. She could not speak word OF
English, and sat in the station-house all
night. No one disturbed her, and she
was given a couch tossleep upon with
her little child, girl eleven months old.
This morning about 4 o'clock Bag
gage-Agcnt Patrick Quinn heard
sound as if woman was vomiting,
and. turning up the light in the waiting
room. discovered the little child lying
dead on the couch, with its throat cut
from ear to ear, and pool of blood
upon the fioor.
The mother also lay apparently life
less. with arms extended and blood
trickling down from stab in her throat
and staining her dress. On the floor
near by was an open penknife, the blade
of which was covered with blood.
Leaving the mother and child untouched,
Quinn ran to the village for physician,
and found DIR. Lacey, who at once re-
paired to the Central station-house at
Macedon. Meanwhile Christian Dunn
tee. constable of the village, was
walking along the road leading from the
village to the station-house. About
200 rods south Of the station nc found
woman lying in the snow by the road
side insensible and covered with blood.
Returning to consciousness while
Quinn was absent, the German woman
had walked out of the station and had
fallen where the constable found her.
MIR. Dumtee at once removed her to the
house of Richard Deyo, only few rods
distant, where she was when DIR. Lacey
visited her. The child was dead, proba-
bly, having lived but moment after its
throat was cut. The mothers wound
was found to be not so serious, as the
knife had only been stabbed into her
throat, inficting a wound the size of
the blade. The windpipe is partially
severed. but the woman stands fair
chance to recover.
The only explanation Of the tragedy
is that the mother murdered her child
and then made an attempt at suicide.
The infant was removed to Brundage's
undertaking-rooms, where an inquest
will be held at 10 o'clock tomorrow
morning. The motive for the crime is
not apparent. In April last August
Dickhof left his wife and three
months-old child in Berlin, while he
came to this country and engaged
as farm-laborer in the village of
Lincoln. On the 18th of Noyem-
Der he sent his wife Anna s27 to come
with her child to this country: Lincoln
is ten miles from Macedon, and as Au-
gust did not expect her so soon she
1Ounu no one NditiuS iOi hci nhSh ohO
arrived, and, having no place to go, was
compelled to remain in the station over
night. Whether or not her act was the
result of dependency in the belief that
her husband had deserted her is only
conjecture.
August Dickhof was informed of the
tragedy, and at once came to the VIII
lage, only to find his child dead and his
wife in critical condition. When he
was taken into the room where she lay
she recognized him, and after an en-
brace said, in tones Of agony. - Where
is my little Lizzie? Bring me my little
girl" All through the day she re-
peated the request, and toward eve
ming became delirious and constant
" called for her child. She is a
remarkably handsome German wo-
man, twenty-four years of age, and
was neatly dressed. Her husband is
two years her senior, and although he
has been several months in this country,
he is unable to speak English. He is
heart-broken over this occurrence. 1t
is believed that the woman did the hor-
rible deed while temporarily insane.