Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-04-08
slaughter Of Children.
HORRIBLE REVELATIONS OF AN ABORTION
ISIS DEEDS.
BURNING NEWBORN INFANTS INA FURNACE
UNTDIELY DEATH OF a sCHUYLKILL
COUNTY GIRL.

The following article is from the
Philadelphia Record Of April 1st 49,
S5, and place is given it here for the
purpose of informing country people
of one of the phases of iniquitous life
in cities and large towns. If read
Alright it should point the way to a
life that abstains from secret pleas
ures that leads to shame and crime :
The inquest in the case OF Alice Kirk,
of Pottsville, who died on Sunday,
March %, of acute peritcnitis, caused
by criminal malpractice at the hands
of Maria Hoepfner, at No 1911 North
Twenty-seveuth street, was held by
the Deputy Coroner yesterday. He
explained to the jury the circumstan
ces Of the case, and stated that the
dead body of a new born infant was
found near Twenty-fourth street and
college avenue shortly before her
death.
William c. Farnsworth, the Coro-
ners special officer, testified that he
had traced Miss Kinks movements
from the time OF her leaving home.
She came to this city about the 1st
of March in company with Miss Ella
Wildemuth- They went to the house
of Mrs Hoepfner, where Miss Kirk,
who gave her name as Reed, made
her condition known and asked for
medical treatment. Two weeks later
she took up her residence at the
Twenty-seventh street house. which
she never left until her body was
thrust into a plain coffin and shipped
to her friends in Pottsville, where it
was inferred. Officer Farnsworth also
discovered that a baby had been put
in closet and left until it either starv-
ed or froze to death, and that u pair
of twins, which were born alive, were
found dead shortly after. He found
no indications that bodies had been
buried in the cellar, but thought
they had been buried in the heater.
Miss Wildemuths affidavit, taken
before Justice of the Peace in Potts
vile, was admitted in evidence. In
it she related the story of their visit
and the arrangements made with Mrs.
Hoepfner
Priscilla Franz had been an inmate
of the house, and recognized baby,
which had been found at Twenty
eigth street and Columbia avenue
and taken to the Almshouse, as one
which she had nursed at Mrs. Hoepf-
per's. She knew that children had
been born there, and two or three
girls told her that they had been
treated by Mrs. Hoepfners peculiar
methods.
Mary Simpson had also been there
and testified to the nature of the bus
mess carried on. Annie Baxter, an
other of the witnesses, was shown
the infant, which had been brought
from the Almshouse. She looked at
the little one a moment, and then
it as her child. She said
that it was born on the 9th of De-
csmber last she had left it with
Hoepfner with the understanding
that the latter had some one who
would adopt it. Mrs. Hoepfner sta
ted that she would have to pay $50
to this person to adopt it, and the
witness gave her the money for this
purpose.
Rosie Clement had been there
twice and Maggie Fields once. Both
testified to the performance OF crimi-
nal operations by the prisoner. The
latter witness had been told by five
or six girls that they had also been
residents at Mrs. Hoepfner's farm for
similar causes. About one dozen 9th
Ell women who had been treated by
Mrs. Hoepfner also testified, and the
Deputy Coroner stated that there
were several more at the house in
such critical condition that they
could not be moved.
Otto Hoepfner, the husband, testi-
fed that he was married to the pris-
oner in 1878. He attended to heater
fires, but laughed at and denied the
suggestion that he had used new
born infants for fuel. He never as
sisted his wife and did not know her
practices, but he was positive that
they We're not illegitimate.
DIR. May was called TO give testi-
mony that would convince the Jury
that Mrs. Hoepfner had been instru-
mental in causing more than one
death. He testified that some time
ago he attended Mrs Scholl, who
was suffering from blood poisoning.
Whan che honn ma Al L.