Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-07-23
A TERRIBLE STORY.

A TERRIBLE STORY
Own Child-Three Generations of Wrecked
Minds.
New York World
The peculiar and almost incredibly
story brought out by the arrest and CON
viction in the Richmond county court of
sessions in March last, after much itiga-
ton of George ". Lake for being the
father of five children by his own daugh-
ter, was yesterday revived, says the World
| at special term of the supreme court
before Judge Cullen. Lawyer George A.
Moses appearing for Lake moved for
| leave to file a bill of exceptions for the
| purpose of appealing from the last iudg-
ment of the court. The motion was OPP
posed by the district attorney at Rich
| mond county, but Judge Cullen decided
| in favor of the convict.
| Lake is now in Sing Sing prison, where
| he was sentenced to serve nine and one
| half years imprisonment. Three gener-
| ations of wrecked minds are the result of
! his wicked and shameless career. His
| case illustrates, aside from the depths of
| depravity to which human nature may
| sink, the evil effects of intermarriage be-
| tween blood relations.
| Lake was born in Topsville, Mass, and
when but Is years old became infatuated
| with Emma Sweeney, of that village, who
| was possessed of q limited amount of dis
| erection. He was a frequent visitor at her
| fathers house, and after a few months
| child was born, the paternity of which
| was laid to young Lake. He fled the
| country, taking passage as common
sailor on a Chinese merchantmen. From
| China he went to Japan, where he &C
quired the language of the natives, and
! finally engaged in exporting fancy goods
| and bric-a- brac to this country. He pros
| pered, saved money, and finally returned
| home with snug little fortune, and con-
| tinued business with his headquarters in
| New York. He found that during his alb
sence Emma had married, and that his
child was in the Boston Orphan Asylum.
! He gained possession of the little unfor
| tunate, and sent her to seminary to be
! educated. She was called Emma after
| her mother.
| None of her schoolmates ever sus pect-
| ed little Emmas misfortune, and she was
| quite favorite among them. Lake Wis
| tied the child only occasionally and sup
! posed that Its mother had lost all interest
! in her. Such, however, was not the case.
\ hC ldteCl NlSltS III ScSISb W
1 the little one, and manifested great deal
of affection toward her, although she new
| er revealed her relationship.
| The state of affairs continued until 49,
rs, when Lake took Emma from her
! studies and took her to New York to act
| as his bookkeeper. At the time she was
| a bright, fair haired woman of 16, un-
| usually well developed for her age. Lake
! took her to live at the old Washington
| hotel, where he registered her as his
| daughter. He never introduced her to
| anyone and always led her to and from
| the DINING room. She went to and from
| his Office with him daily, and when he
! spent the evening out Emma was always
| left locked IN their apartments. Boarders
| finally bjected to the two peculiar guests,
| and, being asked to seek quarters else
where, they removed to No. 912 State
| street. Lake was then between 80 and 80
years old, and his new landlord supposed
| him to be the husband of his youthful
! companion. The couple had been in the
house but short time when Emma gave
birth to child. Her mother had neither
| seen nor heard from her since her de-
| parture from the seminary, but the day
| the infant was born Lake sent for the
| woman. When she arrived at the house
and found that her shame had been carri-
ed down to her daughter she went raving
mad, and had to be removed from the
! house by force. She was taken to an in
sane asylum, where she died of the shock
| few days later.
| Before the new born child was month
| old Lake deserted his family. He was
| arrested on a charge of abandonment,
and at the station-house denied that the
|
brought to light evidence of the regis
tration at the Washington hotel. where he
had claimed the girl as his daughter, and
he was held on a more serious charge,
He was tried and acquitted, after which
he removed with his youthful family to
comfortable but not very pretentious
cottage in Tottenville, n. Y, He kept n
| horse and carriage in which he drove to
the ferry at Clifton every morning. He
| left it in the livery-stable there until his
return at night, when he drove home
| again. The young woman, who was
doubly related to him, never appeared in
the carriage and was seldom seen in the
| streets. Lake continued his unlawful re-
| lations with her and his family increased.
| AS the second generation of children grew
up, however, they were found to be idiots,
and public Indignation against the father
became so bitter that he was forced to
| leave the neighborhood. He next took
| his afflicted family to house on Todt
hill, few miles from Clifton. This was
about four years ago, and he was again
indicted. Then it was discovered that
the mother of the younger children had
become insane. She was sent to an asy-
lum, her children five in number) were
taken to the poorhouse and Lake was
lodged in jail. He was tried. convicted.
and sentenced to nine and half years
Imprisonment at hard labor in Sing Sing.
He served two months of his time, when
stay on appeal was obtained in his be-
half, and he was transferred back to the
Richmond county jail. The general term
of the supreme court reversed the de
clsion against him in May last, and
ordered a new trial. The second trial
took place in the Richmond county court
of sessions on March 5, and resulted in q
conviction, when the old sentence of
nine years and six months was again
inflicted.
The unfortunate children of the con-
Wet have been transferred from the
poor-house in Richmond county to the
asylum for idiots at Syracuse.
SHE WANTED To BE REDUCED.
Turning Hopefully to a tricycle. to Get Back