Telegram-herald., 1886-09-09
A TALE OF HORROR
A Dozen Babies Murdered bya
Female Fiend 10 Milwaukee.
sEEDLES THROUGH THEIR HEARTS.
The Woman Who Vas Csptu ed ct
Reed CuT Turns OJi 10 be a Fleno
lncarnate- Awful Discoveries
ia Cellar

Il will be remembered that the TIA rsnAs-
HERALp contained several dispatches from
Reed city. relating 10 the capture OF Mrs.
Pauline Miltelsiaedt Of Milwaukee al that
place for numbering a baby by running
darning needle through BIS heart. The mat
ter created a great sensation al Reed Cily
and is now creating a greater one at Nil
waukee.
Mrs Mittelslaedt has been running a
lying.in hospital AT Milwaukee for some
time aud the most startling developments
regarding her crimes have just been made
public. Detectives have for some time been
al work although Mrs Mntelslaedt was un-
aware that she was under police suryeii-
lance
II now appears that the woman has for
months back made = regular practice of
putting the babies left ~ her chsrge 70
death. by sticking large darning needles into
their hearts How many lnnocenis have
thus been made away with Il IS impossible
ID estimate, bat the number promises 10 run
considerably over score.
The police were given the hrst clews re-
garding this wholesale slaughter OF The
infants by a servant girl named Lena
Myers. who had worked at Mrs. Mittel-
staedts for three months. Acting upon the
house and some horrible discoveries were
the result
4 newly y-made mound of earth is reported
TO have been noticed in the cellar, and upon
being excavated the bodies OF three babies
were found. Running through each little
heart was a darning needle, which had
been ground down 10 a fine point at the
end, and then evidently pressed right
through the tiny bodies.
the other two had not been long buried, and
the babies had probably not been dead more
than a week or two.
The officers continued their search, and
it is claimed that in an ash heap at the back
of the house found two more bodies buried
only a few inches beneath the surface. In
fact, the tiny fingers of ore body stuck up
through the ashes, and il seemed strange
that nobody had discovered the buried mys
terry before. This, II seems. was partly ex
planed by the fact that Mrs. Mittelstaedt
lived entirely alone. with the exception Of
one servant girl, and was careful 10 keep all
inruders away from her premises Both
bodies had darning needles running through
them.
An unused we'll in the back yard was
next investigated and the detectives say
they were rewarded by discovering three
more bodies of little ones, none OF them
having been evidently more than four or
five months old. In every ease the muir
deress had left the evidence of her crime
sticking IN the hearts of The little victims
There is great excitement in social circles
over the ghastly exposures Many promi-
nent society people are said - he implicated
in the scandals having lett babies with Mrs
Mittelsiaedt 10 take care of. The woman
was usually paid six months board for the
infants in advance, but, as alleged. KILLED
them after a weeks residence with her.
When an inquiry was made by the parents
she explained the infants absence by say
ing that she had sent it into the country for
the Summer TO the house of a relative.
1t is also said that ia several cases. Mrs.
Mittlestaedt was paid considerable sums of
money for putting the babies out of the
way. The wife Of one of Milwaukee's best
| known merchants is believed TO have paid
the woman $500 for destroying a two
months old infant left with her without
the knowledge of the deceived merchant
The feeling against Mrs Mittestaedt is
| intense and threats of lynching are made.
| She is a stolid German woman ard takes
her arrest philOsophically She denies her
| guilt, bat the girl Lena Myers is alleged 60
nave asserted that she saw Mrs Mittelstaedi
run a needle through the heart of one OF
| the babies
| Further startling disclosures are expected
| 10y diligent examination II the premises
Ii is believed that the number of babies
| thus killed will exceed even the high esii
mate made by the police authorities.