The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-25
A MOTHERS AWFUL CRIME.
She POisons Her Three Children and for
Three Days Calmly Awaits Their Death.

NEW YORK, March 24-Early this morning
dispatch was received at police headquarters
stating that Mrs. Minnie Lebkuechner, of No
154 West Fifty eighth street, had given poison 70
her three children-Anthony, nine years old;
Charles, seven, and Christopher. four years old
Anthony and Charles are dead. and the other
has been taken to the New York Hospital but
will not live. The mother was locked up IN Cap
tain Reilleys station house, suffering from the
effects of poison. Nothing more awful has been
recorded on the police blotters since the wife of
Albert Fritz, a German engraver. killed herself
and her three children with prussic acid, In a
Grand-street tenement, years ago. or since DR..
Seguln's wife played blindmans buff with her
children and shot them TO death, in their pa
1atial home on Murray Hill. In eth.
or Of these two cases insanity fur
nished at the excuse, and the
explanation of the unnatural deed. Mrs.
Lebkuechner is not insane. She is woman
driven to her act by trouble too great to bear.
She walked in, poorly dressed, pinched and
wan. With worn shawl around her. at o'clock
Ahis morning. Steadying herself against the
1esk, she said, in q harsh voice, that she had
killed two OF her children, and that the third
was dying in the house. The sergeant called
officer to go with the woman at once, and they
started for Twenty-eighth street together. On
the way the woman told her story in q listless
mechanical way. though II was worn-out
theme that loEg since had lost all interest to
her. Her husband was dead, she said; had died
four years ago; she had struggled TO keep the
children together, but failed. They were taken
Only recently she had got. them back
with infinite trouble, opposed by poverty
on side and the persecution of
her husbands relatives on the other,
but she could not keep them. Work
was failing aud food getting She fore
saw that she must loose them SOON Rather
bo,& &Tn~A 81 sI11e L. 49, ~
It over, and by Wednesday had made up her
mind fully She sent Anthony. the eldest Of
the boys, to a drug store with twenty-five cents
20 buy rat poison. The child bought ten cents
worth of Rough Rats" Mrs Lebkuechner
stirred it in the tea and, dividing the draught
into three equal parts, gave it to the boys to
morning. Very soon Afterwsrd all three were
taken Ill Watching their sufferings steadily
the mother stayed with them all that day, going
about the house without exciting the attention
of the tenants by unusual concern any sign
Of alarm. Wednesday night and all Thursday
the little sufferers lay in their dying agonies,
with the mother lowering about, seeing their
little lives ebbing out slowly and surely.
They begged for water. and with the
mereiless cruelty of fiend the mother gave
them whisky to drink. The two oldest drank,
and cried that they were on fire. They begged
10 be taken out into the back yard and have the
hydFari turned on them-tney burning up
But their feeble cries found deaf ear with the
mother. and did not reach the outer world. I'm
moved, she went about finishing her work. At
O'CLOCK thursday afternoon CnarIes dleG.
Three hours later his eldest brother breathed his
last Still the youngest the baby of the three,
WAS left With the two victims of her awful
crime lying dead, the mother held steadily to
her fendish purpose. Thursday night she sat
by her dying child--Friday-no until Saturday
morning, when the little ones grip on life still
refused to yield, did she weary of waiting and
went out to tell the police. BY this time the
woman and the officer reached the
door OF her house. and opened it
to the officer. glance inside told him that
her story wns true. In their bed lay the two
boys, long dead, and the little one gaspine
family the sofa. The room was meanly fur
nisbed, but clean. The mother stood unmoved
looking The officer put her under arrest
He took the woman TO the station and hurried
call was sent for an ambulance. The iirtle one
driven rapidly to the hospital and every
thing was done there TO save its life, but this
was deemed hopeless.
This morning the mother was taken to Jeffer-
son Market Police Court and thence sent to the
soroner's Office, where she was committed to the
Tombs Before being taken to the prison. she
drew photographs of her children from her
pocket and asked if she would be permitted to
keep them When told that she could retain
them she shouted excitedly: They wanted to
taks my children from me, but they can't do it
now
DR.. Conway. deputy coroner, conversed with
Mrs Lebkuechner for some time and expressed
the opinion that she is suffering from accute
mania