New-York tribune., 1888-03-25
POISONED BY THE MOTHER.
FRIGHTFUL DEATH OF TWO LITTLE BOYS

|
| AN INSANE WOMAN GIVES POISON TO HxR THREE
CHILDREN-Two DIED AFTER PAINFUL SUE.
FErIyG; THE BABY MAY RECovER-sHE
DIDN'T wAET To PART FROM THEM
TELLING THE sT0RY or
HER OWN CRIME.
NewYorkcrs not often horrifcd by Tragedy
such brought to light yesterday morning In
rear tenement house in West Twentyeighth-st It
was the murder Of little children by an insane mother
Nothing so terrible had been recorded In the police
books since the wife of Dr. segun shot her children
to death in West Twenty -nrstst house, and the vile
of Albert Fritz German engraver, killed herself and
hero three children with prussc acid at their homo In
Grand-st A wretched woman the neglected widow
| Of . once wealthy brewer had given poison to her
three sons because she feared they were to be taken
away from her. Then, with cup OF poison ready ior
| herself, she had watched for many hours While TWO
of the boys died lingering and agonIzIng death, and
| the remaining child suffered, but failed to de- AT
length, In despair, she had appealed to the police
Sergeant schmttberger looked up from his biotter'
| In the West Thrtieth-st station at 20 a M, yes
terday, and the woman enter sne was COARSE
looking German woman Of middle age.
| al have poisoned my three little boys" she sad'
| speaking quietly and looking gravely at the Ser
| geant. Two OF them dead and the other one Is
| going to dc SOON You might send doctor to the
! houses
The Sergeant doubted the woman's story, but he
asked: ." How did you poison them1'
al gave them 'Rough on Rats In their Tea"
"vhy dd you do that ~
because loved them much and couldn't bear
| 10 have ihem taken away to the asylum. thought
| It better to have them de-
sch.nittberger called In Roundsman Albertson ana
told him to 60 with the woman and investigate her
seem ngly incredible story. The woman led the way
| TO the tenement house In the rear OF No. 1o4 west
Tweny-eighth- st. and up flight OF stairs 10 Two
| small ro,n,s Altertson had met another policeman
In the street and had taken him along AS me woman
was lighting q lamp in the front room tho Officers
| hearl child moaning: ooh, mammal I'm burning
Put water on me- pretty boy, four years OF ago.
| lay on a lounge wnhing in pain. without tahhR
snv notice OF him the woman led the officers into the
| rear room and pointed to two small BEDS ON each
| bed lay the body OF boy "That was An'hohy'
| nine years old, and that was Charles, seven years
old,S she said, designating the bodies In turn. Al
bertson felt of the bodies and noticed that they were
cold Evidently the lads had been dead several hours
| at least nm
Returning TO the lounge in the front room the OIL
ccrs looked at the suffering child, and tho mother
faid: lie - Christopher, four years DID," hiocrN
son sent his oomrade to call an ambulance, anu 'no
little boy on his way to the Ne"-io'h ms
pital Then the were left in charge OF ponce
man and Albertson took the woman back TO the poce
station.
ANXIOUS TO TALK ABOUT HER CRIME.
| She said she was Minnie Lebkuchner. widow OK
Jacob Lebkuchner the brewer. who died about four
years ago. Although she was warned by sergeah's
Shela,n and MT to be lash In confessing
TO MURDER she seemed to be anxious to tell all she
knew and she continued to talk about the crime until
the officers shuddered. She the second wife OF
tho brewer, she said, and his children by former
wife we're grown up when she was married to him.
About the same tins lost most Of his money and he
was poor man when he died. His grown up son ana
daughters refused to help her and her CHILDREN after
his DEATH and she Obliged to work at washing and
scrubbng to make living The children were taken
from her at one time, and the boy, Anthony, was
placed In the Juvenile Asylum. 1t was only lately
that she had succeeded In getting them all back Win
her.
On wednesday she received letter telling her that
an agent would cali for the children In few days
and take them to the asylum. The thought OF an
other separation moro than she could bear, ana
on the same day she sent the boy Anthony to the
drug store at No. 311 seventh-ave. to buy some rat
poison She mixed some Of the poison with the tea
which the children drank for supper All three were
sick that night, but they did not die them On THURS
day she went out and bought some whskey The boys
were complaining of thirst and said they were burning
They said they wanted to into the yard where the
hydrant was and have some water poured on Them
Tho wreched woman offered them some OF the whiskey'
Anthony Charles drank some Of 1t and their suer
ugs increased Little Christopher spat out tho liquor
as he tasted 1t.
WATCHING HER LITTLE BOYS DIE
Mrs Lebkuchner kept the doors closed so that no
other inmate of the house could hear the children
CRYING She sat on guard watching them In their
agony and hoping for their death Anthony died IN
the afternoon. His mother folded his hahns acrosS
his breast and smoothed the hair on MS lorcnoaoL
Charles was moaning feebly In his bed In the same
room He died that night and his body was lald ou.
on the couch Little Christopher still cried ana neia
on TO life. He dashed away from his lips secona
dose of the poison which his mother tried 70
All day Friday he tossed about the room, crying ior
water and refusing to drink the whlskcy "hicn was
offered to him. Mrs. Lebkuchner had Kept some OF
the poison for herself, but she did not wish TO drink
IL until all three children were dead. She wated'
longing for Christopher de but not having the nerve
to use violence Night came and still the woman
sat watching the suffering child Hour after hour
passed and there quiet In the house except "hero
the woman held tho boy Q prisoner ana nstenea W
his constant moaning At length she could no longer
endure the misery Of the long walt ior deatn anu sh'
went to the police station.
Early In the forenoon the bodies OF
Anthony and Charles Lebkuchner were
taken to an undertaker's shop at NO.
397 seventh-ave and the rooms OK tho woman
were locked up. Her story was repeated to Deputy
Coroner scholler who said she was insane Aher
benp taken to the Jefferson Market Court and to the
Coroners office she committed to the Tombs
TO be examined by experts In insanity.
Mrs Lebkuchn neighbors In Twenty-cighth-
st. said she had lived In the house eighteen months
Not until recently did she have her three sons with
her. On February 21, 1887, sho gave birth TO an
ulegttimate child which was sent away In few days.
To Doctor Pefer who attended her, she would not tell
the name Of the infants father but she said her maiden
name was Minnie Christopher.
At the New-York Hospital yesterday afternoon
n was said that little Christopher Lebkuchner prob
ably would recover.
THE MARRIED LIFE OF MRS LEBKUCHNER
Jacob Lebkuchner. tr. stepson OF the unfortunate
woman, Is manager of the bottling department OF
Hupiels brewery at No 234 East Thirty ninth-st.'
and is brotherin-law OF Mr.. Hupfel Mr.. Leohuchner
said yesterday afternoon that his fathers ohuron y,
the first marriage were himself ard four sisters. all
oroun nm and welI-todo The elder Lebkuchner once
owned the West Side brewery. in West Twenty
g, and WAS a wealthy mao. but afterward met with
IL. IL 49, mi mo-