Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1888-04-06
A MOTHERS CRIME.
She POiSOnS Her Three Children
Because of Poverty.
Two of Them Die in Sight of the
Pitiless Parent.

One OF the most shocking tragedies that
can startle any community was perpetr rated
few days ago in Twenty street. New
York, the deliberate murder of little children
by their own mother. The woman is Mrs.
Minnie Liebkuechner. a German. She ad-
ministered poison TO her three children. An
thony, aged nine, Charles. aged seven and the
other, tour-year-old boy, named Chris
TOPPER.
AT 2:30 o'clock in the morning Mrs Lieb-
kuechner walked into the station house She
was pale and worn-looking, and evidently
suffering from want. she was very poorly
dressed and pulled an old shawl tightly
about her in vain endeavor TO keep out the
biting wind. Steady ing ISef against the
desk, she told the Sergeant in a dry,
hard voice that she had killed two of
her children, and that the third was dying
in the house. 1t was not far away, she said
Something in her set and hopeless face
stopped the questions that the sergeant was
about to ask, and he ran for an officer
to go with her at once. Rounds
man Albertson responded, and they
started for the wOman'S home
On the way the woman told her story.
Her husband had died four years ago, and
she made long but vain struggle to keep
her children with her. They were sent to
the Juvenile Asylum, and she got them back
only recently and with great difficulty On
one side she had to fight poverty, and on the
other side the persecution of her husbands
relatives. Work was failing her, and again
she saw that she would be forced to part with
her little Ones she could not get enough
food to nourish them. Driven TO despair at
the prospect, she decided to kill them. Her
determination was reached on Wednesday
She sent Anthony, the oldest of the boys, to
Herbert Frenck's drug store, No. 311 with a
quarter to buy rat poison. The child brought
back ten cents worth of Rough on Rats.
Mrs. Liebkuechner stirred it in tea and
dividing the draught into three equal parts
gave it to the boys to drink. This was on
Wednesday morning. Very soon afterward
all three were taken i'll. She watched
their sufferings all day, and went
about the house to avert suspicion on
the part of other tenants. The children lay
in agony in their little second floor room in
tie rear tenement all day Thursday When
they cried for water their murderOus mother
gave them whisky. The two eldest drank
and cried that they We're on fire: but their
means did not reach any one but the mother,
and she needed them not
At two o'clock Thursday afternoon Charles
died, and three hours later his brother
breathed his last. All that night Mrs Lieb-
keuchner sat by her dying baby, and
all all OF the the next 1t. day When at length
near, and she was nearly exhausted, |
she went and told her terrible story to the |
police When the officer entered the mis-
upon the bed and the youngest was gasping |
family on the sofa. Upon this hor-
rible scene the mother looked I'M
moved, but it was too much for the
called an ambulance and went back to the
station house with his prisoner. The child
aiken to .the hospital will live Mrs. Lieb-
1uechner was later arraigned and committed
20 await the action of the Coroner.
The murderess is about thirty-four years
Did. She wasa servant in the house of Jacob
Leibkuechner then wealthy brewer in West
twenty eighth street, who was over fifty
7ears of age and had a family of grown
children. He fell in love with her,
md, in defiance of his chill
irens wishes, married her. Subsequently
failed in business, and this
videned the beach. He then opened a small
aloon, and made a living until taken ILL
When he died his widow was penniless. and
Ter husbands relatives wanted to
,et possession of the children. Some
ime ago, in her despair she threw
erself one night into the river with her two
ldest boys, but they were all rescued, and
he boys were sent to the asylum.
She says she intended to take some of the
olson herself, but it was spilled.
Anthony and Charles Leibkuechner were
uried in one grave at the Luthe-
an Cemetery, on Long Island. 1t was a
lneral without religious ceremony, and no
ears were shed over the grave 1t was at the
lSh of her who had poisoned them that the
lildren were buried where they were.