Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-25
A CRAZED MOTHERS CRIME.
Fear OF starvation Drives Her 10 the
Murder OF Her ChiIdren.
Iby telegraph 20 the Dispatch


NEw YORK, March "a Minnie
Liebknecht, German widow, crazed by
want and fear OF being separated from
her three children or seeing them starve.
administered poison to them at her
home, No. ia Twenty.eighth street.
Two died-Anthony. aged nine, and
Charles, aged seven. Tho third boy,
three and half years old, named Chris
topher, WAS still alive, and was removed
10 the New York Hospital. She herself
reported her act at the police station at
2 o'clock this morning. The mother
was taken to Jefferson Market police
station to-day, and then sent to the
coronor's Office. where she was committed
to tho Tombs. Before being taken to
prison she drew the photographs OF her
children from her pocket, and asked II
she would be permitted to keep them.
When told that she could retain them, she
shouted excitedly: "They wanted to
take my children from me, but they can't
do it now"
DR.. Way, the deputy coroner, con-
versed with her for some time and ex-
presses the opinion that she is suffering
from acute mania.
When the woman told her story at the
police-station roundsman was sent with
her to verify it. To him she related
her recent history in listless, mechanical
wsy, as though it was a worn-out theme
that long since had lost all interest to
her. Her husband was dead, she said.
Had died four years ago. She had
struggled to keep her children together,
but failed. They we're taken from her
and sent to juvenile asylum. Only
recently she had got them back with
infinite trouble, opposed by poverty on
one side and persecution OF her hus-
bands relatives on the other, but she
could not keep them. Work was failing,
and food getting scarce. She foresaw
that she must lose them soon. Rather
than that she decided to kill them. She
thought it over, and by Wednesday had
made up her mind fully. She sent An
thonv. tho eldest of the boys, to drug
store with quarter to buy rat poison
The child brought back ten cents worth
of " Rough on Rats" Mrs. Lebknech-
ner stirred it in the tea, and, dividing
the draught into three equal parts, gave
to the boys to drink each a cup. This
was on Wednesday morning. Very soon
afterward all three were taken i'll.
Watching their suferings steadily, the
mother stayed with them all that day,
getting about the house without ex-
citing the attention of tenants by I'M
usual concern or any sign OF alarm.
Wednesday night and all Thursday the
little sufferers lay in their dying agonies,
with the mother lowering about, seeing
their lives ebbing out slowly and surel y.
They begged for water, and with the
merciless cruelty of tiend the mother
gave them whiskey TO drink. The two
eldest drank and cried that they were on
fire. They begged to be taken out in
the back yard and have the hydrant
turned on them, they were burning up,
bat their feeble cries found az deaf ear with
the mother and did not reach the outer
world. Unmoved she went about fin
ishine her work. At 2 o'clock Thursday
afternoon Charles died. Three hours
later his eldest brother brea.hed his last.
Still the youngest, a baby of three years,
was left. With the two victims OF her
awful crime lying dead, the mother held
steadily to her purpose. Thursday
night she sat by her dying child, and
Friday, and not until Saturday morning,
when the little ones grip on life still
refused to yield, did she weary of wait
ing and went out TO tell the police. by
this time the woman and officer had
reached the door of her house, and she
opened it TO the officer. A glance inside
told him that her story was true. In
their bed lay two boys long dead, and
the little one gasping family on the sofa.
The room was meanly furnished but
clean. The mother stood unmoved look
ing on. The officer put her under ar
rest and alarmed the neighbors. He
took the woman to the station aud hur-
ried call was sent for an ambulance.
The little one was driven rapidly to the
hospital and everything was done there
to save its life, but this was deemed hope
less.
MOURNING IN CHARLESTON.
CHARLESTON, s. c., March 24.-In
the United States Court here to-day reso-