National Republican., 1888-03-25
A MOTHERS AWFUL CRIME.
SHE P0ISONS HER CHILDREN RATHER
= THAN HAVE THEN TAKEN AWAY.
After Administering Doses of Poison
TO Her Three Boys She CoolIy
Watches Them slowly Die Through
Two Days Of Fearful Torture.

New YORK, Mar. A.-Minnic Icb-
kncchner, a German mother, administered
poison to her three children this morning nj
her home, No. l54 West Twenty eighth
street. or the three two died, Anthony,
aged Q, and Charles, aged Z. The third, n
boy years old, named Christopher, was
still alive and was removed to the New York
Hospital. The mother was arrested and
locked up.
Nothing more awful has been recorded on
the police blOttcrs since the wife of Albert
Fritz, a German engrayer, killed herself and
her three children with prussic acid in
Grand street tenement years ago, or since
Dr. Sequin's wife played blindman's buff
with her children and shot them to death In
their palatial home on Murray Hill. In
either Of these two cases insanity furnished
at once the excuse and the explanation of
the unnatural deed. Mrs. Lcbknechner is
not insane. She is n woman driven to her
act by trouble too great to bear. She
walked In poorly dressed, pinched, and
wan, with worn shawl around her, Mt .
o'clock this morning, Steadying herself
against the desk she said In dry hard voice
that she had killed two of her
children and that the third was dy-
ing in the house. The sergeant
called an officer to 20 with the woman at
once to her house RoundSman Charles
Albcrtson responded and they started for
Twenty-eghth street together On the way
the woman told her story in listlcss, me-
chanical way, as though II was worn out
theme that long since had lost all interest to
her. Her husband was dead, she said; died
four years ago. She had struggled to keep
the children together, but failed They
were taken from her and sent to the juvenile
asylum. Only recently she had got them
back with infinite trouble, opposed by pov
crty on one side and the persecution of her
husbands relatives on the other, but she
could not keep them. Work was failing,
food getting scarce. She saw that she must
lose them soon. Rather than that, she de
cidCd to kill them. She thought it over,
and by Wednesday had made up her mind
fully. She sent Anthony, the eldest
of the boys, to u drug store with
quarter to buy rat poison. The child
brought back 10 cents worth of "Rough on
Rats" Mrs. Lebknecher stirred II in tea,
and, dividing the draught into three equal
parts. gave ii to the boys TO drink-each II
cup. This was on Wednesday morning.
Very soon afterward all three were taken
i'll. Watching their sutlerings steadily the
mother staid with them all that day, getting
about the house without exciting the atten-
uon ol INC tenuhlS ny ulusual 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 little lives ebbinG out
slowly and surely, They begged for water,
and with the merciess cruelty of ticnd the
mother gave them whisky to drink. The
two eldest drank and cried that they were
on fire. They begged to De taken ont in the
back yard and have the hydrant turned on
thpln--thpy I'm n Ru hniT
feeble cries found a deaf ear with the
mother, and did not reach the outer
world, Unmoved she went about her
work At o'clock Thursday afternoon
Charles died. 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 ieudish pur.
pose. Thursday night she sat by her dying
child. Friday and until Saturday morning,
when the little ones grip on life still re-
fused 10 yield did she weary of waiting, and
went out to tell the police. By this time
the woman and officer had reached the door
of herhouse, and she opened it to the officer.
| A glance inside told him that her story was
| true. In their bed lay the two boys, long
| dead, and the little one gasping family on
| the sofa. The room was mcanly furnished
| but clean. The mother stood, unmoyed,
| looking on. The officer put her under ar
rest and alarmed the neighhors. lie took
the woman To the station, and a hurried call
was sent for an ambulance The little one
was driven rapidly to the hospital, and every
| thing was done there 10 save its life, but this
| was deemed hopeless.
This morning the mother was taken to
| jefferson market police court, auI thence
| to the cOroncrs Office, where she was com.
| mitted to the Tonlbs 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
cXcitedly: They wanted to take my chill
dren from me, but they can't do It now.n
Dr. Conway, deputy coroner, Conversed
| with Mrs. l.cbkncchcr for some time, and
expresses the opinion that she is suffering
| from acute mania.