Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-12-20
AN INHUMAN FATHER.
He Chained up the Children In Dismal
Apartments Nude.


George A. Guenther, the aged and de-
fenseless old man who was slain by his
sixteen-year-old son Tuesday morning,
was related to-day by Charles Gnenther,
an elder brother of the murderer, who
called at the Office of the Chief of Police
at 0 o'clock this morning to secure per-
mission TO interview the prisoner in his
cell, in the Hold Over" the murderer
having surrendered himself yesterday
afternoon.
The sons story brands the dead man as
a savage fend incarnate, who delighted in
acts of inhumanitY toward his children,
delightine in torturing them by methods
practiced only by the most barbarous.
Among other barbarities alleged was
the claiming up of the children in dismal
apartments nude, and while in that con-
dition torturing them with all the cruelty
practiced in the inquisi,ion.
81 haven't lived at home for five years."
began Charles Guenther. In 1884 l left
the place on Franklin avenue, because |
could not stand the way was treated by
my father. Since then l have had but
little conversation with the family at
home, but | am convinced by what |
heard from those who know of what was
going on there that his savage cruelty to-
ward my sisters and Emile has been kept
up.
Before l left home my father was
guilty of the most horrible treatment of
his children that can be imagined. | left
the place after one period of slow torture
that made me desperate. 1t was in 1884.
had done something that my father did
not like. in fact, it was rarely that any
of us could do anything he did like.
1T was a small offense, but the way
my father tortured me would have made
anyone believe that either lie was crazy
or that | had committed some terrible
crime. My father was stronger than |,
then, and when he announced that he
was gong to punish me, and commanded |
me to go with him, had to obey. He
made me 90 up stairs with him to a room
in the back part of the house, but was
seldom used. He showed me in, and came |
in himself and locked the door behind
him.
"Then he brought out some chains
that he had hidden somewhere, and when
| caught sight of them | set up an outcry
that must haze almost cleaved the cell
ing, bat no one heard me, or if they did,
they were afraid to come to me. My
father shouted to me to stop that internal
noise, and when he found he could not
frighlen me he jumped at me, and we had
regular fight. hit and hit about me,
and struggled to throw mm off, but he
was the more powerful, and finally got
the better of me, and by threatening to do
me even greater violence, compelled me
to keep quiet
Then he brought out those chains and
began to blnd me with them. | thought
he had finished then. but taking up anoth.
er one he fastened it around my neck and
fixed it so l could hardly move my head.
Then he left me. | suffered iendish tor
lures then. but was compelled to submit
more, however.
after the lapse Of few hours heard
him coming up tie stairs again. He
opened the door, and when he stepped
inside noticed be had bottle of whisky
in his hand. He released me from the
chains and compelled me to strip from
head to feet until | stood nude before
him. Then he chained me up, and the
most horrible thing that could ever be
endured then ensued.
" He took good sized pin and began
picking me with it from head to foot un-
til was bleeding all over Then he took
the whiskey bottle and held it for awhile,
leaving me to surmlse what lie intended
doing, and increasing my anguish doubly
by the anticipation of torture to which
was to be subjected. Then my father wet
his fingers from the bottle and rubbed
over what seemed to me every sore he had
made on my body.
He did not rub it all over my body at
once, but rub over a small space until all
tllC SUN ihu DGcn IuDDtu III, WlG0 ne
would wet his fingers again and begin on
another place. The pain was terrible and
excrucating. must have tainted from
it, think, for l remained in that room all
night chained up, and did not know any
thing until the next morning, when my
father came up and released me- After
that ran away"
The boy Emile, who is held for beating
his father to death, acts like an imbecile,
and it is believed that he has been driven
insane by the cruelty of his father and the
tragedy Of yesterday. To-day he failed
to recognize his own brother and when
he was appealed to almost supplicatingly
for recognition, there was silly smile
about the murderel's mouth, but nothing
to indicate that he was any more than IN
idiotic creature. disturbed in the silly
contemplation of some vagary of dis
ordered BRAIN
.