St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-04
STILL WATERS BUTCHERY.
The Roihs BED According to Pre-
arranged Plan.
VERDICT OF THE JURY
4 Wife's Infidslity C,used the Bloody
Tragedy---Prison City
Pickings.

The butchery that occurred Sunday
evening at 1909 South Fifth street. in
which August Roth and his wife Ber-
tina died, and four interesting children
were left orphans and homeless, re-
celved but little explanation yesterday
in addition to that already given in the
GLOBE. A cOrOmer'S jury decided that
the couple died according to pre-
arranged plan; that Roth had been i'm
pressed by some anonymous letters from
Germany in which his wife was accused
of criminal intimacy with a gem
darme and hotel porter; that he
had charged her with the otfense
Saturday or Sunday, and that she then
acknowledged her fault. Instead OF her
simple confession of the indiscretinn
softening the husbands already dis
ordered mind. he at once became more
morose. tied cord about the joint of
his razor, so as to make its use more
certain. and told her she ought to die.
She acuuiesced in what her husband
said, and agreed that her only eXpia-
ton of the sin was death, her husband
to die with her. Both were members of
the Lutheran church, and had peculiar
notions of what was good Christian
conduct. After the father and mother
had kissed the smaller children good
night, at about 7:3D O'Clock. the father
took his razor from its usual place in
the kitchen and carried it into the front
room, his wife seeing the act and under
standing what it meant. AfterWard
Roth and his wife prepared for death
by living down on the floor. Mrs. Roth
upon her back. Her husband then
cut her throat. nearly severing
her head from the trunk. She
gaSped and moaued. which the husband
| feared might disturb the children. and
! he pressed his left hand over her mouth.
| He was tnen lying upon his stomach.
| and drew the razor across his own
| throat with an effect that would have
| done credit to an experienced butcher.
| There was no sign struggle, and
everything showed that neither the
| suicide or victim /, Sc from their care
| fully selected positions after the throat
cutting was done. The children made
no cutlery Whatever. and no idea OF the
| awful affair was had until little August
appeared at Neighbor Redlich'S and
said that something wrong had hap
| ptned at home. At the inquest vester-
day Frank Apple, Roth's employer, tes-
| titled to ROih'S good character. SOOriety
ana honesty, but said that Roth had of
late complained of ridiculously false oc
currences. The cOroner's jury found
that August committed the murder and
killed himself while temporarily insane.
The great race between FOrtin'S mare
and Fitzgerald's mare, occurred yester-
day Oh the ice track. and resulted in a
victory for Fortin's steed, which won
easily in three straight heats, including
the first.
The golden wedding OF Mr.. and Mrs.
II. C. Parker at the Sawyer house next
Monday evening IS attracting a great
amount of pleasant anticipation. Sen
ator Durant. Judge Nethaway, n. II.
Clapp, Warden Randall and others Will
respond to toasts.
The funeral will be at 2 O'Clock to-day,
from the undertaker's, and probably
without any religious ceremonies. The
Lutheran church, of which the Rotns
were members, refuses to accord Chris
tian burial to the suicide and his vic
tim.
Fayette Marsh returned yesterday
from his mete0ric trip to Kansas City.
The city hospital board will meet at
o'clock this afternoon at tile residence
of Mrs. join q. Nelson.