The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-07-08
A TERRIBLE STORY 7.
A Mother Tries to Strangle Her
Infant Child to Death.
The Babe Dies From the Effects of Injuries
Received, and the Woman Is Arrested
She Tells Her Own Story.

Oh The most Illuminating sights on the streets
of Gait that is possible to meet with in any
civilized country-it was two drunken
women in cart drive up to saloon and
order drinks brought out TO them, says the
Gait Gazette OF July 4th They were both
so intoxicated as to be unable to sit up
straight in the cart, while they drank
couple OF beers served by the bar-keeper.
Cropping at the wonen's feet were two small
children, the eldest not over two years old.
The children could be seen first clinging to
one thing, then another, with their little
hands reaching toward the cart-wheels, as
the women drove out of town. 1t was a
most humiliating sight to witness. One of
the drunken women was the mother of the
little children.
Here is the awful sequel presented by the
Fresno Expositor:
On the 5 o'clock train that arrived from
the north Friday evening, June 26th, a
young woman with two small children, the
youngest only a few months OLD. was
| among the passengers.
| She inquired for friends whom she eX-
pected to meet her, but there being none
she remained at the depot about two hours
| and then gave a hickman a dollar TO take
| her to the Southern Pacific Hotel, where
she registered as Mrs. j. A. Mcclellan,
| Fresno.
She was under the influence of liquor
In the morning she gave the last dollar she
had TO the hotel-keeper to pay for her lodg-
| ing and took her departure.
She went 10 the Toombs Hotel and was
registered as Mrs. Mcclellan, Los Angeles.
| She ordered two bottles OF beer, which were
| sent TO her room.
She spent the day there with moth ing fur
| Their OF note till late in the evening, when
one of the young lady guests of the hotel in
| passing Mrs. McClellan's room heard a
strange noise within, and, opening the door,
saw Mrs Mcclellan with her hand pressed
| over the babys mouth, as though trying to
smother it. The ehild's face was purple
| from strangulatiOn.
The young lady rushed into the room,
whereupon Mrs. Mcclellan took her hand
from the child's mouth, and assumed an air
| of Indifference.
The incident was enough to cause sus-
| picion, and several OF the hotels guests kept
a watch upon the woman. In half an hour
| she was seen through a doorway partly
| open, and was again trying to strangle the
baby. She was holding it i'll her arms. and
had thrust her finger down in its throat.
| When she was made aware that she was
| discovered, she began to talk of the baby,
| and said she was rubbing its gums.
| An officer was sent for and she was
| placed under arrest, and a complaint was
| filed with Recorder Laning. She was sent
| 10 Jail. Before going she gave her baby and
| her other child, which is only year and a
| half old, to a lady that was present. and re-
| queSted that they be taken good care of.
The baby died at 10 o'clock Sunday morn
| ing. DIR. SpOnogle was called before the
| child died, but could do nothing for it.
To an Expositor reporter the doctor said:
" do not think the child's death was due to
| natural causes. There were marks in the
| mouth such as would be made by some ones
| finger-nail in thruSting a finger down its
| throat. Ihaye no doubt the child was foully
| dealt with"
Mrs. Mcclellan, when interviewed in Jail
| by an ExpOsitorrepo told the following
| story:
am 20 years old am type-selter, and
| have been married between two and three
| years. l lived in Los Angeles with nv
| husband about two years. He is printer,
| and when the strike threw him out of work
| he did not support me. He never tried to
| get work after he lost his job as printer.
| He drank hard.
lie came to Fresno and got work on a
| paper here. | followed him. and he re-
! fused to care for me. He claimed that he
| was not making any money, and at the
| same time was earning from $50 to SIS
| week.
| wanted him to support the children.
| even II he would not support me. | told
| him that l would support myself If he
| would take care of the children. He took
the children from me- aud left them with
| some family in the edge of town, and for
| were.
| At last he gave them to me if l would
| promise to take care of them. | took them
TO my aunfs, near Sacramento. That was
| about three months ago.
| Ny mother lives about four miles from
| Sacramento. and l have sister there |
went TO live with them. They are well-to-
do people and were willing to take care OF
| me.
But L wanted my husband to take the
cf,il md IN TO
| do so l could provide for himself. He an
| swered that | should stay where | was as
| ne was about to start to Kansas City, being
| unable TO get work in Fresno. But heard
| that he still was here, and | was determined
| that lie should support myself or the chill
| dren anyway. But he wrote to me again not
| TO come.
My aunt gave me money, and on Friday |
| came having sent word to my husband to
meet me at the depot He did not meet me.
| but sent another man, with whom / refused
| to go. l went to the hotel without any
| money.
They accused me of trying to kill my baby
| and sent me to Jail. That was only an excuse
| TO get rid Of me at the hotel, because had
no money.
| Mrs. Mcclellan when interviewed did not
| know that her baby had died. and said that
| II they would let her out of Jail and give her
| the children she would go back to her
| mother in Sacramento County and never
| trouble Fresno again.
! An opinion, pretty generally expressed in
| Fresno, is to the effect that the woman is
| insane. This opinion, however, is not based
| on any knowledge of the matter-merely an
! opinion because 1t seems improbable that
| sane person would do as she has done.
| She told her story in rapid manner, and
! often it was difficult TO understand her
| meaning Undoubtedly she has seen much
| trouble, which partly is due to lie rself
Her husband is not to be found n Fresno.
| The officers searched for him, but his
| whereabouts could not be ascertained. He
| has been working rs printer on the morn
| ing paper 1t Is said. however. that he left
| the city on the next train after his Wifes
arrival.
The editor of the Calf Gazette adds: Mrs.
| McClellan's aunt and mother do not live
near Sacramento. They reside in the
vicinity of Calf and are well known in this
| community. Mrs. Mcclellan returned to
! Gait last Tuesday on the morning train.
She called at tine Gazette Office and re-
| quested the publication of a notice of the
death of her child, stating that her daughter
| died at Fresno last Sunday of something
| resembling diphtheria or sore throat She
| said her husband had left Fresno, that he
| was in Los Angeles. and when telegra pied
] to about the death of his child he would not
| come 70 the funeral, although she knew he
| had received word. The local Typogra PHI
| ical Union of Fresno, she stated, buried her
| daughter and decorated the grave with a
| profusion of flowers. The society was
| good and kind to her, she admitted. When
| asked what she did with her other child she
replied that she left it with her husbands
| folks in Fresno. The young woman, hav-
| ing travelled all night on the train, looked
fatigued and careworn and was very nerv-
| Gus.