The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-08-12
She Thought that They
Would Be Better Off
with God and There
fore Slew Them.
The Sad Story of an I'm
happy Life which She
Would Like to End
by Suicide.
An Inquest Held and the
Woman Locked upon
the Terrible
Charge.

The name or the Eagle Lake muir
deress is Mrs. Martha Kester, wife OF
Fred Kester, a stone mason of Mil
waukee, who also owns a farm near
Lake Crystal. She is Of German par.
entage, and seems to be afflicted with
a species of melancholia, though the
officers and people of Eagle Lake be-
lieve her to be perfectly sane.
The details of the awful crime of
which this woman admits she is gull
ty and says that she would repeat if
she had the last few days to live over
again, are as follows. She has long
been possessed of morbid desire to
kill the children, believing that they
would be better out Of the world.
Sunday she determined to carry out
her wishes, and secured some rough
on rats, which her sister, Mrs. Mary
Thomas had, but without giving the
true reason why she wanted it. Some
of this she mixed with a little milk
and fed to her months old baby,
Susan. This was at nine o'clock Sun
day morning and the baby became
sick Sunday afternoon, but fingered
along until the early part of Monday
afternoon. when it died. There were
no suspicious that anything was
wrong at this time, and the funeral
services were held Tuesday afternoon
While these were in progress, Constable
Miner was informed by Mrs. Thomas
that some suspicious circumstances
wereconnected with the case and that
he had better look into the matter
which he accordingly did. He refus-
ed to permit the child to be buried
and sent in for the coroner Tuesday
evening. The latter went to Eagle
Lake yesterday morning, accompanied
by County Attorney Hughes and DR..
Warner. A little later Deputy Sher-
if Bowen was sent for. As the woman
confessed her guilt, the body of the
babe was not examined. An inquest
was held.
Tuesday evening Mrs. Kester took
her only other child, an eighteen
months old boy named Herman, and
attempted to drown him in a barrel
of rain water. The screams Of the
baby caused her to desist from her at.
tempt. for fear Of detection, but she
did not give up her purpose. She car.
ried the child mile and a half to a
well on the farm of Joseph Richards.
By the time she reached there the
child was asleep in the arms Of its un.
natural mother. The latter then
dropped the
SLEEPING BABE
down into the well, some seventy
feet deep. She did not wait to see
whether the child sank, but turned
away and returned home, This was
between seven and eight O'Clock. Mrs
Kester returned to the village, and
not wishing the child TO remain in
the well, went to Mr.. Cook, the drug
gist, and told him what she had done
She then intended to 60 to Lake Mad
ison and drown herself in the lake, but
was too closely watched to get away.
After the discharge of the coroner:
jury, that official issued a warrant for
the arrest of Mrs. Kester, which was
served by Deputy Bowen, who return.
ed with his prisoner at about eight
O'Clock last evening. The woman
was locked in the woman's corridor
and was interviewed there by FREE
PRESS reporter, whose interrogatorie:
she answered freely. She appeared tc
be cast down, but showed no remorse
over her deed. As she spoke she sal
upon chair with one elbow upon q
small table and shaded her eyes from
the light of the single kerosene lamp
with her hand. Her face was avert
ed, but occasionally she would cast a
sharp glance at her questioner with
almost hawk-like f1erceness in her
brown eyes. She made the
FOLLOWING STATEMENT:
Il have been married for five years
and it has proved a most unhappy
union. The first three years my hus
band forced me to support him by
working out. He was very neglectfu
when the first child was born, and
ever since then has treated me with
great cruelty, beating me and threat
ening to shoot me. This conduct wa:
because could no longer work out
He did not provide properly for my
maintenance, and kept the money
which he earned and would not lei