The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-06-28
RUNAWAY GIRLS YARN
Gaeter Brokkop's Terr ible
Charge Against Mother
and Stepfather.

II the story of seventeen year-old Gaeter
Brokkop, at present incarcerated in q
cell In Hoboksn, is to be believed, both
her own mother and her srepfather are
inhuman brutes. Mrs. Pauline Gerlach
is the girls mother, and she lives with
her husband and children at No. 64
Charles street, Union Hill. At noon today
Mrs. Gsrlach visited Chief Donovan at his
office In police headquarters, and saying
she had been sent to him by Prosecutor
Winfield, asked that he arrest her fifteen
year old daughter, who was
staying Mt the house of Mrs. Jansen.
First and Hudson streets. She said the
girl was bad and had run away from
home. and that her surroundings at Mrs.
ing wavward life. and she desired to
take her back to her own home, or send
her away to soma reformatory.
Mrs. Jansssen runs saloon aud res
raurant at the address above given 1t Is
visited by sailors, who drink and carouse,
and some of the girls, her daughters and
Gaeter have danced with sailors,
but Mrs. Jansen Stoutly claims
that nothing out OF the way ever
occurs Chief Donovan sent Roundsrnan
Hammond there for the girl. He found
her busily at work in the kitchen. Sne
dressed and, accompanied by Mrs.
,Janssens. visited the station house,
The girl is well built, looks to be seven
teen years of age, and is pretty. She has
wavy black hair, bright blue eyes and a
pretty mouth with lovely teeth. She
hardly recognized her mother but seemed
very much attached to Mrs. Janssens.
The mother made complaint against
the girl for being wayward and running
away from home and the young one was
remanded. the mother hurridly left the
police station, but the girl cried as if
her heart would break as she was
led into a cell. 1t was fully
half hour before she could be quieted.
Then she told a story to Chief Donovan
of a most revolt ing character. This was
later corroborated by Mrs. Janssens.
THE CHILD'S STORY.
She said her mother was thief and
shop-lifter, and had been sent TO Black
Wells Island for shop-lifting n Macy's
and other New York stores three times.
She said she was 2 bad girl, but was
made SO by her mother Up to
last January the family lived
on Willow avenue. Hoboken. Her step
father and mother never agreed, and
were always quarreling. OF course, the
children suffered from this. EARLY
in December last, the child as
serts, the mother told her
one night that il she would submit to her
dress. The mother was to leave the
house osteusiysly to 90 TO the theatre in
New York but was 80 return iihinedl-
ateIy aud hide in closet till she caught
the husband with the daughter.
"Then / will have him. the mother
said.
The mother did leave the house. and
when the stepfather thought she was out
of the way, he assailed the child aud ac-
comptished her ruin.
The mother came from her hiding
place, aud took the husband to task. She
took their bank book and went to her
daughters house, but the husband fol-
lowed her and begged forglveaess.s saving
it was the child's fault. that she tempted
him. The mother did forgive the wretch.
and they returned to their home. The
girl after that was beaten unmerci-
fully several times, and was at
last driven from home. She slept in
woodsheds and other like places, her
younger brother giving her such food as
he could steal from the house.
In january she was taken
in by Mrs. Janssens. who gave her
work, aud when, the girl says. she is
content and now does nothing bad. She
admits she was bad and went TO hotel
one night with man. but her mother
did ii all. she says.
A hearing in the matter will take place
this afternoon.