The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-06-17
MORE GOLDBUG WORK
A Woman Driven Insane by the
Loss of Her Home browns
Herself and Babe,
AND TRIES TO DROWN HER EIGHT-YEAR-
OLD BOY. WHO ESCAPES FROM HER.
Why Not Ship the Bodies to the Republican Ma
tional Convention and Have Mckinley
Deliver Sermon on Protection
Over Them.
From Chicago Times Herald.

From Chi icago Times Herald.
Mamma tried to drown me; man.
ma tried to drown me-"
Crying out these terrible words,
little boy fled for his life along the
river bank, near the California ave-
nue. bridge, last evening. His terror
was not inspired by the threat of an
unknown murderer. He fled from his
natural protector, his own mother,
who in her insane grief over the loss
of her home, had determined to end
her own life and those of her two
children. The boy escaped from his
mothers clutch as she tried to force
him to his death. Help was not near
and the suicide and murderess of her
two-months-old baby sank out of sight
beneath the muddy waters of the lake.
Mrs. Hannah Koch left her home at
1044 West Thirteenth street at
o'clock in the afternoon with her baby
and her S-year-old son, Charlie, to 60
for stroll through Douglass park.
No CLEAN of insane, murderOus pur-
pose shone in her eyes as she left the
house. She told the neighbors she
was going to the park, and when her
husband returned from work later he
little dreamed he never would see his
wife and baby alive again. She had
always taken good care OF the children
and loved them passionately.
The neighbors used to think her
"strange." and her husband feared
she brooded to much over the loss of
their home, for which she had strug-
gled and scraped for years. Once he
had to send her to the detention hos
pital. This happened shortly after
her husbands inability to meet some
Judgment notes, which meant the
passing of the house and lot from his
owners hip. Mrs. Koch seemed to re-
cover but she was never the same,
merry, light-hearted,w woman when she
had home Of her own.
Some strange fancy led her to fill her
children'S hands with wild flowers be-
fore she sought to end their little
lives. Perhaps she thought the bright
their eyes from the death she intended
for them. The merry prattle of the
boy as he ran here and there in the
park perhaps only made his mother
feel more bitter toward the hopeless
life before her. Charlie covered the
baby with wild growths and laughed
aloud as the child crowed with de-
light.
1t was nearly o'clock when the in
sane mother called Charlie to her side
and told him to come along with her.
The boy was pleased with the flowers
he carried and talked to his mother
about them as she passed the Califor-
MIA avenue bridge. Here the bank Of
the river slopes downward to the wa
ter's edge. Not far away group of
boys were swimming, but the mother
took no notice of them.
Without hesitation she walked firm
ly down the river bank, dragging the
boy with her. She held the baby with
her right arm, clutching it tightly to
her bosom. Charlie screamed with
terror as his mother walked into the
water. He slipped out of her grasp,
but she followed him swiftly and
clutched him by the neck. AT the cry
the swimmers looked toward the
mother and her children. They saw
the boy again free himself and run to-
ward the shore. Hesitating mo-
ment as if half determined TO fetch
him back she stood in the river up to
the waist. Then, as if hopeless of
UdkIuk ucT UOy Will uCT 10 UcdUU, Snc
plunged into the river with her two
arms about her baby. Even then
desire for life came over her. She
loosed her arms and baby floated away
supported by it's clothing. Her strug-
giles were futile and she sank out of
sight. The baby was found still float
ing, with its head downward and the
wild flowers clutched in it's tiny
hands.
AS the swimmers ran toward the
fleeting boy he cried out: Mamma
tried to drown me-" The boys were
too terrified to go to the rescue of the
mother and baby, but they shouted
until crowd came near. The news
reached Superintendent Crawford, of
the bridewell, and he telephoned to
the Hinman street station. The
police took the body Of the child from
the water, but the search for the
mother proved fruitleSs.
Charlie Koch had hurried toward
MS home. He was wet and covered
with mud, and was given dry clothing
by John Devine of lib South Califor-
MIA avenue. He trembled and his lit
tie heart shrank with fear as he told
of the way his mother had grabbed
him by the neck. He said she had
talked about the pretty flowers in the
park, and when it was dark she SAID
they ought to go home. Not word
did she say as she tried to drown him
and the baby.