The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-16
MISS ALMIRA HADSALL.

Roesch's house Is on the side of the
| mountain, near the Austin Heights. and
| is at least quarter of mile from
any other habitation. The place Is
known as Worlds End"
The story told to a Tribune reporter
| by the step-father of the girl was that
| he left home at l.30 Monday afternoon
| to cut some evergreens for Christmas
and his wife decided to accompany him.
They went through the woods about a
mile and he started to chop down tree.
Mrs. Roesch returned first, and she
found her daughter trembling like a
| leaf and acting as one not in her right
mind. In few minutes afterward her
husband came from the woods and the
girl told them that five Italians had
come to the door and one of them
| threatened to break it in with a stone
| IL 1t was not opened Immediately. For
fear they would come in and do her
| bodily harm she ran through the back
room and opening window screamed
for help. A half hour after the parents
left home rap came to the door and
when the girl went to answer 1t a young
italian was standing on the door step
with stone in his hand. She slammed
the door quickly and ran back to the
rear of the house.
He continued to rap and she came out
tSdiii anu tIils tIIic sic saw lout Otucl
Italians standing at the gate. Fearing
that their purpose was to assault her
she ran back through the bed room and
screamed as loud as she could for help.
Mrs. Mary Burgess, who lives some
distance away. across a stream which
runs between the houses. came to her
rescue and when she got to the house
the girl was lying on the floor writhing
in agony.
GIRL WAS VERY SICK.
came home and then the girl was very
sick and was vomiting. DR.. Stegner,
of Rendham, was sent for. but he was
not at home and when the messenger
got back the girl was feeling better.
Along about II o'clock at night she
got worse and her step father went
after Dr. Stegner again. The doctor
learned the symptoms ard gave the
step-father some medicine to take
home. When ROesch arrived at the
house the girl was dead.
She laid on the bed where she had
died from l o'clock yesterday morning
until the time Coroner Longstreet ar
rived at 7.3O last evening. The step
father Is middle aged German and
his wife is an American. He is her
second husband. The girl that Is dead
and another girl, one few years older
than her. were children by Mrs
Roeschs first husband.
Last Saturday Roesch heard q very
loud explosion and going through the
woods to where the sound came from
he found a gang of Italians around a
tree that had been blown down by
dynamite. They had wheelbarrow
with them and he took it home with
him and left it in the yard. At
o'clock Monday afternoon ne started
away from home with his wife to cut
down tree and get some evergreen
branches for Christmas. They left
the dead girl. boy years old and a
girl years old at home with her.
When the mother got home she found
her daughter very i'll and nervous
and Mrs. Burgess attending her. The
girl said that five Italias came to
the door and asked if her father was at
home, but she did not answer them.
One of them had large stone in his
hand and said If she didn't open the
door he would break It in with the
stone. She ran back into the bedroom
to the window and screamed and her
cries brought Mrs. Burgess.
The place where Roesch lives Is about
as hard to approach as any habitable
place can be. 1t is situated on the side
VI the UOuHtdiH' WIFI HO TOdu IeaulnS
up to 1t, and is in the middle of patch
of woods.
MRS. ROESCH'S STATEMENT.
Mrs. Roesch said that when she came
back from the woods her daughter was
trembling like leaf and complained
about being sick to her stomach. She
vomited several times and was very
restless.
At 73O Coroner Longstreet and Dep
uty Coroner Pennypacker arrived at
the house, accompanied by DR.. Stegner,
of Rendham, and Drs. Baker and My
or. of Duryea. A post-mortem exam
ination was held and the heart was
found to be free from any symptoms
indicating that she had died from
fright. ,
The bowels showed signs Of gastric
poisoning and the liver had a toxic
appearance The lungs were in a
healthy condition and the blood was in
healthy-looking state. Poisoning
was the only thing that suggested it.
self as the cause of death.
There was nothing to show that she
had been poisoned. She was only Is
years old, there was no poison in the
drug store where poison could be OBJ
tained. No reason could be assigned
either why she should take poison
She maintained that she was all right
until the Italians came to the house.
Roesch sAys that he has at various
times surprised Italians stealing wood
from the tract. and he believes that be-
cause ne drove them away they at
tackled his home and are responsible
for his step-daukhter's death.
The Jury empaneled by Coroner Long,
street consists Of DR.. Pennypacker, DR..
Stegner, Of Rendham, Drs. w. w. N.Y.
er and A. j. Baker of Duryea; William
Rosser, Of Austin Heights, and John r.
Brown The aton1ach and the liver Of