The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-01-07
BODY OF A DEAD INFANT
FOUND FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
Had Been Choked to Death and Then
Thrown in a Rubbish Heap
and Frozen.

mitteG. III was found ia the vacant
lot"soulh OF The dulpaugh, at about
one O'Clock, by an eight year old boy
who was rumagiug among the TIE
refuse looking for empty bottles and
other articles that might be turned
into money. The body was wrapped
up in some cast away wrapping paper,
and when the boy found what was in
the paper he reported his find at
Young & Monson'S grocery store.
The pt ice were in turn notified, and
Officer Daniels, Coroner Paddock and
others visited the spot.
The package with its contents was
removed to the city hall and placed
in the board Of trade room near a
radiatorA SO that the frozen little
body could thaw out There hun
dreds Of people looked at the grusome
sight.
DR.. +. d. Steel was summoned, and
called at the city hall at about two
o'clock. He found that the body was
~shat of we'll developed, full term
Girl baby, weighing about eight
pounds, white, and having an inch
growth of brown hair. The body was
naked, except for the wrapping pa
per. The inner wrapper was the or
binary straw coloIed wrapping paper
used by many business houses, and
the outer wrapper was that commonly
used for expressing packages. Both
had evidently been picked up on the
spot. as they had apparently been
thrown there. There is no clue on
the paper TO indicate the parent of
the child.
Dr. Steel is of the opinion that the
child was born alive, but could only
be certain by making post norton
examination, to ascertain whether
the lungs had been inflated. He is Of
the opinion that the child was stran-
gled to death. A strip of cloth an
inch wide was found twisted about
The child's neck, not tied. 1t had
been cut from a larger piece with a
shears, and was apparently cut from
a table cloth, as the hem is on the
strip and the texture is like that Of
table cloth.
On the back Of neck are abrasions
Of the skin, as though made by the
nuckles of the person of twisted the
strip Of cloth so tightly about the
chi1d's neck as to choke it to death.
MOTHER marks of violence were found
on the body. The upper lip was torn,
and the nose was tlattened and con-
tanned blood. There was but one
small spot of blood on the wrapping
paper. The naval string was torn six
inches from the body, not cut or tied,
which shows that the child came in
to the world without the attendance
Of physician.
DR.. Steel is of the opinion that the
child was killed Immediately after it
was born, and is of the opinion that
the body was not placed where found
last night, but that it had been there
at least twenty-four hours. The
body was frozen stiff.
The appearances would indicate
that whoever placed the body where
found brought it from some distance
in order to shield the real home of the
murdered child, and ito try to throw
the odium elsewhere. There is nc
ciue=to the perpetrator OF the crime
If the child was alive when born, as
probable, it, must have been muir
dered, and the penalty is as great in
such a case as though an adult had
been killed, and the moral tuTpitude
might be greater, as the helplessness
of the infant must be taken into con
sideration. Had the child not been
born alive, there would have been nc
need to strangae it. 1t therefore ap'
pears that vile crime has been com
mitteG.
No other reasonable conclusion can
be arrived at than the motive for the
murder was to conceal the shame OF
some young woman. Itis past under
standing that legitimate child
should have been SO cruelty killed
The child's treatment was heartless
"a mothers anguish brings a secret
retribution, il the law will not be
able to inhiet one. The father il
hardly less culpable.
The remains were taken to John R
Thomas undertaking rooms, where
they are being thawed out. DIR
Steel will then make further iDves
tigation, and if the Child is found tt
have breathed, an inquest will prob
bly, be held tomorrow.