Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1899-12-22
HER FIENDISH CRIMES
TERRIBLE CRIMINAL RECORD OF
FEMALE BUTCHER.
Killed Littlo AnnOcents by the Score to
Hide Other Deeds of Lesser Evil
Henrietta Bsmberger of st. Louis Be-
lieved to BE MOnstrosity.

Mrs. Henrietta Bamberger, MIDWIFE,
of 919 Chouteau avenue, ST. Louis, Mo-,
is murderous fiend in womans form,
a life-taking monster, Staying women
and babies under the cloak or min
istering physician, If the evidence on
which the grand jury indicted her re-
Gently be true. The testimony of four
persons stamps her as degenerate
of the Holmes type, a murderess,
brutal as Mrs. Mack, creature with
out an atom of humanity in her heart.
She burned and Drowned babes, and
killed young women and disposed OF
their bodies. One she carted off in an
express wagon and cast into river.
Another she buried in the cellar OF
her own stable, third she buried
under fictitious name from her own
house. Eye-witnesses have testified to
the crimes. They charge that as many
as four babes were burned in one day
and the total number of these crimes
charged by the witnesses is almost in
credible. The details of the specifc
killing alleged against Mrs. Bamberg-
er are almost past belief. The woman
stands indicted for four murders. One
is murder in the first degree; the
others manslaughter. Information al
leging other crimes is being investl-
gated. The Chouteau avenue house VIII
be thoroughly searched for further evil
dence. The cellar will be searched for
traces of graves. Any number Oh
crimes that may be alleged against the
woman would not surprise the ofhcials
who have been engaged in bringing
about her indictment. The crimes
charged in the indictments were COM
mitted during the last five years. Mrs.
Bamberger was in business in the
same house many years before that
1t is not probable that her methods
were ever different from the present
The testimony on which the indict-
ments were found was given by women
formerly in Mrs. Bambergers employ
| as nurses or servants. This testimony
is corroborated in part by material ev1-
dence, such as jewelry and clothing
worn by the victims and photograph
of one of them. The young women
who are said to have died through
Mrs. Bamberger's instrumentality, dis
appeared from their homes and none
has been heard of by relatives since
| The discovery of the true character OF
Mrs. Bamberger's business and the
crimes for which she now STANDS IN
dicted was made by accident. An INK
ling of the murders reached the ONCE
of Circuit Attorney Eggers six months
ago. He made an investigation. Inc
DEVELOPMENTS corroborated his first in
formation. He applied to the police
department for assistance. Detectives
| Lally and Harrington were assigned.
Since that time Mr.. Eggers, his as
sistant, Mr.. HodgdQp and detectives
Lally and Harrington have worked III
! conjunction to unearth the crimes
charged. They encountered many oD-
stacles and overcame seemingly I'M
| passable barriers in the Investigation.
The other day they had placed before
the grand jury sufficient evidence TO
warrant indictments. Mrs. Bamberger
was arrested by the detectives, VINO
merely told her that the chief OF police
wanted to see her Mrs. Bamberger
was locked up in the holdover. Sub
seouently Mr.. Eggers swore out
bench warrant for her and the woman
was placed in Jail. The evidence Is
considered almost sufficient as 1t now
stands, but the circuit attorney and the
detectives are working to secure addl-
tional confederation. 1t is charged
that Mrs. Bamberger committed the
crimes for hire. 1t was her business
to perform operations and destroy evil
dences of this business. Women from
far and near placed themselves under
her care. Under the circumstances
which surrounded the contracts be-
tween Mrs Bamberger and her pa
tients it is reasonable to suppose that
the patients did not tell friends and
relatives of the compacts. Conse-
uuently when one of the patients died,
her relatives were not notified. she
was considered missing. Mrs. Bam-
berger's former nurses declare that as
many as twenty patients were treated
|
babes were burned. This latter state
ment is considered eXtravagant. Lizzie
Rieger, the chief witness, declared that
she saw five babies burned in one day.
She said hundreds of infants that she
did not see were destroyed. She de-
clared that Mrs. Bamberger tossed one
infant into tub of water and then
grasping it by the neck, choked 1t and
held it under water several minutes,
LYDIA Bressert went according to the
story, to Mrs. Bamberger for treatment
in September, 1897. Mrs. Bamberger
locked her in one of the rooms to
smother her cries, that they might
not be heard from the street. The
nurse was at Lyda's side while the
latter died. The nurse declared that
Mrs. Bamberger tied the girls arms
across her breast with towel and
swore like fiend because she said she
would have to pay him" another 500
to get rid of that one. Mary Hohlcamp