Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-01-30
TAKEN UP BY THE CORONER.
Infant Child Dies From Exposure, or
Monday, Jan. %.

Taylor Alexander, Chas Mayer, Frank
Oswald, M. i'll. Duncan, r. n. Laanel
and George Halder, to investigate and
find the cause of death of the unligiti-
mate infant child of Lizzie Ritz, who
resides at the home of her mother, Mrs
Eliza Ritz, at corner of First Avenue
and Alexander streets.
At $50 O'Clock, yesterday morning,
after all We're present, the jury and
coroner went to the house to inyesti-
gate matters. The dead body of the
child was first looked at, which had
been lying in box in the storehouse.-
1t was fully developed. After
viewing the body the jury heard the
testimony of its mother and then took
an adjournment to the county board
room until l 80 O'Clock.
The first witness to be heard in the
afternoon was policeman VIM. DeVoe,
who said that the information had
reached him while on the street, on the
west side, short time after the child S
death occurred. He notified city ply
stefan, DR.. Christensen, and the chief
of police. The latter two went to the
house.
Chief of Police Anderson being sworn,
testified: DR.. Christensen and went
into the house. In the bed room were
Mrs. Ritz, Mrs. Frax and the patient,
the latter in bed. Asked what the
trouble was, answered that Lizzie Ritz
gave birth to child DIR. Christensen
asked to see child; Mrs. Frax showed it
to him. Opened eyes, found pupils
dilated and its skin very pale, not
being the usual color when children are
born. Mrs. Frax said child was born
dead.
DR.. Christianson's testimony was as
follows Was in the Curtis & Yale
office when officer DeVoe called me.
Told me to hurry up and go to Ritz
house; met the chief, who was going
west on Clinton street. Both went
over to the house. The balance of his
testimony corroborated the chiefs.
Mrs. Eliza Ritz, mother of Miss Ritz,
testified: My girl came home about
seven weeks ago; had been working
near the paper mill. Would not tell me
what troubled her. | was not in bed
room when child was born; was doing
washing that day. Was not home much.
Did not see child until after it was dead.
Saw Mrs. Frax take the child to her
house and bring it back again in short
time; child was closely wrapped up,
could not see it. There was no fire in
the house-all rooms were cold.
DR.. Spencer testified: The facts of
the case first came to my knowledge
when coroner Dickens called me up on
Saturday afternoon Told him that an
investigation had better be made.
Mrs. Frax testified Lizzie is a good
hearted girl. She assisted me many
times. In the morning when the child
was born she sent her sister to call me-
Went over about six o'clock. Could
not refuse her request. She begged me
to stay with her. I remained with her
until child was born. Shortly after
that, took it to my house where it was
warm and tried to find clothes for it.
There was no fire in either of the stoves
in the Ritz house. Would have frozen
there. Not a stitch of clothing I'D
been prepared. tried to give child
little drink; would not take it. Saw
then that child was failirg fast. Did
not want to have it d. on my hands,
so took it bac'1ato Is mother immedi-
ately. After arriving there it died
within few seconds. When asked, |
told officers that the child was born
dead. Did not want to expose the mat
ter if could be avoided. The child, in
reality, when born, was dead Blew
air into its mouth and seemed to liven
up. Next day, myself and Mrs Ritz
applied for death certificate from DR..
Christensen. He said he was not pres
ent at the time of death and could not
issue one. Referred us to DR.. Spencer.
After this the spectators and witness
es were excluded from the room, and
after a short deliberation of the jury
they adjourned until $50 this afternoon.
The child, as near as can be learned
from the evidence, was born at about
IL o'clock a. m. Monday, January 22d.
A short time after birth, it was wrapped
up by Mrs. Frax and taken to her home
FOR proper treatment. In the room
where the child was born was no fire
and the child would probably have
frozen had it remained there. Mrs.
Frax saw that the child was falling and
then returned it to its mother, and a
short time after it expired, which must
have been about o'clock on the same
day it was born. The remains were
then put in box and laid away, on ac-
count of its mother being i'll and not
able to attend to it at that time. On
Saturday afternoon DR.. Dickens made
an investigation of the case.
This morning post norton examin-
alton over the body of the child was
held by DR.. Spencer, assisted by DR..
Dickens.
Lateral 2:30 O'Clock this after
noon the jury met again and heard the
evidence of DR.. Spencer of what he
found at the post norton examina-
ton of the body. In brief he testified
that in his opinion the child bled to
death, caused from improperly tying
the navel cord He stated that the
navel cord had been cut, but gave no
evidence of ever having been tied, il
such should be the case. An adjourn
ment was taken again until three
o'clock, when the jury was conveyed to
the Ritz residence in a bus to further
investigate.
Lizzie Ritz, mother of the infant was
re-sworn at the house and further evi.
dence taken and at 4:30 another adj
journment was taken until next Friday
morning at ten o'clock, to enable the
district attorney to look over the evil