The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-05-03
AWFUL CRIME COMES TOLTGHT
Family Discussions Result in the
Most Terrible Tragedy Ever
Recorded in Annals of
Ramsey County.

Marshall avenue bridge a week ago
last night was the scene Of the most
revolving crime In the annals Of Ram
sey county history. At this lonesome
spot, removed from the sleeping city,
four innocent children were beaten into
submission and hurled 10 Inelr death in
the river below by a frenz,ed father His
horrible ends accomplished, William
RoSenheld threw himself over the bridge
and closely followed his murdered chill.
dren into eternity
For a week Ros snheld's mysterious
disappearance puzzled the police. Their
worst fears Were realized early yester-
day morning when the body of Joseph
Rosendeld the eldest child, was found
floating among the logs at the st. Paul
boom, about a mile below Fort Smell
ing.
While making his rounds at o'clock
in the morning, Joseph LachapeTe an
employe of the st. Paul Log and Boom
company, noticed the body OF a boy near
the surface Of the wafer He at once
drew the body to shore and hurrying 10
a telephone notified the st. Paul police
department. Coroner Miller ordered the
morSue wagon to the scene and drove
out shortly after. Forty-flve minutes
later the lifeless body was hauled from
the water. AS soon as the boys face
was turned up his battered features re-
Vealed that death had only come after a
futile struggle. Blood oozed from the
nose, which was flattened and broken;
the left side of the forehead was dent
ed, and over the right eye was bruise
and another under the chin. The body
was carried tosthe morgue wagon and
instantly identified by Charles Adams,
the driver, who exclaimed with start:
my God, It's little Joer'
1rNrrrvv r,oc,r,n-r,,r,r n 1srrr1 ,,r,1-ny
Adams is a employed at Schroeder's
livery stable and knew the RosendeId
children quite well through having been
associated with their father at work.
His positive Identification of the unfor-
tunate child removed the last faint hope
that the Rosenfeld children were alive.
William Rosenheld was thirty-dye
years old. Ten years ago, in st. Paul,
he married a girl named Nellie Taylor.
At that time he was prosperous and in
dustrious. year later Joseph was
born and life seemed promising for the
young couple. Shortly after family diff
ficulties arose. RosenfielI drank
heavily and lost several good positions.
With the degeneration of the father
more children were bo-n and the mother
joined her husband in the downward
course and drank heavily. The homo
was reduced to a pitiable condition.
house and the hungry children were left
alone for days at a time, and often
nights Wife and husband quarreled
continually until they found each other
company insufferable. When one came
home the other left.
The children grew and the home be-
came more dissolute. The once bright
father was doing menial work at differ
ent livery stables. The mother earned
scanty income by domestic employment
Neither spent any money on the children.
One Of Rosenfield's former emI lOyers
said last evening that while the former
worked for him he received his pay on
Monday. One Monday he would start out
and waste it all for drink. The next
week he would relent and take all his
money home to his wife. She In tn n
would quickly squander the weeks hard
earned wages, oftentimes with male
friends. The constant sufferers were
the children. Repeatedly the four chill
dren the youngest two and half years
and the Oldest nine years old, have been
seen to go to their fathers place Of en-
ployment at or 10 o'clock at night and
cry because they had had nothing to eat
all day and had not seen mother or ia
ther. He would then take them to a
neighboring saloon, buy several glasses
Of beer for himself and treat the half
starved children to free lunch.
PARENTS SEPARATE.
This state of affairs grew worse and
worse until four months ago, father and
mother each dissatisfied with the other
and everything else, separated. With the
three elder children Mrs. Rosenfield went
to live with sister in Minneapolis, Mrs.
Charles Bigford. The youngest child was
placed in charge Of Mrs. w j. BoWlin,
533 L'Orient street, who Is q friend Of the
family and the child's godmother. This
child, Samuel, was the fathers favorite,
and he frequently went to see him and
took him driving, always showing him
with much pride to his friends
Not long had the home been broken up
when the father was anxious for his wife
to return. Several times he went to her
and urged her to come back with him,
but she sturdly refused. He persisted,
and finally about two weeks ago she
promised to return to him on Tuesday OF
last week. Several days before this,
however, another sister, Mrs. Charles
Bodeau, who also lives in Minneapolis,
was taken fatally Ill, and on the Tues
day that Mrs Rosenfield was to return
was dying This prevented her promised
return, and instead Of coming home she
was at her sisters bedside.
On the following day Rosenheld drank
heavily, and toward evening was quite
intoxicated. he went TO MT. oCnroeQer
and demanded 49, He was refused and
became very angry, and after stirring up
a fight, which resulted in his being eject
ed from the barn, he went away Mr..
Schroeder remarked at the time that
Rosenfield acted strangely and intended
to make trouble.
RcsenAeld then went TO Schwartz's
barn, Eighth ana Wacouta streets, where
he had also formerly been employed and
was well known. Here he asked for a
carriage and said he would return in a
short time. He drove TO Mrs- Bowlin 8