New-York tribune., 1902-08-17
DRUNK, HE SHOT BABES.
FATHER MADE THEM KISS FIRST
FRIEND SAID To HAVE LOOKED
ON SUPINELN.

The prolongation of a birthday spree from
Friday into yesterday led to the shooting by
Frederick Dietscher twenty-seven years old, of
No. 5J1 West Forty -fifth-st.. of his children,
Edward. six years old, and Mary five. and bis
death. He shot them through the head and
they will probably die. He ended his own life
with three bullets. The tragedy occurred in the
rooms of his mother-in-law. next TO his
He made the children kiss each other before he
slew them.
Dietscher was a driver who earned his living
along the West Side docks. He drank occa-
sionally. He lived in two sparsely furnished
rooms or the second floor in the of the
tenement house, with his wife and three chill
dren, the youngest a abe of nineteen months.
He celebrated his birthday on Friday by getting
drunk. and he continued the spree over night
into yesterday. He got his two weeks pay and
continued drinking in a saloon in Forty-fourth-
st at Eleventh-ave.
He went home for short time in the morn
ing. but only long enough have quarrel
with his wife. in which ne beat her unmerci-
fully, He knocked her down. knocked out two
Of her teeth discolored both her eyes, and
bruised her face
Mrs. Dietscher was in bed nursing her baby
when her husband went home last night. Mary,
the daughter was playing in the rooms OF Mrs.
Cornelius Haverman. her mother. while the boy
in the yard playing with some other chill
dren.
Mrs Haverman was preparing supper, which
to be something extra. in honor of the
birthday which the man himself was celebrat-
ing The children had been promised something
in the way Of sweetmeats. and Mrs Haverman
and Mrs. Dietscher did not want to dsappont
them. Mrs. Dietscher felt that her husband
would come home in a better mood and she
said her mother.
He'll be home with his money. This is pay
day, and he'll be all right"
When Dietscher arrived home he was accom-
panied 10y Charles KuegIer. said to live at For
ty-eighth-st. and Eleventh lave, with whom he
had spent part OF the day.
Mrs. Havermau thought her daughter right
when she Dletscher come in quietly and sit
down. She went on preparing the apple cake,
coffee and dessert Dietscher apparently
in better mood than in the morning. He saw
Mary playing in the middle OF the floor. and he
caught her up in his arms and began to fondle
her. She was happy to her father af-
fectionate. and kissed him.
Where's Eddie" asked Dietscher.
Playing in the yard" said Mary and she
ran to the window and called to him.
''Papa's here" she said and Eddie soon
in the room, almost breathless from his up
stairs.
Dietscher put Mary on the lounge He then
called to Edward to get the lounge too and
the boy did so.
Now, you kiss Mary, Ed" commanded
Detscher. as he fumbed in his pocket
The children kissed each other their father
bade them. Then Dietscher put the pistol he had
drawn from his pocket close to Mary's head and
shot her through the
The noise of the shot sounded loudly through
the tenement house and alarmed everybody
me a nd wi her
another pistol shot resounded. The boy was
shot this time through the right temple. BY
this time the tenement house in the widest
kind of excitement, but shots were still to be
heard. II Dietscher killing himself.
After shooting his boy he walked in front of
a crucX in the and he stood before
ii fired one SGot into his head. Then he fell
but ne shot again and again, and PIT another
bullet into his head, and a third into his abdo-
men. He died with his head lying under pic
of Christ and of the Virgin. His feet
under the crucifiX before which he had
slain himself. Kuegler Mrs. Dietscher said had
sat in the room through it all. and had made no
attempt to avert the tragedy.
The shrieks and confusion in the tenement
house attracted policeman who soon had an
ambulance at the house. He found the children
terribly injured, and he at once took them to
the hospital to he operated on. though he said
there not much chance for them to survive
the wounds they had received.
The scene in the street was pathetic. Chill
dren who knew the boy and girl gathered about
and cried they heard of what had happened
They tried to follow the ambulance, and ran
down the street the bell changed
a man on a car who saw the great crowd
around the street the went by, learned OF
the ira gedy by asking of the children. he
found them all asking for Ed and Mary
and he told score of them to get on the car
and he would go to the hospital with them
They readily assented. and he paid all their
fares rode with them to the hospital. got off and
then went into the hospital and inquired about
the condition OF the boy and girl. Then he went
out and told ali the children what the doctors
had said They were there by hundreds then.
and fully thousand people were about the hos
pital.