The San Francisco call., 1903-12-02
CHILD SUFFERS
AWFUL ACON|ES
Lottie Gernandt Is Cut
and Hammered by
Mother.
Charitable Society Likely
to Have the Father
Arrested.

One OF the most shocking cases OF
parental cruelty in the annals OF the
San Francisco police authorities was
brought to light yesterday in the home
of w. F. Gernandt. fireman, at 1865
Kearny street. A slender little girl of
13 years had been slashed with knife,
probably permanently injured by a
blow from a hatchet on the back Of
her head, stabbed with a pair Of scis-
sors and beaten with a potato nasher.
Worst of all, the mother of the suffer
ing child is alleged to be responsible
for all this brutality.
Secretary White of the Society for
the Prevention Of Cruelty to Children.
TO whom the case was brought, says,
however, that he is almost sure that
Mrs Gernandt is not right mentally.
The father is said to have visited his
home daily and must have known of
the abuse which has been carried on
for months. White says that he will
probably arrest Gernandt and let him
tell to a Judge how he allowed such
state of affairs to exist at his home.
Lottie, the little sufferer, presented
q horrible appearance yesterday One
ear had been partly torn from her head.
On her nose was a scar which is al
legged to have resulted from a knife
wound inflicted several weeks ago. One
hand is swollen TO twice it's normal
size as the result of a bite. The other
hand shows a cut alleged to have
been made by the mother with the
scissors. The child's neck shows the
marks of fingers, where an attempt
had been made to choke her On the
side Of her head was a bruise from
potato lnasher. Her hair was matted
with blood, which flowed from the
wound made by the hatchet. Her spine
has been injured so that she cannot
hold her head up. She told in a dazed
way how it all happened. and the
neighbors are said by White to have
corroborated her story. Last night she
was taken to the Emergency Hospital
/ temporarily.
The child has been enduring tortures
resulting from her injuries for weeks,
and it is feared that her health is ruin
ed forever. The mother is said to be
near death from consumption. There
are seven other children in the family
but Lottie is said to be the only one
who has been mistreated. She had
been commissioned by the sick mother
to look after six younger children.
Mrs. Gernandt is said to have an un-
goVernable temper. When Lottie would
be found at fault the mother, 1t is
said, would strike her with anything
that might come handy. Some weeks
ago the child's spine was injured by a
blow from the potato masher, it is al
legged, and since then she has been un-
a BILE to remain awake very long at a
time. The child says that the mother
would be very angry to see her asleep.
and would awaken her by a blow from
the hatchet, a knife or the scissors.
The neighbors became worked up
over the matter, and finally reported
the case to the Society for the Preven-
ton of Cruelty to Children. officer
McMurray made an immediate investi-
CATION, and removed the little sufferer
from the Gernandt home She told
again what the neighbors had told be-
fore, and added numerous sad details
Her head hung low, and she was cold
and drowsy
The mother would have been arrest
ed, White says, had it not been for the
fact of her serious illness. The father
is thought to have been criminaIly neg
ligent in the matter, and an attempt
will probably be made by White to
have him punished.