Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-06-17
CRAZY WOMAN'S ACT
Keller, Wisconsin, Woman Murders
Her Four Children and Then Com
mits Suicide Butcher Knife is
Used-Y Youngest Child Four
Months of Age.

Keller, Wis, June Is. For some
unknown and inexplainable cause,
Mrs. Paul Klass, wife of carpen-
ter, residing one-half mile west of
Keller, Wis, murdered her four
small children and then suicided
by using the same instrument of
death-a large butcher knife.
The exact time of the committal
of the quadruple murder and suicide
is not definitely known but 1t is
presumed that the time chosen by
the supposedly insane mother to
destroy her sanity, was Wednesday
evening some time after the supper
hour.
AT o'clock Thursday evening,
twenty-four hours later, the crime
was discovered. A small boy, son
Of Benjamen Hoppman, had occa-
sion to pass the Klass home and on
looking through window saw the
dead bodies.
The youngest of the children, a
babe of four months, was found
with it's tiny throat cut from ear to
ear in it's cradle. In a small baby
cot, the second oldest, boy of 8
years, was found with his head
almost severed from the body. On
bed in the same room lay the life
less forms of the two eldest chill
dren, aged 4 and years, respective
ly. Their young lives had been
blotted out in the same manner as
had the others, their threats being
horribly gashed.
On the floor and at the bedside of
the two eldest children, lay the
dead body of the murderer and sui
cide-the mother. Her blood stained
hand still grasped the large family
butcher knife with which she dis
patched the young and innocent
lives Of the children.
The motive for the unnatural and
revolving crime is entirely lacking.
Insanity, suddenly brought about
as result of the intense heat, is
advanced as the cause. The hus-
band and father of the family was
not at home at the time of the
tragedy he having been employed
near Menominee at carpenter work
for the past several days. At the
time of his departure from home,
his wife, Mr.. Klass says, was in ex-
cellent spirits and appeared to be
well and happy. She had been i'll
of late but this is not thought to
hive had any particular bearing on
the case. Mrs. Klass was 26 years
of age and had been married six
years.
The discovery of the crime threw
the staid village into malestrom of
excitement, many people refusing to
believe the news of the murder by
one whom they had long known
and honored. The domestic life of
Mr.. and Mrs. Klass was said to be
one of happiness and motive for
the tragedy finds no lurking place
there.
DR.. Schroeder, of Keller, was de-
putized to hold an inquest and the
information as deducedat the ex-
animation of the bodies and the
home, is substantially the same as
above outlined. Evidence, gained
from the inquisition tends to show
that the youngest child, a baby of
four months, was the relentless and
murderously insane mothers first
victim. The second eldest was pre-
sumed to have been attacked next,
the two oldest being spared until
the last. Their taking off was
synonymous with the death Of the
chief actor in the dramatic
mother.
In the little village cemetery near
Keller on Saturday morning will be
laid to rest the body of the mother
and the four innocent, but foully
murdered babes.