The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-25


- n.y. ing his own child-a baby
Of a few months so out
rageously as to cause its death
A corOner's jury empaneled BY dep
uty county coroner brought in verdict
a noon today holding King guilty or
causing the death OF his four months OLD
son by brutal treatment at various
times"
Mr.. and Mrs. King recently moved to
their present residence on Monroe street
from Jacksonville, Illinois. where their
lchild was born four months ago. When
fthey first came to the city they rented
troOHs Of Mrs. Nettie Shore Of 1905 North
Quincy street where they lived before
moving to their present residence
It was while they were living at the
home Of Mrs. Shore that frequent COM
plants were made by the neighbors that
the infant was being abused and beaten
Some of them took the matter in their
I own hands for investigation and re-
proved the father for the beadngs which
they. claimed he frequently gave the
! child and his wife as we'll
The cries Of the infant were almost
i continuous and this Sc worked upon th-
minds Of the women of the neighbor-
hood that they decided that they would
I call upon the mother and find out the
! reason for them Several of them called
upon the mother and were told that the
child was I'll and that It had not been
subjected to abuse of any kind, either
by herself or its father.
After the Kings changed their place
of residence the stories followed them
and second time the neighbors became
f1ncensed and investigate ted the matter
iAgaiu the Heighbors insisted that the
alleged abuse should stop and again the
parents insisted that the child was re-
fceiVing the best of care but that it was
I'll, which caused it to cry.
Mrs Nettie Shore testified that the
husband and wife had ouarreled at
fraf 77c
Gus times she had heard the father
slap the child when 1t was crying and
at such times the chiid's screams be-
came louder though she had never
seen him actually slap the child. Nj
merous mother neighbors testified that
they had heard the baby crying at diff
ferent times as though it was being
punished, though none of them had
ever seen it when it was struck by
the father or mother.
There is no doubt that the child had
marks of violence on its face and
body as these were seen by the neigh
bOrs and were noticed by two of the
doctors who had been called at diff
ferent times TO prescribe for the baby.
DR.. w II. RICHTER testified that the
child was brought to his office some
time ago and that he had prescribed
FOR it and that once after, while pass
ing, he had stopped in and found that
its condition had greatly improved. It
was afterwards brought to his office
and he performed a slight operation
and it seemed to improve.
Il asked the mother how the
bruises came to be on the child's
cheek and under its eye and she said
that she did not know. They looked
TO me as though they were caused by
a blow from fist or a hand. I then
asked her If 1t was possible that they
could have been made by falling from
the bed and she said that was how
they were made Though in my opin-
ion the child did not have enough
strength to turn over in bed. as it
could not have weighed more than
three OF four pounds.
THE same injuries might have caused
the commissions from which the child
suffered when it was first brought to
me but / do not think that the bruises
were brought about by the commissions
and it was violence of some kind that
produced them
doctored the child and that he too had
noticed the bruises on the child's face
and said that they were undoubtedly
caused by violence of some kind though
he had no opinion as to how they could
have occurred. He also testified that
the child was troubled with intestinal
trouble and that its circulation was not
4 what it should be and recommended a
change of diet and It improved and he
was not called again until yesterday
when he found the child in dying con-
dition-
Z He testified that the bruises on the
chlld's face were caused by violence of
some kind though he had no idea how
the marks were inflicted
Mrs. King, the mother of the child,
IS but 9 years of age and much of the
gossip OF the women of the nefghbor-
hood was to the effect that the child
did not receive proper care on account
of the ignorance of the mother and not
from criminal neglect. During the
nf he 81 L
room and cried softly while the women
Of the neighborhood passed by her
with looks of scorn with the exception
of Mrs. G. L. Frisbie. who is one of
her neighbors, and seemed to be the
only one with kind word for the
young mother who was mourning for
her first born In the other room the
husband and father was giving his
testimony in sentences broken by sobs.
He said that the child had been
weakly and puny from birth and they
had taken it to two or three doctors
and done all in their power to save its
life. He admitted that he might have
become cross at the incessant crying
CT the sick child but denied that he
had ever slapped it or mistreated it in
any way.
He said: Il am twenty-five year.
Old and my wife 10 and we were east
our old home in Illinois when the
4aild was born, and shortly after we
moved to Topeka, where I have beer
eilp4UySu III the w eSIeFn WOODEN mill
The change did the little one no good
and in spite of all that myself anG
wife could do ne became weaker anf
the doctors did not seem to be able Il
give any permanent relief We
changed its diet and did the best tina
we knew and my wife consulted witt
several of the older women of the
neigh bOrs and acted on their advice
and God knows that we did all in oul
power for him. AS for striking him.
never did such a thing nor did my
wife.
zone night my wife got UP when
was asleep and went to the kitchen Il
tx some milk for baby and left him OF
the foot of the bed, and while she wal
n.nne he IN come manner rolled off anl