Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-03-21
JOE HoMMERlN CHARGED WITH
BRUTAL CRUELTY BY OWN
FLESH AND BLOOD.
DENIES THE CHARGES
Sons Run Away and Parent Comes to
ottumwa for Them-ReIatives In,
tervene-case May Be Taken Into
Court.
From Wednesdays Daily

From Wednesdays Daily
Is Joe Hommerin, former What
Cheer coal operator. the father of the
most unf1lial children in the world,
or is he man whose record Of cruelty
to his family has seldom been equaled
in the days of the Christian era?
Charges made against him by his
children leave little room for any 9TH
er hypothesis. If what they claim Is
true, he is one; if not he is the other.
Here are few Of the instances of
cruelty which Joe Hommerin Jr. told
County Attorney Cornell that his faith
er has been guilty Of:
He has beaten his seventeen year
old daughter, Stella.
He threw a pick mad stamped on the
head of his Is year old son, Dennis.
He cheated Joe, his partner, in the
| coal business, out of large sum Of
money.
He has seemingly made every one
of his children hate him by the abuse
which they claim he has heaped upon
them.
His abuse of his wife. the mother
of the children, is said by them to have
fastened If not caused her death last
August.
He has refused to allow an operation
to be made upon his daughter, Stella,
when told that her life perhaps de-
penQeQ upon IT.
Tho ChiIdren's Story.
Its most peculiar and unusual
story, as it was told this morning in
the office of County Attorney Seneca
/ Cornell
Part of it the prosecutor could not
understand because 1t was in French.
Hommerin ST. speaks practically no
English, and it was necessary for him
to talk through an interpreter. How
1 u ND hit = toll
ing between themselves, which while
the nearer did not understand it, eX-
actly showed conclusively that it was
not mutual expressions of family af-
4 lection.
:. The conference with the county ta-
: torney was the result of the sudden
departure from home of Dennis HON.
merin, a boy of Is years of age. Den
), mis- came to Ottumwa, accompanied by
his younger brother, Emil. They are
now staying at the home of their sis
ter. Mrs. Fred McCluskey, who resides
: at 1913 Church street.
Already their little sister, Lucy, was
with the sister, the father having sent
the child to Mrs. McCluskey after the
mothers death last fall.
According to the story which Joe Jr
the Oldest son, told the prosecuting at
torney this morning, the father has al
ways been rough and brutal in his
treatment Of the family. but as long
as the mother was alive, it did not
become unbearable, as she protected
the children to the best of her ability
But the mother died last August, hel
death being fastened according to the
oldest son. by the treatment received
at the hands of her husband.
/. Then there wa snone left to protect
the children from the wrath of the
father save Joe. In November, how
ever Joe coul dstand the home sur
roundings no longer and he left.
Then says Dennis, who ran away
conditions became unbearable. The
! father beat him, once threw pick a
5 him, and stamped on his head.
l Further than that he whipped ant
beat, according to the children. the
: younger boy and the two girls living
\ at home, one of them a girl II year,
) Of age.
Boys Give Up Fight
:. A few days ago the boys left hom
!, determined to stand it no longer. The!
came here and went to the home o
r their sister to stay. The father cam
Il after them, bringing his two daugh
r tiers. Stella and LOUIS with him, bu
v McCloskey and Joe Jr. refused to Civ
/ the boys up. Then the matter wa
II taken to the prosecutil.s attorney
!, Mr.. Cornell told both parties tina
= nothing could be done unless the faith
y er should start habeas corpus proceed
- ings against the relatives here for tn
e possession of the boys. which ste
would bring the matter into court. TIL
Y court would decide whether or not tn
h father was proper pei son to care TO
4 his children or not Until then unles
c some arrangement is made in the fam
lily, the boys will not return with thei
= father to What Cheer.
- Dennis refused to think Of returnin
II to live with his father when asked t
If do so this morning.
All of the children seem bite
n against the father. who in turn denie
n in spluttering French all Of tn
,r charges made against him.
~ TiMMoNs CAPTURED.