New-York tribune., 1907-03-30
DROPS CHILD INTO SEA.
KONG ALBERT TRAGEDY.
Mother, Cra@ed, Pushes Infant
Through Liners Portfolio.

Crazed by grief over the illness Of her four
n-months-oId daughter Mrs. Filomena
Aquila, a steerage passenger on the North Ger
man Lloyd Mediterranean liner K6nig Albert
pushed the infant through a portfolio into the
sea on Wednesday while the steamer was about
seven hundred and fifty miles east of Sandy
Hook.
The woman was locked in the ships hospital
when the steamer docked yesterday in Hobo
boken She travelling with her husband
Francisco Aquila. and five children. The fam
lily boarded the K6nig Albert at Naples. and
nothing unusual was observed in Mrs. AquiIa's
actions until her youngest child Rosario, showed
symptoms of measles. The ships surgeon, Dr.
KIeinmann. was called TO attend the child when
the steamer cleared Gibraltar. and ordered the
infant to the hospital, where she received every
attention The mother. who remained with the
child almost constantly, had the freedom of the
hospital and little heed was paid to her
actions.
on Wednesday about o'clock in the morn
ing when I. G6ssling. the chief officer, was
walking along the promenade deck, he saw a
bundle drop from a portfolio Immediately below
him
He did not know that the bundle was child
but threw over life buoy instinctively. and ran
forward to order the steamer stopped
Several OF the ships officers who saw GoSs-
ling throw the buoy, below to the hospital
and found Mrs. Aquila trying to crawl through
the porthole. through which il thought she
had pushed her child. With considerable difi-
Guilty, her arms and shoulders were extricated'
and she was carried to a couch She became
hysterical and begged 10 be permitted to fol-
low her child. The brass fittings the port
hole were screwed down tightly, and. according
10 the ships officers. Mrs. Aquila exerted the
force OF three women TO open il. Her hands.
which were badly cut. showed how hard sho
had struggled to force open the headlight. The
steamer was stopped within three lengths. and
for TWO hours moved around in circle, using
the life buoy as centre. The body was not
found and the K0nig Albert proceeded.
There was in the hospital with Mrs
Aqula when the child was dropped overheard
No one knows whether not the infant was
alive when the mother took it from the bed. a
number of passengers were or the opinion tnat
the child had died IN the hospital and that
the shock, affecting the mothers mind, caused
her 20 throw the body overheard.
Several women In the steerage said that Mrs
Aquia had continually expressed a fear that
she would lose Rosario, FOR whom she said she
had especial love. Mrs Aquila unable last
night TO tell whether she some one else had
thrown the child from the steamer.
The Child's father Was overcome with grief
yesterday when the KUnig Albert docked. He
said he tailor and lived in Greenwich
Conn, where ne has married son. He went 10
Italy recently on a visit and was returning with
his family. He VIII be allowed To- land, but tho
wife and FIVE children VIII probably be deported
when the kdnig Albert sails next week for
Naples
Mrs. Aquia's act is almost parallel with the
trazedy that occurred last November on the
Hollend-Anerica liner Nieuw Amsterdam. The
%ieuW Amsterdam arrived here November 19
and reported that while in mid Atlantic Rosa
Maggie "A Swiss governess who had been play
ing with number Of children OF the second
cabin. became suddenly insane and threw Aaron
GuvOwski, a year ola baby. into the sea. Miss
Maggie picked the child up in her arms. clasped
him IN her bosom. and. after pressing him fran
tically. hurled him over the ships rail
Tho steamer stopped ana stood by for three
hours bat the body was not found.