The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-08-26

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go out to Franconia avenue and
get n suit case containing two ba-
bies."
This was the startling message
which Coroner Hinklin sent across
the telephone to an attendant at
the Howard undertaking establish
ment about 900 o'clock, this morn
ing.
The suit case was Immediately
brought to the morgue and upon be-
ing opened two baby boys were dis
closed. swathed by hasty hand in
bloodsoaked linen. They had evident
ly not been touched since birth.
About $500 o'clock Wednesday
evening, DIR. Crane recYcied a cali
to come Immediately to the home of
John Ehlers, on Franoonia avenue.
Upon arrival he was shown to the
room of Mrs Anna Rhinel who wGs
to all appearances in the first stages
of childbirth. An examination by
the physician divulged another state
of affairs, and after caring for the
patient he demanded to know the
truth since birth had occurred some
time previous to his arrival. Mrs.
Rhlnes was at first inCiipel to be re-
ticent in the matter. and to conceal
IL possible, the true situation, but
upon being pressed by DIR. Crane she
confessed to having given birth more
than twelve hours before, to twin
babies.
go up stairs and get my suit case.
Al t.. .I. 4 4.
bingly. When the doctor had in
vestigated the contents of the case
he refused Ia sign a certificate of
death, declaring It was a case for the
coroner.
According to the story of Mrs.
Rhines. she came to this city about
six weeks ago from shelby Her
husband left her at the same time
for Steubenville, where he went to
seek employment, promising to send
for her in few days. She has new
er heard from him since. and be-
lieves he is either dead or confined
in a hospital. Tuesday veening she
retired as usual a sixteen-year-old
cousin sleeping in the same bed. and
her grandparents Mr.. and Mrs. Ehl-
ers, in an adjoining room. Some
time during the night, the babies
were born, the mother never even
arousng the girl sleeping with her.
"I don't know what made me drag
myself to the suit case and nide them
but just did," is her statement.
The supposltion is that the young
mother. little more than twenty years
of age, crazed by pain and the un-
certainty of the fate Of the husband
lost complete control of her nerves
and for the time, her reason. She
says they were dead when born, and
the fact that none of the sleepers in
the house were disturbed, corrobor-
ates this statement. Death would
have occurred either by loss of blood
or suffocation in the suit case had
there been any possible signs of life
when the babies were placed there
in.
Mrs. Rhines is extremely penitent,
and declares she did not realize what
a mistake she was making by con-
cealing her babes. She processes to
have bten partially actuated Ivy the
fact that her grandmother was pre-
pairing to attend a family reunion and
she disliked to interfere with her
plans.
The suit case contained, beside its
precious burden of clay, two gold
rings, a ladies' gold wacth, fresh laun-
derd linen, handkerchiefs and several
towels. In the meantime, the two
bodies OF the baby boys await exam
ination by the coroner at the How
ard morgue, their tiny heads with
their silken mass of black hair peep
ing pathetically from soiled linen
wrappings, mutely testifying to the
thoughtlessness OF the mother hand
which placed them there.