The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-08-20
PLACED NECKS
upon 4 BLOCK
Tried to Sever the Heads as
Though They Were
Chickens.

1nOugn 1aey were
Chickens.
The most brutal and horrible dou-
hle murder ever chrogicled In the
history of northern Minnesota. oc-,
CURED Thursday afternoon shortly
after o'clock when Mrs. Anton
Straus, aged 30 years, residing thir-
teen miles northeast of East Grand
Forks between Tabor and Sherack,
killed her two daughters, Elizabeth
aged 8 and Mary aged /, by striking
them over the head with an axe.
That the awful crime was prompted
through an insane motive Is evident,
due to the fact that Mrs. Straus had
recently been released from the Fer
gus Falls insane asylum. The grue-
some details Of the double tragedy,
secured by Times representative
who was on the scene of the crime
today, are terrible, the extraordinary
method used by the mother in crush
Ing out the life Of her little ones
being CHASTITY in the extreme.
Alone With Infants.
Mr.. Straus had just finished his
dinner and returned to the farm of
. neighbor only short distance
from his home when the deed was
committed. Frank, the eldest son of
IL years, accompanied his father to
the field, while Rose, years, and
Charlie. years, were sent to the
garden to pick peas.
While Mrs. Straus can tell nothing
much about what happened It 10 sup
posed that she took the, life Of the
little ones shortly after she sent her
older daughter and boy to the gar
den, although Rose and Charlie can
tell nothing as they remained at their
work picking peas until told Of what
had happened.
Placed Heads ON Block.
Mrs. Straus then took her two
younger daughters, Elizabeth and
Mary, to the chicken coop and evi-
IDENTIFY warned them not to make q
murmer, for the other children in
the garden nearby heard no screems.
Which one of theschiidren was killed
arst is not known, but It Ia knowA
that the mother attempted to kill
them In manner one would employ
In killing chickens, striking them
with the axe. their heads lying on the
block.
The block which was in the coop
had been used for killing chickens,
while the axe had also been used for
the same purpose. That the mother
laid the heads Of the little girls over
the block, first one and then the
other, is evident from the fact that
fresh blood stains are very plain on
the stump.
Burned Their Clothes.
Picking up the axe the attempt was
made to cut of their heads but In 80
doing cash in the right side of the
neck, another on the cheek and the
deepest over the right ear was made
In about the same place on both
Elizabeth and Mary, although Mary
suffered the deepest gashes and was
evidently killed first.
The mother than picked her little
girls from the pool of blood, stripping
of their blood stained clothes which
she burned and buried in q manure
pile near the barn. Leaving the nude
forms of the little ones In the chicken
coop, the enraged mother still in her
maddened insane fit ran to the home
Intent upon borrowing gun to kill
.tanted to Kill Others.
She rushed into the Kogel home
and demanded q gun from Mrs. Kogel
door, stating that she wanted to kill
her children. Mrs. Kogeli told the
maddened woman that she did not
knS Fee
Straus rushed from the house re-
turning to o~the scene Of the awful
tragedy which occurred almost an
hour before. Mrs. Kogel followed the
woman, knowing full we'll OF her in
sane disposition and that something
had happened.
When the Straus home was reached
again the mother took Mrs. Kogel
direct to the chicken coop where the
scene greeted her eyes. There laid
the two little ones, with heads limp,
in the pool Of blood, nude and life
less. though their bodies were still
warm. 1t was not until this moment
that the unfortunate mother realized
what she had done and she fell to
the fcor weeping.
Mother Stricken. :. ::
MrB. hOBel removed tno SCloI
stricken mother to the house,. too
stunned by the sight to ask ques-
tions, while Mrs. straus was unable
to answer. The dead children were
taken into the Straus home by Mrs.
Kogel who washed them and placed
them in a baby carriage, while she
beckoned the other children who
were still in the pea patch and told
them to call their father.
1t was the first intimation that the
children had Of ~hat had. happened,
the hour then being almost 3 O'clock.
Az the children went after their
father little did they know Of what
had happened ,or that they had bare
ly escaped being killed for ne Mrs.
Straps had had a gun in her own
home. there is little telling of what
additional crime might have occurred.
Why She Did 1t. - ) )
It Is q difncult matter to ASCERTAIN
why the crime was committed. Mr..