Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1910-06-07
BERKO CASE
WILL GO TO
JURY TODAY
special q ne ErENING NEWS.

Special to the EVENING NEWS
New brunswick. June The
trial Of Katie Berko on a charge OF
manslaughter in having killed her
infant child at Perth Amboy, was
resumed before Judge Lyon and
jury this morning. The state prac-
TALLY ended its case yesterday, the
claim being that the young woman,
who was a maid at the Packer House,
at Perth Amboy, threw the child into
the furnace at the hotel.
Chauncey Ward, fireman at the
hotel, told Of finding the child sbody
in the furnace. Miss Julia Hidock,
who slept with the defendant, also
testified as to the girls actions. Cor
oner Ferd Garretson and DR.. Edgar
Carroll were also called, the latter
testifying that the baby was, In his
opinion, alive when placed In the
furnace, although on cross examina-
tion 1t was brought out that there
was an absence of blood in the
heart which might have been
caused by death from hemerrhage.
The state closed its part of the
case this morning, after Stephen F.
Somogyi, court interpreter, of
Perth Amboy, and Sheriff QuRcken-
boss had been called. Mr. Somogyi
testified to acting as interpreter at
the time the complaint was drawn
in Perth Amboy and told how she
admitted placing the infant in the
furnace Sheriff Quackenboss relat-
ed the wOman's recent escape from
the county jail here.
The defense then opened its side
of the case. Lawyer H. B. Cook,
who represents the accused woman,
made strong plea. He said she
didn't think Of what she was doing
when the infant was placed in the
furnace of the Packer House at
Perth Amboy and was not RESPONSE
bic because of her condition at the
time.
DR.. J. w. Rice, of this city, wit
messed a photo of the child in court
and recognized it. He testified that
the body had been burned to crisp
on one side and a light brown on the
other. He was asked II the child
might not have died from hemor-
rhage or from other causes besides
burns, to which he replied 1t might.
DR.. William e. Ramsay, of Perth
Amboy, was next called, but was re-
lieved after stating he had not at
tended the woman at the Perth AM
boy city hospital.
DR. Meacham, of this city, identi-
fed the photo of the body OF the
burned infant, on the stand. He
said he believed the child was not
full grown He testified to turning
the accused woman over to the tail
authorities after being in local
hospital.
Kate Berko. the accused woman.
was next placed on the stand. She
testified that she had not been In
this country more than two years.
and that the infant, placed in the
Packer House furnace, was born In
the furnace room or the room next
to 1t. She told OF her intense suffer-
ing and how 1t drove her. partially
insane. She said she believed the
child was dead at birth, because 1t
was noiselegs. She told of her es-
cape from the county Jail here re-
Gently, which she attributed to her
worried condition. She told of leav-
ing the jail to go she did not know
where, She boarded trolley car
and rode to Metuchen. She alfghted
at that point because she saw
woman with child in the car that
SO much resembled her own. She
then walked to Fords and decided to
return to jail She told of being on
her way back when captured.
The woman was asked relative to
the father of the child She said II
waa Mike. Mike was called up
and Mike stood up In court and
ideptifed himealf as father Of the