The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-03-15
MOTHER KILLS HER DAUGHTER
 THEN WANDERS
Strange Tale of Clinton Woman, When Found, Told to Medical
 Examiner
Strangled Little Girl and Threw Body Into Flames of Burning House.

Clinton, March 1.-The discovery of Mrs. Alfred Feltdrapple, the woman who with her. three year old child, Martha, disappeared after the burning of their home Monday and her strange statement made to Medical Examiner Reynolds that she had strangled the little girl and thrown the body into the fire, went long way towards rounded the strange case and created a sensation here. Mrs. Feltdrapple told pr. Reynolds, that after killins the child she tried to kill herself, first by pounding her head with ham, mer, then by gashing her throat With a knife and finally by jumping into the Hammonassett river She failed in all her attempts and ultimately sought shelter in the home of a neigh bor. It is the opinion of the medical examiner that the woman is insane.
 The case is one of the most pe- cuiiar that has ever been heard of here. Until late yesterday afternoon when the country about here had been SCOUT ed by constables and deputy sheriffs and neighbors in the hope of finding the woman and child who had appar- ently completely dropped out of things with the fire. When the fire broke out MT. Feltdrappie was out in the forest cutting wood and was as much at sea as the others as to where his wife and daughter had gone. He could only say that he had left her lying on a couch when he went out.
 The woman claimed under examina- tion last night that she did not know whether she had set fire to the house or not.
 The woman appeared shortly after midnight Monday at the house of MT. and Mrs. Kettle, which is about three miles away from her own home. The RetticS were away when she arrived, and she went into the house without asking any questions. When Mrs. Ret tic got back she found the woman in her bedroom. She saw from Mrs. Felt drappie's actions that she was in a strange frame of mind. She told the Rettics of how she had "wrung the neck of her daughter but they, sec ing her condition, thought that it was probably nothing more than an hallu- cination It was not until late yester- day morning that Mrs. Rettic heard that the authorities were looking for Mrs. Feltdrappie. MT. Rettic was away then and Mrs. Kettle could not get away without leaving the woman alone. Consequently it was not until about o'clock in the afternoon that the authorities were finally informed
 
 Mrs. Feltdrappie was then taken immediately before Medical Examiner H. $. Reynolds, where she made the confession of how she had wrung the neck of her child and threw her into the fire of the house. as
 When brought in by the deputy sheriff Mrs. Feltdrappie was in pit fable condition. She has not been in the best of health for some time and with her head covered with the bruises made by the hammer and the red marks of the knife on her throat and weak from the exposure of the night before all she could tell the examiner was that she had killed her daughter and of the attempts she had made to end her own life. Why she had done those things she did not know. It is the opinion of the medical examiner that she is insane and is being held pending an investigation by Coroner Davis of Middletown today.
 No search of the ruins of the house could be made yesterday because they had not cooled suff. ciently.