The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-06-15
MOTHER TAKEN TO HOSPITAL
Charles Kempf, a Brother Seems to
Doubt the Statement That His Sister
is Dead and Wanders in His
Testimony.


gate the death of Rose Kempf, found
dead at the home of her mother on
Fremont avenue after long session
on Monday evening adjourned without
reaching any decision in the matter and
the case was held open pending the
further call of the coroner. The evil
dence produced at the inquest revealed
most unusual ever brought to the notice
of the officials of Kenosha, but the facts
Miss Kempf died natural death and
the ignorance of the other members
Of the family made it impossible for
the remains to be carefully cared for.
The brother, Charles Kempf, who has
been held at the Jail pending an ex-
animation into his mental condition
told the jury wandering story which
was pathetic in some ways. Kempf re-
fused to believe that his sister was dead
and insisted on referring to her as sick.
He admitted that he had not been on
good terms with the dead woman for
some time and that he had refused to
go into the room she occupied on either
Thursday or Friday of last week. He
told of how his mother had taken pals
of water into the room on Friday and
Saturday and other witnesses at the
inquest brought out the fact that the
aged mother had washed the dead body
of the daughter repeatedly with mus
tard water with view Of restoring
health. Tt was brought out in the
evidence that the mother had not dis
covered that the daughter was dead
until Monday morning and then she
had started out to buy casket She
told one of her close friends that she
had walked up and down Main street
looking for a coffin, but had not been
able to see any in the windows. She
wandered to the north and the west
end of the city and it was declared
that she was on a quest for the casket
when she was found and taken to her
home. After Mrs. Kempf had been re-
lieved Of her long vigil, watching by the
side of her dead daughter, she collapsed
completely and her condition was such
that she was removed to the Kenosha
hospital suffering either from acute
hysteria or from a complete loss of rea-
son. The mother could not give the
police any connected story and her con-
dition was such as to make it impos-
sible for her to appear at the inquest
Monday evening.
Charles Kempf, the son, said that his
sister had been taken sick on Thursday
with one of her chad spells'' but that
he had paid no attention to ner on ac-
count Of the fact that he and his sis
ter had not been on good terms. He
said that he was called to the room
before her death on Friday morning,
but that he had refused to go and that
he knew absolutely nothing about her.
Monday night Kempf went with the po-
lice to the house and in book in one
of the rooms was found 500 in money
which will probably be used for the
burial of the dead woman. It has been
learned that Miss Kempf had been suf-
fering from dropsy for some time. She
had not had the care of a physician
and it is thought possible that this
disease was the cause of her death. No
arrangements have as yet been made for
the funeral and tits probable that the
remains will be held until the mother
RECEIVERS sufficiently to be present at the
funeral. Physicians regard the condi-
tion of the mother as serious. Twenty
three years ago a daughter of Mrs.
Kempf was burned to death in Racine
and since that time it is said that the
woman has never been in complete con-
troll of her mental faculties.