Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-29
BROWNS. FIVE CHILDREN
THEN SHE SEEKS DEATH
Berlin Mother Driven to
Depths of Misery by
Worthless Husband.
reign Correspondence Of The Star.


BERLIN. July Is. 1912.
A poor woman who is the concierge
of a block OF fats in a suburb of Ber-
lin drowned her five children and
tried to drown herself. The story Of
Frau Marie Friedrich is a poignant
one. She is woman Of thirty-four
years. married to window blind
maker two years her senior. who re-
fuses to work and is an incorrigible
drunkard
The wife managed to get a place as
concierge few months ago. in re-
turn for which she was given the use
OF two rooms and $3.50 a month. She
spoke little to the neighbors. and they
were disinclined to break down the
reticence of the sad-faced woman.
They noticed that she worked from
early morning till late at night to keep
her little home and the great stair
case Of the house in order. and that the
children were always spotlessly clean.
She spoke to nobody of the tragedy of
her life until yesterday. Then she
was obliged to break the silence
Confesses Her Crime.
A neighbor heard her children, the
eldest of whom is five and the young
est a month old. crying. evidently from
pain. A good woman entered the
house. and found the children suffer
ing from the effect. of poison. Frau
Friedrich then confessed that she had
given them all lysol in milk, as she
wished them to die.
The neighbor administered an anti
dote, which was effective, as the
poison was not sufficiently strong.
and promised to keep the moth
er's secret. Her action. she said,
had been caused by misery. Later
in the day she confided to the servant
girl employed in one Of the flats that
her husband had ill-treated her the
night before. and had taken her last
few cents to buy drink. He had re-
turned in the morning and told her
that a dealer was coming to buy her
chattels, as he must have more money.
She refused to allow this, and implored
him to work, as the children had nothing
to eat, and were crying for bread. In
reply he turned on her and beat and
She showed the girl the bruises and
scars on her body. In the evening she
moved the beds to large empty flat in
the house where there was bath, and
told the girl she was going to spend the
night there with the children In order to
escape her husband.
Doors Broken Down.
In the morning there was no answer
when the girl rang the bell and the nat
door had to be broken down. All was
quiet within. The intruders hurried to
the bedroom. where they saw the five
children lying dead on the bed. and found
the mother apparently dead. or uncon-
scious, in the bath. 4 doctor was called,
and managed to restore the woman to life
by artificial respiration. The little ones
had been drowned, and We're past human
aid. The mother must have taken them
one by one from bed as they were sleep
ing, immersed each one in the water
until dead. and then laid 1t on the bed.
When the awful work was done she tried
to drown herself.
She was taken to the hospital A note
she had written. which was found on the
table. contained the words: My husband
is alone to blame. He has driven us TO
death" Soon after the tragedy was
known. the man returned with a dealer.
and when he heard of his childrens
death he coolly proceeded to bargain with
the dealer for the sale of the household
chattels. The brute was arrested. His
wife must stand her trial as a murderess.
while no charge can be levied against him
but one Of negligence and brutality. Here
is a case before which justice stands con-
founded.