The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1912-08-15

was brought up and taken TO Burns |
ment to be laid out
Even the officers. Injured as they are |
to heart rending spectacles. and |
Johnnie" McGuan or similar expert
ence. could not keep the tears from |
their eyes the little body was tend |
erly placed within the ambulance in
waiting.
The body is one of unusual beauty. |
The mother. in fact, although her face
has been hardened by poverty and
privation. and although bearing the
unmistakable impress of woeful. ignor-
ance, looks as though she might have
had her share of loneliness, otherwise
attired and under different circum
stanoss.
was driven to drown my baby by
the Devil" moaned the woman in max
ing her confession. Il was poor. too
poor to take care of myself and of 1t,
and something told me to put IT out of
the way. Oh Cod to think that I did
such a thing. My poor baby"
All morning. lie police labored with
her TO get her % confess or give them
some clue whereby they might make a
search for the body of the baby, which
they were thoroughly convinced was
dead. The mother told a number Of
conflicting stories, of how she had dis
posed of the little one. First she main
tanned that she had given it to wom-
an at the depot. Next she said she had
given IL to a farmer. 1t was not until
Sergeant Barker showed her a picture
of his little baby and asked her If she
would not rather hers would be buried
in a nice green lot with trees and flow
L.
she broke down and shrieked out her
confession
After that for hours she rocked her
body back and forth and hid her face
on her arm as she sat upon a bench in
the police station. sobbing and weep
ing piteously and begging to be taken
to her child. She was not present when.
the body was recovered, the police
having their hands full in keeping her
from throwing herself from the pier
into the lake when she showed them
the spot where she had drowned her
baby She had been told however of
the recovery of the body
At ABOUT four o'clock she was taken
to Burns and McGuans morgue in an
automobile. Sergeant Barker and OIL
Ger Lazaar accompanying her. She was
led into the room in which the little
sun form lay and 1pitfful scene en-
sued. She begged for a kiss and the
officers taking pity upon her distress
permitted her to stoop beside the bier
and tenderly kiss the little brow and
cheek. 1t was only by main force that
she was led away.
For the most part however, her grief
was not demonstrative. She wcpt
quietly to herself and Stunned the eye
of all. She hid her face constantly
The woman was clothed in the garb
of the meanest peasant class II seems
doubtful that she can ever write her
own name She is unable 20 speak a
word of English and the horror of her
crime is modified somewhat by all
these considerations That she Is
woefuily poor there seems little doubt
and the police are Inclined 10 believe
: her story of abandonment by her hus-
band which She says occurred eight
months ago. Friendless and withou,
knowledge of how to obtain work. and
rendered desperate by want she hao
sought the only means she knew of t.
solve the problem The bitter lessor
that has come to smany a hopeless,
mother under like conditions tina
child which should be her Creates
blessing and JOY, an unsurmount
able incumbrance to her very existence