The Washington herald., 1914-06-08

CALLS DEAD GIRL
FALSE ACCUSER
Mrs. Johanna Monekheim,
Aged Midwife, Denies
Guilt.
WEEPS In ASYLUM CELL
Declares Helen Wollett Was a Spite
full Mischief-maker-Inquest
Today.
WEEPS In ASYLUM CELL
BY MILDRED DILLON.

= Between spasmodic coughing spells and
resultant moments of faintness, Johanna
Monekhefm, the aged woman accused OF
the death of twenty-two-year-old Helen
Wollett, through an illegal operation, sat
on her cot in the Washington Asylum
Hospital and in broken German denounced
the dead girl as a revengeful and spiteful
mischief-maker.
They tell me the girl is dead" Mrs.
Monekhelm rolled her eyes heavenward.
but God knows 1 am innocent OF this
crime.
''She said If I would not help her she
would get revenge one me, and now she
has done it. She came 10 me twice at
my house and said / had been recon-
mended to her-that- is. as midwife
and begged me on her knees to perform
the operation. but I answered her, no. i
would not commit such crime for all
the money in the world / told her, and
more than that. l would not be landed
in the penitentiary to save you.
A Sign of Conviction.
Il think she did it herself and then
blamed me to hide her shame" Mrs.
Monekheim gave this with a sign of per-
feet conviction.
why did she not tell the police who
the real guilty party is?'' the old woman
almost screamed, and then fell into an
other fit of coughing during which she
expectorated blood in a towel
why did she only blame me, an inno-
cent old woman. and let the man go un-
punished?' she asked, and then answer
ing her own inquiry: She had spite out
against me, because I would not help
her."
When the police came to take me l
was so faint and frightened I could hardly
speak. They said: Come you are want
ed for the illness of this girl Why, l
had not even heard her name before
then. and when they took me to the hos
pital and the girl sat up in bed and
pointed at me and told them / did II, 1
almost tainted. 1t was nothing but spite
work. She told me she'd get me- If r.
refused to help her and she did, the
old woman brake down and buried her
face in the pillow
It's hard, hard for an old woman to
bear being thrown in penitentiary. and 1
don't believe I will live until the trial."
she wept. Il get that dizziness in my
head what they call vertigo and then
everything goes black and / faint and
don't believe that 1 will live many more
days"
She Feels Weak |
When asked what testimony she would
give at the corener's inquest which will |
be held today at noon in the District |
Morgue, she shook her head and said
she did not feel that she would be strong 4
enough to attend.
Il cannot CO." she said. Maybe am
not strong enough to stand it, but if /
do I will tell the truth, that I did not
ever see that girl until she accused me
from her bed in the hospital"
But you said the girl had been to
your house twice and then that you did
not recognize her when you saw her in
the hospital?" Mrs. Monkeheim was re-
minded.
Sure. she was there twice." the woman
said. Il knew her by her hair. 1t fell
around her face, but did not remember
her otherwise or even know her name"
Il knew nothing about her at all
nothing" But Mrs Monekheim con-
tinued to state the facts that the dead
girl had no relatives except a brother.
and that she never mentioned the man
connected with the case, though she did
tell the woman she had two other chill
dren.
Il have had a good reputation as