The Bowbells tribune. [volume] (Bowbells, Ward Co., N.D.) 1899-1969, 1919-03-28
ADMIT. ] \ M|.| | BEATING !! HER
CHILD TO DEATH

UnlEU / III sDGAHl
jamestown, N. d., March I'll
y Little Eta Med Donnell was beaten to
death by her father and by her
! mother in their home near Courte-
nay last Friday morning, according
. toIan alleged confession Mrs. Nc
Donnell made here last night:
The child was 2$years old, both
feet frozen and nearly starved to
death, was killed because she had
wet her bed, according to the moth
tler's story. .sli Il N & ;s'g
Discovery OF the condition Of the
bed, slid Mrs. Mcdonnell, enraged
) her husband, and he grabbed Eta
by the neck. and head, and threw
her violently against the wall. AZ
she fell to the floor Mcdonnell kick
ed her with his heavy field shoes,
and continued beating and kicking
her for five minutes during all of
which time the baby remained con
I scious and pleaded with her father
to. spare her, according to the moth
Jer's confession. u
Mrs. Mcdonnell was in her bed:
room dressing and heard her daugh
ter's cries for mercy, but did not
go to the aid of the child. She
2 said she was always afraid to inter
fere with her husband when he
was correcting the children.
5Ss IN Battered and bruised, lying sense;
) less upon the floor, the baby was
attacked second time, this tim,
by the mother, who used board
ripped from an apple box. Blow
after blow. was delivered upon the
child's back, the mother told States
Attorney John Carr and Assistant
States Attorney J. "A. Jorgenson in
her gruesome confession. ~.
At $3.50 o'clock the child regain
ed consciousness, and in attempting
to escape further maltreatment, sh,
tried to make her way to anothes
room, only to stagger and fall to the
floor again. The baby, bleeding
from the wounds that had been in
ficted upon her, was then carried
! to the bed from which she had been
previously thrown by her father,
and at O'Clock Friday afternoon
she died, Mrs. Mcconnell said.
Two or three times on days jus.
previous to the morning of the fata
beating, Eta had been whipped by
her father who used his heavy
shoes as a paddle, the mother told
the attorneys. -
Today Dan Mcdonnell and his
!: wife are prisoners in the Stutsman
county jail, while officials are pre-,
pairing to prosecute them ON a
charge Of first degree murder.
The formal arrest Of the father
and mother took place @last night
after the autopsy, conducted by
three jamestown physicians, re-
vealed that the child's death had
been caused by concussion of the
brain and by starvation.
They were brought to Jamestown
on. No. OF the Northern Pacific
shortly, after midnight by Assistant
States Attorney Jorgenson and M.
d. Patterson, the village marshal OF
Courtenay, and Thomas Springer of
Courtenay. "a 81
Mrs, Mcdonnell was questioned
J for three hours during which time
she ,recited her story.
Husband and Wife Arrested
Following the disclosures |. brot
out at the coroner's inquest and the
autopsy held, In Courtenay Monday
afternoon, MI. and Mrs. Dan Nc
Donnell were placed under arrest
late Monday. II III.
AS .S2,, d. Hit BY Potato II
Mrs. McDonnell's confession. as
transcribed, follows in part:
1.-THE trouble started last We'd
nesday when Eta experienced enc
Of her physical ailments. She had
slept on the cot and I was mad at
her and out OF patience. told
Dan about: 1t and he threw q potato
at her It hit her on the chest.
Friday she became worce. MY
nusbend got up and grabbed her by
the head and the neck and shook
her against the wall. He kicked
her eight or ten times after she had
S@fallens on the floor. He Il had on
heavy shoes and must have kicked
her about i've minutes while she
GNas lying on the floor. ]. saw all
the kickingtbut did not say any
thing later got y board and
spanked her. 5iS Iyss 81 3ls .;5ss E
III didn't think ~ had struck her
zon the head Il, i was angry at the
time. Il struck her four or five
times on the small of the back.
She had ION her Eund othes. She
cried and said ahe would never do
4 Sit again.
s23 Painted Ont of Doors sa5.:5
sssssj5..I left the room and started for
the kitchen to get; breakfast. She
8regained her strength ~ seemed,
and came staggering to the kitchen.
Her stocking caught Ia the 8s door
and she fell over. II Later, she went
ont to the kitchen steps ana fell
sker again; She just tainted away
and didn't know Eta anything afteri
that
Went About Their; Routine sS
hlsband picked her mp and.
placed her on the cot, which was
about och Fri iday morning.
went out and lked the cows and.
my husband did the other chores.
When isS Tetlrned ttoS the house she
vas no tried to get sa z;
doctor from ,ouftensy A but the