Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-23
SHOT FATHER TO SAVE
MOTHER, GIRL SAYS
Clara BartelI, of Edgewood,
Held for Murder, Declares
Attack Was Imminent
QUARRELED ABOUT MOVING

Glare Bnrtcll. fifteen years old, who
shot and killed her father, Charles
Bartell, at Edgewood. near Bristol.
when he refused to move to Phiadel-
phia, in telling her story today, said she
fired the shotgun in the belief that Bar
tell intended to kill her mother.
She insisted she did not intend to kill
her father. Her thought was to pre-
vent an attack upon her mother, she
declared.
The girl said that when her father,
who was a Reading Railway signalman,
returned home from work yesterday
morning. an old argument about moving
from Bristol TO Philadelphia was re
sumed. This argument had distracted
the family for some time. Bartell was
tired and out of temper. According to
the girl, he sprang from the table in
the kitchen where he was eating his
breakfast. and exclaimed:
eve are not going to Philadelphia
and I am going to end this argument
right now
Says She Fired Shotgun
Mrs. Bartell was at the time in
another room. The girl said that she
feared her fathers intention was to
Kill her mother. and she picked up Il
shotgun and fired Bartell's back was
turned to his daughter at the time, and
the shot entered his back.
Miss BartCll, after repeating that she
had not thought of killing her father,
declared that he had been cruel and
brutal to her for long time and had
often knocked nor down.
She is being held in tho House of
Detention until Coroner Rue completes
his investigation. The inquest will be
held on Monday.
Only One Witness
The only witness of the shooting was
three year old child, who was toe
terrified to tell what she saw.
1T is not true that the girl asserted
that the Lord told me to do this, y
said Coroner Rue today. "She is q
normal, sensible girl and would make
no such foolish explanation. The CIR
and her mother have for a long time
| been anxious to move to Philadelphia
"Thcre was constant quarreling over
| this in the house, as Bartell was de-
| termined to remain here. He was q
hunter and liked the life here. We
did not know him very we'll. as he hat
been in Bristol only two or three years
| Outside of his home, he was consid
cred a good fellow He seemed TO bt
pleasant and iovial. But in his home
he was n different man. if what I an
told is true. This is the part of thu
story l am investigating. 1t seems al
present that there may have been some
justification for the killing of the mar
by his daughter.
Says There Was No Threat
$50 far as I know, the girl had never
| threatened to kill her father Mrs. Bar
tell did not know of her daughter
intention. She was not present wher
the shooting took place. She had gone
upstairs to attend to some duty, leav
ing Bartell sitting in the kitchen. The
girl quietly armed herself and entered
the room. The sound of the shot was
,1rs. Bartell's first warning of the
tragedy. She ran back to the kitchen
and found her husband lying upon the
| floor"
"The girl admitted she had killed her
father, but she did not say that the
Lord told her to do it. The family had
quarreed almost daily over the matter
of moving to Philadelphia. I under
stand that the quarrel was resumed yes
terday morning when Bartell returned
from work and sat down to eat his
breakfast. 1t is probable that the girl
defense will be that she suffered abuse
| from her father. But L have not yet
heard the whole story