Year: 1867

Shocking Exhibition Of Parental


Cruelty-Little Girl beaten to Death by


her Father.


The Chicago Tribune of Tuesday comes to us
with the story OF another chlld-whipplng case,
the whipping proving fatal. 1t saYs:-


Intelligence was on Sunday afternoon con-
yeNed to the Police Station to the effect tha'
little girl OF ten years, named Louisa Barkhaus,
a adaughter OF William BarKhaus, had died very
suddenly that morning, and was then lying at
the house No. 20e MORGAN street, on the corner
OF Fourth street. The Coroner at once pro-
ceeded TO the locality. He found living IN the
house Norwegian family, who, in ans "er 70
his inquiries, said that the body of the dead
child was lying in a bedroom on the ground
floor, which, with front room, they had suo-
rented to Barkhaus; that the father and mother
together. He and the Coroner went into the
hrst OF the two rooms. Leading back from TINS
was small room-so small that the bed
which stood within left scarce space enough tor
the opening OF the door, The ticking had been
folded up near the head of the bed, and resting
with the head and body upon it, lying dlago-
nally across the bed, on its face, lay the corpse
OF the DEAD child, In its night clothes. The
Dress being barred down from the shoulder, re-
vealed sight which might well cause the stout
est heart TO shudder with Unsurpassed horror.
The back was one mass of bloody welts and dis
colored bruises, while the garments were stained
with the blood which had been eXtravasated,
and lay thick and clotty upon the surface OF the
skin. Turning the body upon Its BACK, the
spectacle which met the gaze was yet more
dreadful. The neck bore plainly marks
as If violent hand had clutched 1t fast,
causing the blood to collect in blue and
purple spots, as under the prints OF a
mans fingers. The breast was discolored by X,
same welts of gore which mark ked the back, ahl
the abdomen was streaked with blue and pur-
pie, such as blows from a rawhide cause. The
expression OF the face of the dead child was
such as to indicate that she had died in all the
agony ofa death painful and violent in the eX.
half nNetnr Tanf
with vacancy, but full OF the expression of wild
terror and the dlrest agony. From the face all
color had vanished. The parents were gone no
one knew where. Before they had lett, how
ever, and guided, perhaps by the thought that
no inquiry would be instituted as to the death
of the child, a coffin had been procured and now
lay open and ready to receive the dead, in
the outer room. A beginning had also been
fastened about the neck was a clean
robe, strangely contrasting in its snowy
purity with the blood-stained and gore-clotted
garments which lay beneath it. The name OF
the party who rented these apartments to Bark
haus and his wife is Peterson. They said that
Barkhaus and his wife were Hollanders, who
had come TO this country last summer, and
whose knowledge of English was as yet very
defective. Barkhaus Is carpenter, and the
child was his only daughter. The child had
seemed to them to be very quiet and inoffen-
slve, and, withal, very bright. Yet for all this
Barkhaus, whom they represented to be man





child so severely that often her cries were
heard in the street. On Saturday morning. Mrs.
Peterson said Barkhaus was heard whipping
the girl. 1t was nine O'Clock. The door of her
door led into the room of the Barkhaus family.
She could hear very readily the sound of
the blows, the angry voice of the father, occa-
sionally joined by words from the mother, and
above all the sobbing of the child. She says
that the beating distressed her exceedingly
The child seemed to be in great agony, and the
father, from his voice, to be in a whirlwnd of
rage. Sne says the beating continued almost
uninterruptedly for nearly an hour, as it seemed
to her. Finally, she was unable to endure it
any further, and was on the point Of gong in to
speak to the parents OF the child, when she
reflected that. as she knew not German, nor
they her language or English, it would be use
less. She put on her things to go out for inter-
ference. when the blows and loud talking
ceased. and after a time the sobs of the child,
becoming fainter and fainter, died away.


The girl was seen no more that day by the
Petefsons, nor did they hear her voice. About
O'Clock on Sunday morning, however Mr..
Peterson says that he was awoke and soon heard
the voice of Barkhaus, the father, talking an
grily to the child. Shortly alter he heard the
other take the girl into the front room. This
was all. But about u O'Clock that morning an
acquaintance of the Barkhaus' came to Peterson
and told him that the girl was dead. On his
return he learned that Barkhaus and his wife
had lett the house. They returned this even
ing, however, and sleDt that night in the same
room 18th the dead child. Yesterday morning
they again went away, leaving the preparations
for their daughters burial partly completed.


AS soon as the Coroner had viewed the body
he at once sent off for an officer, who, reaching
the spot, was promptly detailed in search of
Barkhaus. An hours search sutficed to find
him at the house OF friend on CARPENTER street
He was taken into custody and lodged in q cell
in the West Division Station House.