The name of the town is misspelled in many newspaper reports. The flowing is the correct spelling: Dannebrog is a village in Howard County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Grand Island, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 303 at the 2010 census. The first settlement at Dannebrog was made in 1871 by a colony of Danes from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The name Dannebrog is the Danish title for the flag of Denmark. [Wikipedia]
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FULL TEXT (Article 1 of 2): St. Paul, Neb., April 20. – Mrs. Della Sorensen, 28, who yesterday confessed the killing by poison of seven persons, including two of her own children and her husband, probably will never be tried on charge of murder.
County Attorney Dobrey announced last night that an investigation had shown that Mrs. Sorensen was mentally unbalanced and that she would be placed in the State Insane Asylum. If she should be released from the institution "within two or three years" the attorney said, the murder charges could be revived.
The investigation into the series which led to Mrs. Sorensen's arrest Saturday and subsequently her confession, was started three weeks ago following the serious illness of two small children whom Mrs. Sorensen is alleged to have given some poisoned cookies.
In her signed confession yesterday, Mrs. Sorensen related how she had killed two of her own children, a baby, Delores, and her three-year old daughter, Minnie; the former because her "crying and fretting" irritated her, and the latter because she was ill with St. Vitus dance and "I could do nothing for her."
Her husband, Joseph Weldam, she said, she poisoned after a quarrel.
Mrs. E. Wilhelmina Weldam, Mrs. Sorensen's aged mother-in-law, died of poison given by the accused woman, according to her confession, in the summer of 1920, because "she was feeble and childish and a burden. I wanted to get her out of the way."
Two children of Mrs. Wetzel Cooper, Mrs. Sorensen’s sister-in-law were slain because, Mrs. Sorensen said, she had offended their aunt by “gossiping about her.” The first of these, a little girl, was killed in July, 1918. The second, a four months old baby, was put to death in August, 1922.
“Every time I gave poison to one of Mrs. Cooper’s children, I said to myself, “Now I’m going to get even with you (Mrs. Cooper) for what you have said about me,” the confession said.
On the 20th of February, 1923, came the last of the slayings attributed to Mrs. Sorenson. This was the death of Ruth, baby daughter of Mrs. Christina Brock, whom Mrs. Sorenson confessed she had poisoned “because I felt sorry for the poor child, because its mother did not care for it.
“After the death of my little daughter, Minnie,” the poison slayer said. “I had a feeling of elation and happiness. Then, after I got to thinking about what I had done, I was afraid and tried to hide it. I had the same feeling after the death of every one of those I poisoned.”
[“Gave Poison To Children And Husband - Nebraska Mother Admits Long List of Crimes to Police Following Arrest - Killed Mother-In-Law Slayer Mentally Unbalanced and Will Be Sent to State Asylum,” syndicated (AP), The Bismark Tribune (N.D.), Apr. 20, 1925, p. 1]
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FULL TEXT: Omaha, Nebr., April 29. – “They bothered me, so I decided to kill them.”
This
is the only explanation Mrs. Emmanuel [Della] Sorenson has offered
authorities regarding the eight murders she admits committing.
Mrs.
Sorenson, a dull, commonplace woman, is 25 years old. Her home is a
bleak, frame dwelling in Danneborg, Nebr. in this house she killed all
of her victims, using poison.
The persons she murdered were all her relatives, through blood or marriage, and three were her own children.
It
is Nebraska’s most sensational murder case in many years. It closely
parallels the case of Mrs. David Cunningham, who is being held in
Chicago for the murder of her husband and five children.
Both used poison. The crimes of both were committed at intervals and escaped detection for a long time.
Mrs. Sorenson’s first victim was little Viola Cooper, daughter of her first husband’s sister. The baby died July 23, 1918.
Her
first husband, John Weldman, was her next victim. He passed away of
poison in 1920. John Weldman’s mother. Mrs. Wilhelmina Weldman, died a
short time later from the same cause.
Mrs. Sorenson’s other victims, in the order of their deaths, were:
Minnie Weldman, 8, daughter. She died September 7, 1921.
Clifford Cooper, 4 months old, infant brother of Viola Cooper. August 20, 1932.
Ruth Brock, less than a year old, daughter of a relative. February 20, 1923.
Delores Sorenson, one year, daughter of her second marriage. February 19, 1924.
Another child, an unnamed infant, sometime in 1924.
[“Woman
Remorseless After Taking Eight Relatives’ Lives by Poison,” syndicated
(Central Press), The Sioux City Journal (Io.), Apr. 28, 1925, p. 2]
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Also see: “Three Women Who Admit to Poisoning 29 Persons” a 1925 article which discusses three female serial killer cases (including this one) ongoing at the same moment.
Note: Some sources spell the name "Sorensen."
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►Selected quotations of Della
Sorenson:
“We
[Della and husband, Joe] had a quarrel, a bad quarrel, one day. I had it in for
him. After he died and I came to, I was sorry for what I had done and wished I
had never done it.” [Michael Newman, Bad Girls Do It!: An Encyclopedia of
Female Murderers, Loompanics Ltd., 1993, p. 159]
“I
had feelings which would steal over me at times forcing me to destroy and kill.
I felt funny and happy. I like to attend funerals.”
“Mrs.
Cooper was always running down my reputation and to get even with her, I
decided to kill three of her children.” [Michael Newman, Bad Girls Do It!: An
Encyclopedia of Female Murderers, Loompanics Ltd., 1993, p. 160]
“I put strychnine in some chocolate candy and gave it to the Knott
children because their father stole my wine and I felt like I wanted to
get even with him.” (signed confession) [“Killer of Seven Sent to
Asylum,” The Lincoln Star (Nebraska), April 20, 1925, pages 1 – 2]
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Also see: “Three Women Who Admit to Poisoning 29 Persons” a 1925 article which discusses three female serial killer cases (including this one) ongoing at the same moment.
Note: Some sources spell the name "Sorensen."
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NOTE: “Female serial killers are rare” is a false stereotype
that was invented in the late 20 the century. This faulty claim
based on the fact that, due to prejudice and chivalry, criminologists have
traditionally avoided looking at female styles of criminality seriously and
thus fail to put devote adequate resources to research the topic. The
introduction of fallacious Marxian theories in the post-1960s period has
exacerbated this state of affairs by
fostering outright distortions and censorship in the study of female
violence among scholars.
SEE: “Three women Who Admit Poisoning 29 Persons,”
syndicated, Lock Haven Express (Pa.), May 1, 1925, p. 2
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9
Victims, 2 survived:
Jul.
23, 1918 – Viola Cooper, daughter of her first husband’s sister.
1920 – John Weldman, first husband, died.
Sept. 7, 1921 – Minnie Weldman, 8, daughter.
Aug.
20, 1923 – Clifford Cooper, 4 months old, infant brother of Viola Cooper.
Feb.
20, 1923 – Ruth Brock, less than a year old, daughter of a relative, died.
Feb.
19, 1924 – Delores Sorenson, one year, daughter of her second marriage, died
1924 – Another child, an unnamed infant, died.
Lillian Knott, poisoned but saved by a physician.
Bessie Cooper, sister of Viola, poisoned but recovered.
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[7128-12/11/20]
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Does anyone know where in Dannebrog this house is? Does it still stand?
ReplyDeleteDoes the Della Sorenson home still stand?
ReplyDeleteThe house is no longer there.
Delete