FULL TEXT (Article 1 of 2): St. Louis, Nov. 18. – If the charges against Midwife [Henrietta] Bamberger are true, she is one of the greatest criminals in the history of the world. Sworn statements accuse her of killing no less than 300 women and infants during her career in St. Louis.
The grand jury has returned one indictment for murder and
four for manslaughter against her. her resort, on Chouteau avenue, was a
veritable charnel house, it is said, where unfortunate girls met death and
where infants were killed and then burned to destroy evidence of horrible
crimes. Sworn statements in support of these charges have been made by Lizzie
Rieger, Mary Haar And Katie Bleckinger, who reside now at 1829 South Tenth
street, but were formerly employed in
Mrs. Bamberger’s house. As a result of this testimony, Mrs. Bamberger has been
indicted for murder in the first degree on specific charges, and, besides,
there is an indictment pending against her for manslaughter in the first degree
and on three other charges.
The sworn statements of the three women charge that among
some of Mrs. Bamberger’s victims was Louisa Miller, whose body was found in the
Meramec river, near Luxembourg. The witnesses claim that Mrs. Baumberger packed
this girl’s body in a trunk, paid an expressman $50 to haul it away from her
house and with her own hands threw the trunk from the wagon into the Meramec
river from a bridge.
Lizzie Bessert disappeared in September, 1897, but her body
was never found. It is charged that it was buried in Mrs. Bainberger’s cellar.
A Bohemian woman, who lived near Ninth and Southard streets,
is said to have been disposed of in the same manner.
Miss Colekamp (or Kulkamp), a girl of Mexico, Mo., died in
March, 1894, and her death has never been explained.
Ida New, of Marino, Ill., died April 3, 1894, in the
Bamberger house.
A child of Mrs. Dugan, of Thirteenth street and Blair
avenue, also died there.
It is also charged that bogus certificates were secured to
bury some of the victims, that a fake doctor on South Broadway issued the
certificates for $50 in each case. The authorities worked up the present case
against Mrs. Baumberger as a result of the expose that 37-year-old Wilhelmena
Spoeri, of 3432 Illinois avenue, met death in the resort. Mrs. Baumberger and
John B. Texler, the young man in the case, were arrested at the same time, and
their trial comes up next Wednesday. These facts developed in the Spoeri
affair, enabled the authorities to dig up other alleged crimes. All of the
cases specified above are sworn to by the three young women mentioned.
[“Wholesale Murderess – St. Louis Midwife Charged With an
Awful List of Crimes. They May Aggregate Fully 300 – Children and Young Women
Killed In Her Resort – And Were Buried Secretly.” The Pittsburg Press (Pa.),
Nov. 19, 1899, p. 2]
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FULL
TEXT (Article 2 of 2): St. Louis, Mo., March 16. – The jury in the case of Mrs. Henrietta
Bamberger, the midwife, today returned a verdict of guilty of the charge of
manslaughter and fixed her punishment at five years in the penitentiary. It was
charged that she caused the death of Wilhelmina Spechir [or, Spoeri], a girl
who came to Mrs. Bamberger for relief.
[“Mrs.
Bamberger Gets Five Years.” The Witchita Daily Eagle (Ks.), Mar. 17, 1900, p.
8]
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