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TRAGEDY AT HIBERNIA.Mian It- Boot, at Child ol Ton, Killed toy Mhot Fired TixruugU a Window,The boarding bouse of John KasJs-kie, at Upper Hibernia, waB last Saturday night the scene of a tragedy which cost the life of a ten-year-old girl, daughter of Daniel Root, a laborer employed in one of .the Wharton mines at Hibernia The alleged murderer, a Polish mine laborer of the name of Frank Betsa, was arrested by Constable Henry R. Dobbins, of Rockaway, 'within an hour alter the comfnlsBion of the orlme ,and is now lodged in the conuty jail at Morristown.Betsa, who boarded with Kaaiskle, had been drinking on Saturday, and as a result had become very quarrelsome towards evening. Root, who IIvcb In .the same house with Kaslskle, each ocoupying one side of a double frame house, had gone into Kaslskle’^ side early in the evnlng, being followed soon after by his wife and little daughter Minnie. In Kaslskle's living room there*were present besides Kaslskle and his wife and four children-and Mr. and Mrs.. Root and their daughter, Joseph and Andrew Bonaka, George Malley and Frank Betsa, all of whom boarded with KaslBkie. Bet-sa was In an ugly mood and Root, who wanted to pacify him, asked him to sit by him on a bench. 'When Kasls-kie passed before.them Betsa scolded angrily, and Root took him upstairs and tried to get ‘him to go to bed. When Root came down Betsa followed him and Again began to mutter threats. Root thereupon again went upstairs With Best a and took hie, Bests'® shoes off, hoping that he would stay upstairs. Robt went down stairs and was again followed by Betsa, who carried his Bhoes In his hand. As he ■ was still in a quarrelsome humor it was decided to put him out, which the two Bonakas did, throwing his shoes after him. Kaslskle then locked the; door and when Betsa demanded admittance, at the Same time threatening KasiSkie with violence, thq latter _w©nt to the window anid'.called out to Betsa to go away and never come baok. Root told -Kaslskle to let him alone.? and hardly had the words left bte mVuth when a pistol shot was. fired through the up» per sash of the. window from without. ;Root cried' out, For God's Bake,, dodge; he’s shooting through the window.'* He threw himself prone on the floor and ,Just as hie wife and daughr ter ^were In9 the act of following, his example atiotherdhot Was fired through the loWer sash and the bullet struck Root’s daughter In the forehead, whence It passed' thyough, the brain and found dodgment in the back of the skull.. The iniured girl was carried into the other side of, the, .house, where'she was.attended by Dr. Robert K. Lumsden, ,ot Hibernia, -and Dr. George H. Foster, of Rockaway, who had been /hastily summoned. They found her in a state of collapse and unconscious. Both physicians stayed until a late, hour but could do nothing and jat five o'clock Sunday morning the child died. ../* : V ; ■Meanwhile word of the tragedy had been telephoned to Rockaway, Dover and Other places and Constable Dob-' bins/who /had/been apprised Of the shooting by. Supt. Augustus Munson by 'phone, started out to And .Betsa, In the vicinity of Perkins row, in the borough of Rookaway,• h« saw a man going , la the direction of the depot. On being accoBted^by Dobbins the man f ailed,tofflveagood acoount of'-himselfand bo wks taken .Into custody: This whs about 9 o’clock; Dobbins first iOok ' his prisoner to the borne , of Mike , Partil, a- Hungarian, where he triad to get,; his prisoner to talk,, .but the man seemed unable or unwill-. lng? to give any. coherent; reply. He tallied* however, with .thb .description of Betsa, as given over the 'phone by Supt.; Munson, and_ pobb'lns took him ;to the lockuprih the/borough hall and then: telephoned to Sheriff Ryerspri- a ■tory^bf what hadV AbOutv 8 hours later Root:: appeared atthe borough lookup, accompanied , by Supt ^Munson, both ol whom,-identified i the prisoner rTfi« - Betsa. Sheriff Ryerson/ and Jail. Keeper Orr reached Rockaway- a little, later'and Orr and Dobbins v. drove -to Morristown . wltK Betsa,.Sheriff-Ryerson' making the return . trip !;lh , another rig. . - lt;Coroner Surnburger . oh . Sunday-impanelled. a Jury couponed of J.1 W, Young, foremen; Isaac Habce, William McDavit. William Wufhv Brhet Goodr el 1 and Joseph:Parker. The jUry- Viewed the body ‘ on * Monday,whereupon' the Inquest was adjourned till yesterday, when It was resumed in the engine-house In this town; the coroner being Assisted by.-' County Prosecutor Charles .Rathbun, while the • interests bMBetsa 'were looked after by Lawyers John Mills arid David Barkman..Drs. Liumdsen and Foster described the course of the fatal bullet and, gave It-, as': their ‘ bp in Ion fhat the'child’s death had/been caused by. the pistol shot; wound.;*: Mr;„ Root,;: deeply ^affected, told the Jury' of the * occurrences-which led up to the shooting substantially; as.^ has been told In the foregoing. -V• .Constable Doblns told the-story* of, Betsa’s; capture, .to which,Dobbins said,Betsa,had submitted without protest. No o the r- wit nesses were heard and the Jury brought, in; a verdlot ufax- these words:;: •• ; “ ; . ■* .* V1 “We have agreed that Minnie- Root was - klllefl • or... died- from a bullet1 wound in, the head, shot through a• window by one Frank; Betsa .to, the1 beat of our-knowledge and belief. '■
Newspaper Details
Dover Iron Era
Dover, New Jersey, US
Fri, Dec 11, 1903
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Sam M.
USA 24 Mar 2025
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