Knife Thrusts in Two Loving Hearts

KNIFE THRUSTS IN TWO LOVING HEARTS Jealous Husband Kills Wife and Child and Then Cuts His Throat ANOTHER CHILD ESCAPED Policeman's Desperate Struggle With the Murderer, Who Still Lives STABBED WHILE ASLEEP Wife Fled, But Fell Dead With Murdered Child in Her Arms—Neighbors' Timely Aid There was a triple tragedy in Camden yesterday that in some respects was more horrible than the Zane-Shaw murders of a year and a half ago. In a two-story frame dwelling at 926 Jefferson avenue, early yesterday morning, Edward Oswald, 30 years old, fatally stabbed his wife and 6-year-old daughter, Gussie, and then cut his own throat. Another daughter, Edna, aged 9 years, was saved from a like fate by a neighbor. The murderer is in Cooper Hospital and will probably recover to answer in court for his crime. The details of the tragedy are blood curdling. It was nearly 3 o'clock yesterday morning when John Williams, a young colored man, living at 960 Jefferson avenue, adjoining the Oswald home, was aroused by hearing a woman shouting, "Help! Murder!" Williams looked out and saw Mrs. Oswald leaning from a second story window. Blood was streaming from a wound in her breast. While she was leaning out crying for help Williams saw her husband bend over her and plunge a knife into her neck. Only stopping long enough to slip on a pair of trousers Williams rushed to the rescue of the helpless woman. He burst open the front door of the Oswald house in time to save Edna, the 9-year-old daughter, who was fleeing along the hallway with her father in close pursuit. An ugly-looking knife with the life blood of his wife and other daughter dripping from the point, was clutched in Oswald's right hand. "Oh, save me!" appealed the child as she rushed into Williams' arms. "Papa has killed mamma and Gussie," she cried. The murderer reached out his blood-stained hand and clutched the child's dress, but Williams clasped the little one in his arms and ran with her to Ninth street and Ferry avenue, where he found Policeman Batten. He told the officer what had happened and together they hastened back to the scene of the tragedy, while the child was taken care of by neighbors. A Ghastly Sight A ghastly sight met their eyes when they reached the house. Mrs. Oswald had picked up her daughter, Gussie, and staggered from the house with the little girl in her arms. As she came out of the front door her sister-in-law, Mrs. Isabella Rosevelt, of 2006 South Tenth street, arrived on the scene. Mrs. Oswald, with blood gushing from several wounds, fell into Mrs. Rosevelt's arms. Her clothing and her child's night dress were soaked with blood. The little one had already expired and the mother fell with the lifeless body in her arms and died. Mrs. Rosevelt was bending over the bodies on the front step as Williams and Officer Batten arrived. She accompanied the two men in a search for Oswald. After looking through the lower part of the house the trio proceeded upstairs. Under the bed in the second story front room where Oswald had made the murderous attack on his wife, he was found in hiding. Mrs. Rosevelt first saw him, with the bloody carving knife clutched in his hand. A gash across his throat extending almost from ear to ear showed that he had attempted to end his own life. Struggle With the Murderer Oswald was pulled from beneath the bed and taken down stairs. He offered no resistance until he reached the first floor and learned that both his wife and daughter were dead. Then he turned on Policeman Batten and fought like a tiger. Although weak from loss of blood, he seemed possessed of superhuman strength. Grasping a heavy oak chair he swung it high in the air to bring it down upon the officer's head. Mrs. Rosevelt gave Oswald a shove against a window that sent the glass crashing into the street and caused him to drop the chair. Policeman Batten struck the murderer on the head with his baton and then threw him to the floor. With the assistance of several of the neighbors the officer succeeded in keeping Oswald down until the arrival of a patrol wagon. The prisoner struggled desperately and tore the carpet from the floor with his teeth. The floor and walls of the room were spattered with blood from the wound in his throat while he was fighting his captors. When Police Captain Stanley, who had been notified of the tragedy, reached the scene he ordered the bodies of the victims removed to the home of Mrs. Oswald's brother, Charles Rosevelt, at 2006 South Tenth street. Coroner Bushey was summoned. Mrs. Oswald was a very pretty woman and jealousy is said to have prompted her husband to kill her. Oswald was an employe of the S. S. White Dental Company, of Philadelphia, and on Friday last was laid off from work. Since then he has been morose and had several quarrels with his wife. He had his children out picking flowers yesterday and it was noticed that he acted strangely. It is thought that he planned the murder of the entire family at that time and waited for them to get to sleep to carry his fiendish purpose into execution. Stabbed While She Slept All the family slept in the second story front room. Oswald and his wife occupied one bed and their two little girls slept in an adjoining bed. About 3 o'clock Oswald arose stealthily and satisfying himself that all were asleep, he armed himself with a long double-edged knife which he had made for his murderous purpose. Without a word of warning he plunged the knife deep into his wife's left breast, cutting into her heart. Oswald withdrew the keen-edged knife and next thrust it into the breast of his youngest daughter, Gussie. The blow was fatal, as the knife entered her heart. She expired almost instantly. Little Edna, who lay beside her sister, was aroused by the struggles of her mother and saw the death blow dealt to her sister. She quickly realized that she would probably be the next victim and had sufficient presence of mind to try and escape. Her father had raised the knife dripping with the blood of two innocent victims above her ready for the fatal plunge when she slipped out of bed on the floor. Crawling on her hands and knees beneath both beds she managed to reach the stairway. Determined to complete his horrible crime the father pursued her with relentless fate. With a mother's love supplanting the instinct of self-preservation, Mrs. Oswald went to the rescue of Edna. She grappled with her husband and in the struggle he stabbed her in the right breast and cut her on the head. She then picked up little Gussie in her arms and leaning half out the front window called for assistance. From the wound in her breast the life blood gushed down the side of the house and formed a pool on the sandy sidewalk beneath the window. Just as her cries had attracted the attention of John Williams, the next door neighbor, Oswald came up behind her and plunged the knife into her neck. He then continued the pursuit of his daughter, Edna, and had almost reached her when Williams burst open the door and came to the rescue. Mrs. Oswald, with the dead child in her arms, staggered from the house while her husband was chasing Williams down the street with Edna in his arms. The murderer then returned and attempted to end his own life by cutting his throat. Edna's Narrow Escape That Edna had a miraculous escape there is no doubt. On her right arm near the elbow is the full print of a bloody hand where her frenzied father clutched her as she was slipping from the bed to the floor. She managed to free his grasp, however, before he could plunge the knife into her. The knife with which the double murder was committed was made by Oswald himself at the dental establishment where he worked. It looks not unlike a butcher knife, but is much thicker and is sharpened on both edges like a dagger. The blade is about six inches long and an inch wide. The knife is now in possession of Chief of Police Foster. When Oswald was taken to Cooper Hospital he fought desperately to prevent the surgeons from dressing his injuries. It required four attendants to hold him while Dr. Weeks sewed the gash in his throat. Watching his opportunity after being taken to a ward he tried to open up the wound and succeeded in removing several of the stitches with his fingers. A policeman was then stationed at his bedside to keep close watch on him. The bed chamber in which the double murder was committed presents a horrible sight. It is a cozy room and the many little ornaments show that Mrs. Oswald was a tidy housewife and took much interest in her home. They are now bespattered with the blood of herself and child, which also saturated the bed clothing. A trail of blood shows Mrs. Oswald's progress down the stairs to the front of the house. A Morbid Crowd Crowds of morbidly curious people gathered about the house all day and examined the blood stains on the front step and sidewalk. The Oswald family had only lived in the house a few weeks, but they were well-known in the neighborhood, as they had resided on Ferry avenue for two years. They appeared to get along well together until Oswald got out of work last Friday. County Physician Jones and Coroner Bushey held an autopsy on the victims and found that the knife had penetrated the hearts of both Mrs. Oswald and her daughter. The doctors at Cooper Hospital say Oswald will recover unless pneumonia or blood poisoning sets in. Edna, the child that escaped, is being cared for by Mrs. Rosevelt.