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Story
August 21, 1911
The Alaska Citizen
Fairbanks, Alaska
What is this article about?
In Gridley, California, on July 3, stepmother Emma Rumbel and stepbrother Arthur Lewis allegedly beat 14-year-old Helen Rumbel to death for failing to milk a cow, tying her in the attic; inquest disproves suicide claim, leading to murder charges amid public outrage.
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STEPMOTHER TIES GIRL AND BEATS HER TO DEATH
CHICO, Cal., July 3.—Helen Rumbel, 14 years old, beaten for neglecting a task, is dead in her home near Gridley.
Mrs. Emma Rumbel, her stepmother, and Arthur Lewis, her stepbrother, are held by a coroner's jury to answer to the charge of murder and have been taken to the county jail at Oroville for safety. The countryside is half crazed with rage.
Lewis and Mrs. Rumbel reported that the girl had committed suicide. An inquest developed that the girl's body was a mass of bruises, and that her face in death remained black from the choking she had received.
Mrs. Rumbel then told what is believed to be a correct version of the affair. Helen, she said, should have milked three cows, but milked only two. For this, said her stepmother, she was beaten and strapped to the floor in the attic, where she fainted.
Mrs. Rumbel explained that she made several trips to the attic, throwing cold water on the girl to restore her to consciousness, and that on her final trip she found the girl dead.
It was testified that young Lewis, acting under orders, bound the girl to the attic floor and tied her hands.
After conferring with counsel, Mrs. Rumbel expressed the belief that the girl broke her own neck in frantic struggles to free herself from a two by four inch scantling to which she had been bound. She asserted that the punishment was necessary because of what she termed Helen's stubbornness, but admitted that she had overestimated the endurance of the child.
When she became convinced that the girl was dead she untied the ropes and summoned a physician, who testified that she told him the case was one of suicide, and that she had cut the girl down.
A medical examination showed that the victim had lived several hours after the flogging. Her torso was a mass of welts, her head was striped with flesh scars, and torn flesh on her legs showed where strap buckles had cut into them.
Bail for Mrs. Rumbel and Lewis was refused by District Attorney Jones.
The child's father died two months ago.
CHICO, Cal., July 3.—Helen Rumbel, 14 years old, beaten for neglecting a task, is dead in her home near Gridley.
Mrs. Emma Rumbel, her stepmother, and Arthur Lewis, her stepbrother, are held by a coroner's jury to answer to the charge of murder and have been taken to the county jail at Oroville for safety. The countryside is half crazed with rage.
Lewis and Mrs. Rumbel reported that the girl had committed suicide. An inquest developed that the girl's body was a mass of bruises, and that her face in death remained black from the choking she had received.
Mrs. Rumbel then told what is believed to be a correct version of the affair. Helen, she said, should have milked three cows, but milked only two. For this, said her stepmother, she was beaten and strapped to the floor in the attic, where she fainted.
Mrs. Rumbel explained that she made several trips to the attic, throwing cold water on the girl to restore her to consciousness, and that on her final trip she found the girl dead.
It was testified that young Lewis, acting under orders, bound the girl to the attic floor and tied her hands.
After conferring with counsel, Mrs. Rumbel expressed the belief that the girl broke her own neck in frantic struggles to free herself from a two by four inch scantling to which she had been bound. She asserted that the punishment was necessary because of what she termed Helen's stubbornness, but admitted that she had overestimated the endurance of the child.
When she became convinced that the girl was dead she untied the ropes and summoned a physician, who testified that she told him the case was one of suicide, and that she had cut the girl down.
A medical examination showed that the victim had lived several hours after the flogging. Her torso was a mass of welts, her head was striped with flesh scars, and torn flesh on her legs showed where strap buckles had cut into them.
Bail for Mrs. Rumbel and Lewis was refused by District Attorney Jones.
The child's father died two months ago.
What sub-type of article is it?
Crime Story
Tragedy
Family Drama
What themes does it cover?
Crime Punishment
Tragedy
Family
What keywords are associated?
Child Abuse
Murder
Stepmother Beating
Coroner Inquest
Family Violence
What entities or persons were involved?
Helen Rumbel
Mrs. Emma Rumbel
Arthur Lewis
Where did it happen?
Near Gridley, California
Story Details
Key Persons
Helen Rumbel
Mrs. Emma Rumbel
Arthur Lewis
Location
Near Gridley, California
Event Date
July 3
Story Details
Stepmother Mrs. Emma Rumbel and stepbrother Arthur Lewis beat 14-year-old Helen Rumbel to death for neglecting to milk a cow, tying her to the attic floor; they initially claimed suicide but inquest revealed abuse; held for murder.