Let's see. You stab to death five people, but it's just manslaughter? What the hell? If you read carefully, this was standard "avenging" slaughter by a father who felt "abandoned" by his wife's plan to leave him.
Once again, the judidicary goes easy on a daddy killer who "only" killed his own family, at least for the most part.
The Killer Dad is identified as DAMIAN RZESZOWSKI.
http://www.citytalk.fm/news/uk-and-world/20120824-father-guilty-of-manslaughter-of-family/
Jersey Father Guilty Of Family's Manslaughter
Posted on 8/24/2012
A father who repeatedly stabbed his young children to death along with their mother, another child and two other people has been found guilty of their manslaughter.
Damian Rzeszowski, 31, used two kitchen knives in a series of unprovoked and brutal attacks to kill his wife Izabela Rzeszowska, 30, their daughter Kinga, five, and their son Kacper, two, at the family home in St Helier, Jersey, on August 14, 2011.
He also killed his father-in-law Marek Garstka, 56, his wife's friend, Marta De La Haye, 34, and her five-year-old daughter Julia. T
The Polish national claimed that at the time he was suffering from an "abnormality of the mind" and was experiencing psychotic auditory hallucinations.
Defence advocate Julian Gollop had argued Rzeszowski's actions were "substantially impaired" by his severe depression which was causing "psychiatric symptoms".
Mr Gollop told the court that therefore Rzeszowski was not a murderer, but should be found guilty, instead, of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
During his two-week trial at The Royal Court in St Helier it emerged that the builder had been upset by the breakdown of his marriage, in particular his wife's recent confession of infidelity.
Solicitor General Howard Sharp QC, for the prosecution, said Rzeszowski "could not face the prospect of a failed marriage" and took the view that "if the family cannot go on as it is it better not go on at all".
Wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, Rzeszowski showed no emotion in the dock as the presiding judge, Sir Michael Birt, read out the verdicts that two jurats - similar to magistrates in the UK - had reached.
Throughout the trial, the defendant had constantly stared down at the floor, not looking up at any time.
The husband of Marta and father of Julia released a statement after the verdict.
Craig De La Haye said: "My life, and the lives of many families, have been devastated. Every day is a struggle to continue, and yet it still feels like yesterday that it happened.
"My beautiful wife Marta and wonderful daughter Julia, friends Kinga, Kacper, Isa and Marek, you will never be forgotten.
"Not a day goes past when I donâ t think about my family. I hope that one day I will see you again, until thenâ ¦ I love you."
Speaking outside the court, Detective Superintendent Stewart Gull said: "Today is not a day for vindication or celebration, but sad reflection.
"The events of August 14 2011 have left a very sad, indelible mark on Jerseyâ s history."
Judge Birt, who is the Bailiff of Jersey, said Rzeszowski would be sentenced on October 29.
Showing posts with label Poland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poland. Show all posts
Friday, August 24, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Dad stabbed kids 29 times before killing their mother (United Kingdom)
The killer dad is DAMIAN RZESZOWSKI.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2187699/Father-killed-people-including-wife-children-face-marriage-break-up.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Father 'stabbed his children 29 times before killing wife and three others because his marriage was falling apart'
Damian Rzeszowski killed wife, his two children, his wife's father, his wife's friend and her daughter in brutal knife attack
Stabbed father-in-law up to nine times, son 13 times and daughter 16 times
Stabbed wife inside house before chasing her outside and stabbing her again in front of horrified neighbours
Pleaded guilty to manslaughter through diminished responsibility in April but pleas rejected by Crown
Crown argues Rzeszowski was of sound mind when he carried out killings
Marital problems at heart of killings; Mrs Rzeszowska admitted two-month affair and threatened to commit suicide
Rzeszowski had one-night stand, took overdose of pills and slept with prostitute while on family holiday in Poland
Rzeszowski remanded in Broadmoor Hospital since arrest
By Amy Oliver
PUBLISHED: 08:33 EST, 13 August 2012 | UPDATED: 10:37 EST, 13 August 2012
A father stabbed six people including his wife and two young children more than 40 times because he could not face the break-up of his marriage, a court heard today.
Damian Rzeszowski stabbed two-year-old son Kacper a total of 13 times and his daughter, Kinga, five, 16 times, the court heard.
Before the children were attacked at the family home in St Helier, Jersey, Rzeszowski had set upon his father-in-law Marek Garstka, 56, stabbing him a total of nine times with such force that his spinal cord was severed and a knife lodged in his body.
Solicitor General Howard Sharp, for the prosecution said Kacper, who had probably been playing with a toy car at the time, was 'stabbed a on two separate occasions with two different kitchen knives'.
His older sister ended up on the floor of the lounge, not far from her brother.
Mr Sharp added that blood patterns around Mr Garstka's body suggested he had also been attacked on two separate occasions with two different knives.
Kinga's friend, Julia De La Haye, was also stabbed 16 times, suffering seven wounds to her chest and a further nine to her back in the course of two different attacks.
Mr Sharp said Rzeszowski then attacked his wife, Izabela in the two-bedroom flat's lounge or hallway, but she was able to move and run through the flat and out into a courtyard.
She then climbed in through the bathroom window and made a 'desperate attempt' to call the police using her father's mobile phone.
'The number she dialled was 997, which is the Polish emergency services' number,' Mr Sharp said.
Her friend, Marta De La Haye, also tried to exit the flat, and although the prosecution could not say exactly where she was attacked, her DNA was found on the front door.
'You might think she was unable to leave immediately or chose not to,' Mr Sharp told the judge and the jurats.
'She staggered out into the street and collapsed in front of some scaffolding outside the flat next door.'
Mrs Rzeszowska also made it out into the street but was chased by her husband and stabbed again in full view of local residents.
Neighbours tried to intervene and Rzeszowski started stabbing himself as he went back inside the flat.
He slumped to the ground with a collapsed lung near where he had attacked his father-in-law.
Mr Sharp described Rzeszowski, who worked as a builder before his arrest, as a 'pressure cooker who lacks a safety valve'.
'He has difficulties controlling his emotions and communicating his frustrations and worries,' the Solicitor General said.
'He has a history of violence and has been involved in somewhere between five to 10 fights since he moved to Jersey in 2005.
'We will invite you to conclude that the defendant has violence in his character.'
On the day the killings took place Rzeszowski had drunk 180ml of whisky and Mr Sharp said he had described himself as a 'happy drunk' at times and a 'violent drunk' on others.
But Mr Sharp said witnesses who knew the defendant had also described him as a 'hard-working man' and a 'loving father who provided for his family'.
'This is the case of a man who cannot face the prospect of marriage failure and decides that if the family cannot go on as it is, it must not go on at all,' he added.
Rzeszowski pleaded guilty to manslaughter through diminished responsibility in April, but the manslaughter pleas were not accepted by the Crown, which argues the defendant was not suffering an 'abnormality of the mind' when the attacks took place.
The Royal Court in St Helier heard that Rzeszowski’s rampage took place against a backdrop of increasing marital difficulties between himself and his wife.
Solicitor General Howard Sharp, for the prosecution, told the presiding judge Sir Michael Birt and two jurats - similar to magistrates in mainland UK - who are judging the case: 'Until around June 2011 the defendant’s day-to-day behaviour was unremarkable, but things changed in June and July. 'What was the cause of that change? The answer is to be found in the state of the defendant’s marriage. Extended family: Mrs Rzeszowska's fatjer Marek Garstka, 56, was Rzeszowski's first victim and was stabbed a total of nine times 'It had been in difficulties before the incident happened, but by this time it was under great strain.'
Mr Sharp explained that during this period Mrs Rzeszowska admitted to her husband that she had been having a two-month affair with another man and she threatened to commit suicide.
After learning of his wife’s infidelity, Rzeszowski started going out drinking and had a one-night stand, before taking an overdose of pills on July 19.
In an attempt to save their marriage, the couple decided to travel to Poland to visit their families.
'However, the problems remained and the defendant visited a prostitute while he was in Poland,' Mr Sharp said.
The knife attack took place in the couple’s home in St Helier, on the day they returned from their holiday.
'The state of their marriage was a determining factor in the defendant’s behaviour in June and July last year,' Mr Sharp said.
Rzeszowski, who it can now be reported has been remanded in Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire since his arrest, listened with his head bowed and eyes closed as he heard Mr Sharp describe the killings.
Wearing a light blue T-shirt, he appeared to have gained weight compared with pictures taken before the incident took place.
Mr Sharp told the court that after the family returned from their holiday in Poland on the morning of August 14, Mrs Rzeszowska and her father left the flat to go and fetch Mrs De La Haye and her daughter so they could all have a barbecue together.
When they returned, they found that Rzeszowski had gone out and left the children by themselves, although Mr Sharp said the defendant could not recall why he left or how long he was away for.
'When he got back, Marta and her daughter had arrived,' Mr Sharp said.
'His wife remonstrated with him about leaving two young children on their own, and from this point on he says he had an apparent black-out.'
Mr Sharp said the argument 'probably' happened at 1pm or shortly thereafter and the killings started at around 2.45pm.
'We know for sure that 999 calls made at 2.58pm and 3pm when several residents saw the defendant on the street with a knife, which happened at the very end (of the attack),' he said.
This lapse in time, Mr Sharp said, showed that the attacks had not been the product of a momentary loss of control.
He added: 'It's one thing for the defendant to say he lost his temper in the heat of the moment, it is quite another to say he had an hour and three-quarters to think about it.'
The case continues.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2187699/Father-killed-people-including-wife-children-face-marriage-break-up.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Father 'stabbed his children 29 times before killing wife and three others because his marriage was falling apart'
Damian Rzeszowski killed wife, his two children, his wife's father, his wife's friend and her daughter in brutal knife attack
Stabbed father-in-law up to nine times, son 13 times and daughter 16 times
Stabbed wife inside house before chasing her outside and stabbing her again in front of horrified neighbours
Pleaded guilty to manslaughter through diminished responsibility in April but pleas rejected by Crown
Crown argues Rzeszowski was of sound mind when he carried out killings
Marital problems at heart of killings; Mrs Rzeszowska admitted two-month affair and threatened to commit suicide
Rzeszowski had one-night stand, took overdose of pills and slept with prostitute while on family holiday in Poland
Rzeszowski remanded in Broadmoor Hospital since arrest
By Amy Oliver
PUBLISHED: 08:33 EST, 13 August 2012 | UPDATED: 10:37 EST, 13 August 2012
A father stabbed six people including his wife and two young children more than 40 times because he could not face the break-up of his marriage, a court heard today.
Damian Rzeszowski stabbed two-year-old son Kacper a total of 13 times and his daughter, Kinga, five, 16 times, the court heard.
Before the children were attacked at the family home in St Helier, Jersey, Rzeszowski had set upon his father-in-law Marek Garstka, 56, stabbing him a total of nine times with such force that his spinal cord was severed and a knife lodged in his body.
Solicitor General Howard Sharp, for the prosecution said Kacper, who had probably been playing with a toy car at the time, was 'stabbed a on two separate occasions with two different kitchen knives'.
His older sister ended up on the floor of the lounge, not far from her brother.
Mr Sharp added that blood patterns around Mr Garstka's body suggested he had also been attacked on two separate occasions with two different knives.
Kinga's friend, Julia De La Haye, was also stabbed 16 times, suffering seven wounds to her chest and a further nine to her back in the course of two different attacks.
Mr Sharp said Rzeszowski then attacked his wife, Izabela in the two-bedroom flat's lounge or hallway, but she was able to move and run through the flat and out into a courtyard.
She then climbed in through the bathroom window and made a 'desperate attempt' to call the police using her father's mobile phone.
'The number she dialled was 997, which is the Polish emergency services' number,' Mr Sharp said.
Her friend, Marta De La Haye, also tried to exit the flat, and although the prosecution could not say exactly where she was attacked, her DNA was found on the front door.
'You might think she was unable to leave immediately or chose not to,' Mr Sharp told the judge and the jurats.
'She staggered out into the street and collapsed in front of some scaffolding outside the flat next door.'
Mrs Rzeszowska also made it out into the street but was chased by her husband and stabbed again in full view of local residents.
Neighbours tried to intervene and Rzeszowski started stabbing himself as he went back inside the flat.
He slumped to the ground with a collapsed lung near where he had attacked his father-in-law.
Mr Sharp described Rzeszowski, who worked as a builder before his arrest, as a 'pressure cooker who lacks a safety valve'.
'He has difficulties controlling his emotions and communicating his frustrations and worries,' the Solicitor General said.
'He has a history of violence and has been involved in somewhere between five to 10 fights since he moved to Jersey in 2005.
'We will invite you to conclude that the defendant has violence in his character.'
On the day the killings took place Rzeszowski had drunk 180ml of whisky and Mr Sharp said he had described himself as a 'happy drunk' at times and a 'violent drunk' on others.
But Mr Sharp said witnesses who knew the defendant had also described him as a 'hard-working man' and a 'loving father who provided for his family'.
'This is the case of a man who cannot face the prospect of marriage failure and decides that if the family cannot go on as it is, it must not go on at all,' he added.
Rzeszowski pleaded guilty to manslaughter through diminished responsibility in April, but the manslaughter pleas were not accepted by the Crown, which argues the defendant was not suffering an 'abnormality of the mind' when the attacks took place.
The Royal Court in St Helier heard that Rzeszowski’s rampage took place against a backdrop of increasing marital difficulties between himself and his wife.
Solicitor General Howard Sharp, for the prosecution, told the presiding judge Sir Michael Birt and two jurats - similar to magistrates in mainland UK - who are judging the case: 'Until around June 2011 the defendant’s day-to-day behaviour was unremarkable, but things changed in June and July. 'What was the cause of that change? The answer is to be found in the state of the defendant’s marriage. Extended family: Mrs Rzeszowska's fatjer Marek Garstka, 56, was Rzeszowski's first victim and was stabbed a total of nine times 'It had been in difficulties before the incident happened, but by this time it was under great strain.'
Mr Sharp explained that during this period Mrs Rzeszowska admitted to her husband that she had been having a two-month affair with another man and she threatened to commit suicide.
After learning of his wife’s infidelity, Rzeszowski started going out drinking and had a one-night stand, before taking an overdose of pills on July 19.
In an attempt to save their marriage, the couple decided to travel to Poland to visit their families.
'However, the problems remained and the defendant visited a prostitute while he was in Poland,' Mr Sharp said.
The knife attack took place in the couple’s home in St Helier, on the day they returned from their holiday.
'The state of their marriage was a determining factor in the defendant’s behaviour in June and July last year,' Mr Sharp said.
Rzeszowski, who it can now be reported has been remanded in Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire since his arrest, listened with his head bowed and eyes closed as he heard Mr Sharp describe the killings.
Wearing a light blue T-shirt, he appeared to have gained weight compared with pictures taken before the incident took place.
Mr Sharp told the court that after the family returned from their holiday in Poland on the morning of August 14, Mrs Rzeszowska and her father left the flat to go and fetch Mrs De La Haye and her daughter so they could all have a barbecue together.
When they returned, they found that Rzeszowski had gone out and left the children by themselves, although Mr Sharp said the defendant could not recall why he left or how long he was away for.
'When he got back, Marta and her daughter had arrived,' Mr Sharp said.
'His wife remonstrated with him about leaving two young children on their own, and from this point on he says he had an apparent black-out.'
Mr Sharp said the argument 'probably' happened at 1pm or shortly thereafter and the killings started at around 2.45pm.
'We know for sure that 999 calls made at 2.58pm and 3pm when several residents saw the defendant on the street with a knife, which happened at the very end (of the attack),' he said.
This lapse in time, Mr Sharp said, showed that the attacks had not been the product of a momentary loss of control.
He added: 'It's one thing for the defendant to say he lost his temper in the heat of the moment, it is quite another to say he had an hour and three-quarters to think about it.'
The case continues.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Dad remanded over stabbing deaths of two kids, their mom, three others (United Kingdom)
The dad is DAMIAN RZESZOWSKI.
http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16057595
Man Remanded Over Stabbing Deaths In Jersey
6:01pm UK, Friday August 26, 2011
A 30-year-old man has been remanded in custody in Jersey charged with the murders of six people, including his wife and children.
Damian Rzeszowski is alleged to have stabbed Izabela Rzeszowska, 30, and their children Kinga, five, and two-year-old Kacper.
He is also accused of killing his wife's father Marek Gartska, 56, and her friend Marta Dominika De La Haye, 34, and five-year-old daughter Julia Frances.
Detectives waited nearly two weeks to question Rzeszowski about the attacks which took place in St Helier on Sunday August 14.
He was treated in hospital immediately after the incident after reportedly stabbing himself in the chest.
Post-mortem examinations carried out on the six victims, who were Polish, confirmed they all died from stab wounds.
Rzeszowski will appear at Jersey's Royal Court again on October 28.
http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16057595
Man Remanded Over Stabbing Deaths In Jersey
6:01pm UK, Friday August 26, 2011
A 30-year-old man has been remanded in custody in Jersey charged with the murders of six people, including his wife and children.
Damian Rzeszowski is alleged to have stabbed Izabela Rzeszowska, 30, and their children Kinga, five, and two-year-old Kacper.
He is also accused of killing his wife's father Marek Gartska, 56, and her friend Marta Dominika De La Haye, 34, and five-year-old daughter Julia Frances.
Detectives waited nearly two weeks to question Rzeszowski about the attacks which took place in St Helier on Sunday August 14.
He was treated in hospital immediately after the incident after reportedly stabbing himself in the chest.
Post-mortem examinations carried out on the six victims, who were Polish, confirmed they all died from stab wounds.
Rzeszowski will appear at Jersey's Royal Court again on October 28.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Whatever happened to Chaim the little stowaway? (Ellis Island, New York - 1907)
I'm always interested by stories concerning abused children who manage to survive or even thrive, regardless of time or place. So ocassionally, I dip into the archives and look for an intriguing or illuminating historical case.
Just recently, I posted a story about little 12-year-old Chaim Kleinman (misspelled as "Chain" in the original article), who ran away from his violent father in Warsaw, Poland and succeeded in getting to New York City with nothing but 3 rubles in his pocket. He was hoping to find his mother, who somehow had managed to escape her abusive husband with just a few of the younger children (the two older boys, including Chaim, were left behind). This was in 1907! It was quite an amazing tale of derring-do, but I had to wonder: whatever happened to the little stowaway? Did the immigration authorities at Ellis Island send him back, even though Chaim feared that his father would kill him if he returned? Did he ever find his mother? Here's the original Dastardly Dads from the Archives posting:
Just recently, I posted a story about little 12-year-old Chaim Kleinman (misspelled as "Chain" in the original article), who ran away from his violent father in Warsaw, Poland and succeeded in getting to New York City with nothing but 3 rubles in his pocket. He was hoping to find his mother, who somehow had managed to escape her abusive husband with just a few of the younger children (the two older boys, including Chaim, were left behind). This was in 1907! It was quite an amazing tale of derring-do, but I had to wonder: whatever happened to the little stowaway? Did the immigration authorities at Ellis Island send him back, even though Chaim feared that his father would kill him if he returned? Did he ever find his mother? Here's the original Dastardly Dads from the Archives posting:
http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/dastardly-dads-from-archives-ellis.html
Well, Chaim's story struck a nerve with at least one reader, who decided to see if there was a resolution to this tale. So she searched a bit, and fortunately, she found that Chaim did indeed locate his mother, who, as you can imagine, was utterly thrilled to have her son back! Here's what she found:
From the New York Times, September 16, 1907
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9801EEDB1F30E233A25755C1A96F9C946697D6CF
WELCOME WAITS FOR THIS STOWAWAY
Little Russian's Mother and Brother and Sisters and Uncle are Found.
RAN AWAY FROM WARSAW
12-Year-Old Chaim Shlome Kleinman Beat His Way to Ellis Island and Will be Released To-day.
Chaim Shlome Kleinman is not to go back to Russia, as was thought very probable on Thursday, when the Barbarossa came into port with the 12-year-old boy a stowaway and no one to receive him. True, he knew that he had two uncles--Morris Jacobson and Max Weiss--here; that his mother, two brothers, and a sister were in New York, but he had no addresses. He left his father in a hurry one night in Warsaw, Poland, and didn't wait for special instructions.
Since Friday, when Chaim Shlome (he'll soon get another name) was put in the detention house on Ellis Island by the immigration authorities, he has been telling about his relatives here. Some did not believe that he had any, and almost all his listeners were quite sure that the thin little boy had mistaken their names.
But Jews who took an interest in his case advertised the two names given by Chaim Shlome in east side papers, and yesterday, one of of these papers heard from the very Max Weiss about whom the boy had told. He has a well-paying tailor's shop at 791 Ninth Avenue, near Fifty-third Street, and lives in the house above with his wife.
There, too, lives Chaim's mother, who had to leave her husband, Hirsh Kleinman, some three years ago, she said, because he was mean to her. She is a sister of Mrs. Weiss and also of the wife of the very Morris Jacobson whose name was given by the little stowaway, and lives at 438 Lenox Avenue.
Since coming here, Mrs. Kleinman, a pleasant-faced little woman, has been living with the Weiss's and working about as a trained nurse. When she fled from her husband, who operates a line of wagons in Warsaw, she left him Jacob, who was then 13, and Chaim, who was 9. She brought Raphael, then a baby, and Annie, who was then 11 years old.
Annie lives with Mrs. Jacobson. Some two months ago, Jacob came to this country, and was at once taken into the Weiss family. He is working in the shop at 791 Ninth Avenue. No one wrote to Chaim to come here. Though he had treated her cruelly, she said yesterday afternoon, Mrs. Kleinman thought that her husband ought to have one or two of the children with him. But when Chaim read the letters that were sent to Jacob telling of America, and though no money was provided for him, and though nobody had invited him to pay America a visit, he decided on his own hook to do it.
Mr. Weiss and Mrs. Kleinman rushed down yesterday morning to try to get Chaim out immediately, but they were told to come back to-day. And so this morning early they will be there--Mrs. Kleinman, Mrs. Weiss, Max Weiss, Mr. and Mrs. Jacobsson, and Raphael--to welcome the stout little stowaway. Jacob will not be there as he must tend the shop while Mr. Weiss goes. The golden-haired Annie will not be there, as she explained this way:
"Oh, I must go to school. Did you notice how I speak the English language? The school runs to-morrow, and I will--no, shall--not be in readiness to go see my brother. I must not go anywhere but to school, you know, except on Saturdays and Sundays. And I came running down to Mrs. Weiss's to-day, but he could not come. Now I shall see him after the school. That will be grand."
One reason immigration officials were doubtful about Chaim being able to carry out his often-expressed determination to come into this country in spite of all laws and office, was that even if some of the relatives of the lad should be located, they wouldn't be willing to take him on their hands. In that case he would have to be sent back. But Mr. Weiss means well by Chaim Shlome Kleinman: he will agree to care for him.
Mrs. Kleinman is very proud of Chaim Kleinman now; she is sure that a boy who could make his way from Warsaw to New York with a couple of rubles is a pretty good sort of person to bank on. She will send him to school after the holidays. But first of all she is going to have him tell all about his adventures while walking the twelve days from Warsaw to Cracow; how he got past the border guards; how he got to Bremen, and then how he got aboard the ship. There's a good time ahead for Chaim Shlome Kleinman at 791 Ninth Avenue; he is already a hero there.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
DASTARDLY DADS FROM THE ARCHIVES (Ellis Island, New York - 1907)
We haven't done an archive article in a while, so I thought it was time we sifted through the dust and found one.
Reading these articles from the past is always so poignant. I have to wonder: Did Chain, the little stowaway, ever find his mother in New York? Or did he get shipped back to Poland, where he feared being killed by his father, HIRSH KLEINMAN, for running away? Or did Chain get sent back and manage to survive--only to become one of the millions of Polish Jews slaughtered in the Holocaust 35 years later?
We see many contemporary stories like this one, too. But these days, the stories involve children from Latin American coming here to search for their mothers.
From the New York Times, September 14, 1907
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E05E6DC103EE033A25757C1A96F9C946697D6CF
LITTLE STOWAWAY FLED FROM RUSSIA
12-Year old Son of Cruel Father Escaped Across Frontier and Hid on Barbarosa.
SEEKING HIS MOTHER HERE
Will be Deported if Relatives Do Not Claim Him--Declares He Will Die if Returned Home
In the detention quarters at Ellis Island is a little lad, who with only two rubles in his pocket fled from his father's home in Poland, stole across the Russian frontier, stowed away on the steamship Barbarossa at Bremen, and come to this country in search of this mother. With her are the lad's brother and two sisters.
Unless some of the family appear, and in a few days, the little adventurer will be sent back to Bremen. His story as told by himself is known to every immigrant inspector at the Island, and they are sorry for the lad.
Chain Shlome Kleinman is the name of the stowaway, and he is 12 years old, but looks four years younger. His home was on the outskirts of Warsaw. His father, Hirsh Kleinman, was very harsh to the boy, he says. But the harshness dates only back to three years ago, when Chain's mother left home to seek her fortune in America. With her went Hannah, aged 11; Rachel, aged 4, and Jacob, aged 18. They came to New York, as subsequent letters to Hirsh Kleinman showed. But their address was not given.
When the mother and Chain's sisters and big brother left home there remained only his father and himself. It was very lonely for Chain. To be sure, there were his playmates, the neighbors' children, but they did not take the place of Rachel, Hannah, and Jacob.
To make matters worse Chain says his father decided that work was good for him, so he was put to work in a state mine. The pay was 3 rubles (about $1.50) a week, and this was drawn by his father. Sometimes he was allowed a few small coins. The work was hard. The hours were from 7 in the morning until 9 o'clock at night, with only a few minutes at noon to eat the scanty luncheon his father provided.
Chain's hands soon became cut and bruised by the sharp pieces of slate. But this was no excuse for him to quit work. There were no vacations.
Six weeks ago the child determined to run away. One night he crawled out his bedroom window and headed on foot for the frontier. Two rubles was all the money he had for the journey to America. He was determined to come here in search of his mother and his brother and sisters.
For many days the boy tramped the roads, sleeping at night in haystacks or in barns or wherever he could find a soft spot to lay his head. The frontier was finally reached. His passport was demanded. He had none, and was turned back by the official. But Chain had a ruble left. The other he spent in little dribblets for food. He crept back to the back frontier and offered it to one of the officials, he says. This was at Vitipsk. The lad was allowed to cross.
By begging Chain managed to reach Crakow, where he told his story to a family who were about to start to New York. They were touched by his tale, and agreed to take the lad to Bremen. When they reached there the Barbarossa was ready to set sail. Chain's new-found friends went on board. He attempted to follow, but was held up by one of the steamship officers.
"But my father is on board there, and I want to get to him!" said Chain to the officer. He was allowed to go aboard. Once there he hid in the steerage.
The vessel was five days out before Chain was discovered by one of the assistant pursers. He was taken before the Captain, and when New York was reached was turned over to immigration officials.
Chain says he will die if he is taken back to his old home. He fears his father would kill him from running away, he says. The little fellow's hands still show the effect of the work in the state mine. He says that he has an uncle, Morris Jacobson, and a cousin, Max Weiserman, somewhere in New York.
Reading these articles from the past is always so poignant. I have to wonder: Did Chain, the little stowaway, ever find his mother in New York? Or did he get shipped back to Poland, where he feared being killed by his father, HIRSH KLEINMAN, for running away? Or did Chain get sent back and manage to survive--only to become one of the millions of Polish Jews slaughtered in the Holocaust 35 years later?
We see many contemporary stories like this one, too. But these days, the stories involve children from Latin American coming here to search for their mothers.
From the New York Times, September 14, 1907
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E05E6DC103EE033A25757C1A96F9C946697D6CF
LITTLE STOWAWAY FLED FROM RUSSIA
12-Year old Son of Cruel Father Escaped Across Frontier and Hid on Barbarosa.
SEEKING HIS MOTHER HERE
Will be Deported if Relatives Do Not Claim Him--Declares He Will Die if Returned Home
In the detention quarters at Ellis Island is a little lad, who with only two rubles in his pocket fled from his father's home in Poland, stole across the Russian frontier, stowed away on the steamship Barbarossa at Bremen, and come to this country in search of this mother. With her are the lad's brother and two sisters.
Unless some of the family appear, and in a few days, the little adventurer will be sent back to Bremen. His story as told by himself is known to every immigrant inspector at the Island, and they are sorry for the lad.
Chain Shlome Kleinman is the name of the stowaway, and he is 12 years old, but looks four years younger. His home was on the outskirts of Warsaw. His father, Hirsh Kleinman, was very harsh to the boy, he says. But the harshness dates only back to three years ago, when Chain's mother left home to seek her fortune in America. With her went Hannah, aged 11; Rachel, aged 4, and Jacob, aged 18. They came to New York, as subsequent letters to Hirsh Kleinman showed. But their address was not given.
When the mother and Chain's sisters and big brother left home there remained only his father and himself. It was very lonely for Chain. To be sure, there were his playmates, the neighbors' children, but they did not take the place of Rachel, Hannah, and Jacob.
To make matters worse Chain says his father decided that work was good for him, so he was put to work in a state mine. The pay was 3 rubles (about $1.50) a week, and this was drawn by his father. Sometimes he was allowed a few small coins. The work was hard. The hours were from 7 in the morning until 9 o'clock at night, with only a few minutes at noon to eat the scanty luncheon his father provided.
Chain's hands soon became cut and bruised by the sharp pieces of slate. But this was no excuse for him to quit work. There were no vacations.
Six weeks ago the child determined to run away. One night he crawled out his bedroom window and headed on foot for the frontier. Two rubles was all the money he had for the journey to America. He was determined to come here in search of his mother and his brother and sisters.
For many days the boy tramped the roads, sleeping at night in haystacks or in barns or wherever he could find a soft spot to lay his head. The frontier was finally reached. His passport was demanded. He had none, and was turned back by the official. But Chain had a ruble left. The other he spent in little dribblets for food. He crept back to the back frontier and offered it to one of the officials, he says. This was at Vitipsk. The lad was allowed to cross.
By begging Chain managed to reach Crakow, where he told his story to a family who were about to start to New York. They were touched by his tale, and agreed to take the lad to Bremen. When they reached there the Barbarossa was ready to set sail. Chain's new-found friends went on board. He attempted to follow, but was held up by one of the steamship officers.
"But my father is on board there, and I want to get to him!" said Chain to the officer. He was allowed to go aboard. Once there he hid in the steerage.
The vessel was five days out before Chain was discovered by one of the assistant pursers. He was taken before the Captain, and when New York was reached was turned over to immigration officials.
Chain says he will die if he is taken back to his old home. He fears his father would kill him from running away, he says. The little fellow's hands still show the effect of the work in the state mine. He says that he has an uncle, Morris Jacobson, and a cousin, Max Weiserman, somewhere in New York.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Dad denies murder charges in death of 6-week-old son (Peterborough, England, United Kingdom)
Dad RYSZARD SPIEWAK has denied that he shook to death his 6-week-old son. The baby died 4 days after the "incident" from severe brain damage and cardiac arrest. The baby was also found to have suffered 10 broken ribs in the weeks before his death. So basically this poor angel was tortured from birth.
http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/Court-Father-denies-causing-death.6098742.jp
Court: Father denies causing death of his baby son
24 February 2010
By Stephen Briggs
THE Peterborough mother of a six-week-old baby boy, who was allegedly shaken to death by his father, broke down in tears as she told a court how she found his lifeless body lying on the sofa.
Monika Spiewak (24) took to the witness stand on the first day of Ryszard Spiewak's trial at Cambridge Crown Court yesterday (23 February).
The 29-year-old Polish national, of Clarence Road, Peterborough denies charges of murder, manslaughter and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to baby Piotr Spiewak.
He died on September 2, 2008, after suffering severe brain damage and a cardiac arrest four days earlier.
He was also found to have 10 broken ribs caused weeks before he suffered his fatal injuries.
Unable to hold back her tears, Mrs Spiewak sobbed as she told the jury how she found Piotr's fatally-injured and lifeless body lying in the living room of their house in Adderly, Bretton, in the early hours of August 29, 2008.
She said: "I was sleeping upstairs while Ryszard slept in the living room with Piotr.
"Ryszard came to wake me at 5am, and said Piotr wasn't breathing and we had to call an ambulance.
"I ran downstairs and I saw Piotr lying next to his carry cot on the sofa.
"He was not breathing.
"He was blue, he looked swollen and his eyes were closed. He was not moving. He was cold.
"I tried to reanimate him by blowing into his mouth, but he didn't start breathing."
Mrs Spiewak, who moved to Britain from Poland in 2007, said her husband said he had been woken by Piotr's crying and as he held him in his arms to comfort him the tot started choking.
When the paramedics arrived they took Piotr to Peterborough District Hospital but after tests were carried out the doctors decided to move him to Leicester Royal Infirmary for further treatment in intensive care.
But four days later his parents had to take the heart-breaking decision to turn off his life support machine.
The court also heard how further tests after his death revealed that Piotr had 10 broken ribs, suffered in a violent incident that happened some weeks before his death.
Prosecuting counsel, Karim Khalil said: "The rib injuries indicated he had been squeezed with more than an appropriate force.
"The brain damage suggests that the cause of death was excessive shaking.
"We say that this was a deliberate infliction of violence.
"It is one of those sad cases when a baby has died because of a violent act and the perpetrator just won't own up."
Ryszard denies all of the charges laid against him.
The trial continues.
http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/Court-Father-denies-causing-death.6098742.jp
Court: Father denies causing death of his baby son
24 February 2010
By Stephen Briggs
THE Peterborough mother of a six-week-old baby boy, who was allegedly shaken to death by his father, broke down in tears as she told a court how she found his lifeless body lying on the sofa.
Monika Spiewak (24) took to the witness stand on the first day of Ryszard Spiewak's trial at Cambridge Crown Court yesterday (23 February).
The 29-year-old Polish national, of Clarence Road, Peterborough denies charges of murder, manslaughter and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to baby Piotr Spiewak.
He died on September 2, 2008, after suffering severe brain damage and a cardiac arrest four days earlier.
He was also found to have 10 broken ribs caused weeks before he suffered his fatal injuries.
Unable to hold back her tears, Mrs Spiewak sobbed as she told the jury how she found Piotr's fatally-injured and lifeless body lying in the living room of their house in Adderly, Bretton, in the early hours of August 29, 2008.
She said: "I was sleeping upstairs while Ryszard slept in the living room with Piotr.
"Ryszard came to wake me at 5am, and said Piotr wasn't breathing and we had to call an ambulance.
"I ran downstairs and I saw Piotr lying next to his carry cot on the sofa.
"He was not breathing.
"He was blue, he looked swollen and his eyes were closed. He was not moving. He was cold.
"I tried to reanimate him by blowing into his mouth, but he didn't start breathing."
Mrs Spiewak, who moved to Britain from Poland in 2007, said her husband said he had been woken by Piotr's crying and as he held him in his arms to comfort him the tot started choking.
When the paramedics arrived they took Piotr to Peterborough District Hospital but after tests were carried out the doctors decided to move him to Leicester Royal Infirmary for further treatment in intensive care.
But four days later his parents had to take the heart-breaking decision to turn off his life support machine.
The court also heard how further tests after his death revealed that Piotr had 10 broken ribs, suffered in a violent incident that happened some weeks before his death.
Prosecuting counsel, Karim Khalil said: "The rib injuries indicated he had been squeezed with more than an appropriate force.
"The brain damage suggests that the cause of death was excessive shaking.
"We say that this was a deliberate infliction of violence.
"It is one of those sad cases when a baby has died because of a violent act and the perpetrator just won't own up."
Ryszard denies all of the charges laid against him.
The trial continues.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Dad convicted of holding daughter captive for 6 years, raping her, planning appeal (Bialystock, Poland)
Just goes to show how slick these pervert fathers are. Dad KRZYSZTOF BARTOSZUK has been convicted of holding his daughter captive for 6 years, raping her repeatedly, and fathering 2 sons with her. Yet he has the goddamned nerve to claim it was consensual. Pure. Unadulterated. Bullsh**.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10624273
Polish man convicted of incest plans to appeal
8:09 AM Friday Feb 5, 2010
Polish man convicted on Thursday for holding his daughter captive for six years, raping her repeatedly and fathering two sons with her is planning to appeal, saying the sex was consensual.
The trial of Krzysztof Bartoszuk, 47, began last March after the conclusion of the case in Austria against Josef Fritzl, who was found guilty of imprisoning his daughter in a dungeon for 24 years and fathering her seven children.
The parallels led the Polish media to dub Bartoszuk the "Polish Fritzl".
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Janusz Sulima, a spokesman for the court in Bialystok, told The Associated Press that the court found Bartoszuk guilty of multiple counts of rape, sexual acts with a minor and physical and psychological abuse against the daughter and other family members, among other charges.
Prosecutors had sought a 15-year sentence, arguing that Bartoszuk used unusual violence and extreme cruelty.
But Sulima said the court imposed the lesser sentence after determining there was a lack of evidence of extreme cruelty or unusual violence in his abuse of his daughter.
"In this case, the defendant's offenses were limited to threats. He would threaten to kill his daughter, or to tell people she was the one forcing him or provoking him to have sex. But he didn't use violence as such,"' Sulima said.
"She was intimated by his threats and in the end did not protest, though she never gave her consent."
Bartoszuk admitted having sex with his daughter but insisted it was consensual.
As he walked out of the court, he told reporters he plans to appeal, the news agency PAP reported.
Bartoszuk has been in custody since 2008, when his wife and daughter came forward with the allegations.
The daughter told police at the time that her father had raped her repeatedly while keeping her captive for six years in a room with no door handles.
She was let out of the room on occasion, including for the births of her two sons in hospitals, police said at the time.
The first boy was born in 2005 and the second in 2007.
Both times, the daughter told police, she was accompanied by her father, who then forced her to give the children up for adoption.
The entirety of the Polish trial took place behind closed doors to protect the daughter, now 23, and other family members.
Reporters and television cameras were only allowed in the court briefly Thursday to hear part of the verdict read out by Judge Izabela Komarzewska.
Images from the court room broadcast on TVN24 showed Bartoszuk, a dark-haired man with a mustache, chewing gum and fidgeting as he stood in a green jacket as the judge spoke.
- AP, NZ HERALD STAFF
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10624273
Polish man convicted of incest plans to appeal
8:09 AM Friday Feb 5, 2010
Polish man convicted on Thursday for holding his daughter captive for six years, raping her repeatedly and fathering two sons with her is planning to appeal, saying the sex was consensual.
The trial of Krzysztof Bartoszuk, 47, began last March after the conclusion of the case in Austria against Josef Fritzl, who was found guilty of imprisoning his daughter in a dungeon for 24 years and fathering her seven children.
The parallels led the Polish media to dub Bartoszuk the "Polish Fritzl".
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Janusz Sulima, a spokesman for the court in Bialystok, told The Associated Press that the court found Bartoszuk guilty of multiple counts of rape, sexual acts with a minor and physical and psychological abuse against the daughter and other family members, among other charges.
Prosecutors had sought a 15-year sentence, arguing that Bartoszuk used unusual violence and extreme cruelty.
But Sulima said the court imposed the lesser sentence after determining there was a lack of evidence of extreme cruelty or unusual violence in his abuse of his daughter.
"In this case, the defendant's offenses were limited to threats. He would threaten to kill his daughter, or to tell people she was the one forcing him or provoking him to have sex. But he didn't use violence as such,"' Sulima said.
"She was intimated by his threats and in the end did not protest, though she never gave her consent."
Bartoszuk admitted having sex with his daughter but insisted it was consensual.
As he walked out of the court, he told reporters he plans to appeal, the news agency PAP reported.
Bartoszuk has been in custody since 2008, when his wife and daughter came forward with the allegations.
The daughter told police at the time that her father had raped her repeatedly while keeping her captive for six years in a room with no door handles.
She was let out of the room on occasion, including for the births of her two sons in hospitals, police said at the time.
The first boy was born in 2005 and the second in 2007.
Both times, the daughter told police, she was accompanied by her father, who then forced her to give the children up for adoption.
The entirety of the Polish trial took place behind closed doors to protect the daughter, now 23, and other family members.
Reporters and television cameras were only allowed in the court briefly Thursday to hear part of the verdict read out by Judge Izabela Komarzewska.
Images from the court room broadcast on TVN24 showed Bartoszuk, a dark-haired man with a mustache, chewing gum and fidgeting as he stood in a green jacket as the judge spoke.
- AP, NZ HERALD STAFF
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