People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 January 1896 — Attempted Child Murder. [ARTICLE]

Attempted Child Murder.

Our neighboring village of Brook, had a sensation last Thursday. One resident of the place, named Sim Tollis, became enraged at his seven-month-old babe, because it was fretful and made too much noise, and almost smothered it to death by holding his hand over its mouth. The frightened mother gave the alarm and when the neighbors arrived the poor infant was more dead than alive, and was revived only after strenuous effort; The brutal father was immediately arrested and bound over to the next term of court by the Justice of Iroquois township. He was brought here Thursday night and on Friday Deputy sheriff White took him to the Fowler jail, where he will be confined until the February term of court, .when he will be tried on the grave charge of attempted murder It is said that this is the second exploit of Tollis in this direction —he being charged with the death of one of his infant children sometime ago. In view of the brutality of the act. it would seem that the unatural father should be made to feel the severest penalty of the law.—Kentland Democrat. Tollis, at one tim&, was a resident of Rensselaer, and while here an infant child of his was smothered to death in bed. Tollis was not prosecuted for the deed then, because it was thought to have been done through ignorance.