Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-04-11
A Foul Murder at Cedar Falls.
UNNATURAL PARENTS THROW
THEIR CHILD INTO THE
CEDAR RIVER.

UNNATURAL PARENTS THROW
THEIR CHILD INTO THE
CEDAR RIVER.
Their Arrest and Confession.
The following extract from the
Office of the Cedar Falls Gazette
gives the particulars of one of the
most heartless deeds in the annals
of crime:
CEDAR FALLS, April 7, 1872.
This community was shocked last
Saturday morning by the announce
ment that a young child, about six
weeks old, had been discovered in
the river near the slaughter house,
on the east side, and some twenty,
FIVE rods below the iron bridge
The body was recovered and taken
to the Office Of Bowman & Smith,
where it was visited by many of
our citizens. The affair caused
much excitement and the many con-
lectures soon led to the identified
ton of the parties who had CON-
mittcd the foul deed.
From the Friday afternoon train
from the west there came to the
Wilson House man and woman
with a young child. The man reg
istered his name, "Samuel J. Berns,
Dallas County, Iowa." They stayed
until evening. The child cried a
great deal, but the woman sang and
showed determination to be mer.
ry, though both seemed to manifest
SO little love for the child as to at.
tract attention. Mr.. Wilson and
his family took care of the child
while they were at supper, and no.
ticed that it was remarkably bright.
They said it was six weeks old
They asked when the train went
east, and were informed at lO:l5.-
This was early in the evening.
They said they must be going. Mrs.
Wilson told them that the bus al
ways stopped tor passengers. They
thought they would not wait, but
would walk over. The time they
left the Wilson House was between
nine and ten, The man purcha. ed
one ticket for Nashua. Hc asked
Mr.. Tucker, the night-man at the
depot, to let him get into his trunk.
The man opened his trunk and took
out a fiddle and put in small bun
die which afterwards proved to be
the clothing Of the child. Mr.. Tuck
er did not notice whether they had
the child with them; but both got
onto the train and started East.
AS soon as the facts were develop
ed a dispatch was sent to Nashua
giving number Of check on trunk
and description of parties. A dis
patch was soon received from Nash.
ua stating that the man and woman
had been arrested. Marshal Sess-
ions went up on the train Sunday
morning and brought them down
Sunday night. They were taken
before Mayor Smith on Monday
morning and both waving examin-
alton, were held to bail in the sum
of $4,000 each. They were taken
to Waterloo and lodged in Jail to
await a trial.
The man gave his name as Will
liam Riley. He says his residence
is in Pottawottamic County, but
further than this, is mum. The
woman gave her name as Ursula
Sprangler. Her parents reside in
Nashua. TO the officers, after her
arrest, she made a full confession.
She says the man did the murder
Gus deed. He took the child and
walked behind her when crossing
the bridge. When he caught up to
her she asked him where the child
was and he said he had thrown it
into the river. The woman said
that he had tried to kill the child a
number Of times before. The COUP
lie were not married and we arc in
formed by parties who know, that
Riley is a cousin of the woman
Riley is of Irish decent. He has a
hard look and his countenance
shows that of a villain.
The woman is fair looking. Does
not appear to be person who
would be a party to a deed, second
to none in the annals of crime; but,
we are Informed that she has not
borne good reputation for num-
Der of years. In her confession she
aims to throw the responsibility of
the crime upon the man.
AS soon as the child was found
Coroner Richards was telegraphed;
and upon his arrival an inquest was
held.
The jury, composed Of Byron Gull
yer, Nj. w. Chapman and 4. F. Bes-
wick, rendered verdict "that the
infant lying dead came to it's death
by violence at the hands Of some
persons or person." The child's
neck was broken when found, and
the only reasonable conclusion is
that it was murdered by Riley be-
fore being thrown into the river.
These are the facts, in this shock
ing tragedy, as we are able to gath
er them. Comments are unnecessa-
ry. They tell their own story.
Full particulars will appear in
our regular Friday edition.
COUNT MAURICE, of tho French