Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1898-03-31
PRELIMINARY TRIAL.
Attempt to Find the Guilty Parties
Who Murdered the Child.

On last Thursday evening James Gun
ninghaln of west of Audubon and Miss
Ida Hepp, Of Gray, were arrested on sus.
picion of being the parties guilty of the
murder of the babe whose body was
found above the fair grounds the pre-
vious Saturday, and they were lodged in
jail to await preliminary trial which was
set for last Saturday before Justice
Gray. On Saturday continuance to
yesterday morning was arranged. The
trial commenced at eleven o'clock yes
terday and continued with an hour and
a half's intermission for dinner until
4:30 p. m, eleven witnesses being exam
ined. At this time continuance was
asked until tomorrow at nine o'clock,
and granted, as the state desired to OBJ
tain other witnesses who were absent,
and some of the attorneys could not at
tend today. So tomorrow it is expected
the preliminary will be flushed and the
prisoners either released or else bound
over to the grand jury, according as the
testimony may seem in the eyes of the
presiding justice. to implicate them.
During the entire time of the trial yes
| terday the court room was densley
packed with people who intently list
ened to the words of the witnesses. The
examinations for the state were made
by County Attorney Brainard assisted
by Theo. Myers. The defense was rep.
resented by Hon. b. L. Salinger, of
Carroll for Miss Hepp and J. Fl. Mosier
for Mr.. Cunningham.
DR.. Cannon, of Atlantic, was the first
witness examined. He identified the
two prisoners as having been at the
Commercial House at Atlantic in Feb
ruary, he having been called to give
medical attention to their baby then two
or three days old. To give the child re-
lief he circumclsed it. He described the
child among other things saying it had
a hair lip. Witness was shown photo
graphs of the body of the child found
above the fair grounds at Audubon
March 10, and said the pictures resem-
bled the child and especially he recog-
nized the hair lip. He saw the child
twice. On cross examination by Salin-
ger he admitted there was a difference
in the mouth as shown in the picture |
from the child as he remembered it, but |
this he attributed to decomposition.
Mr.. Wiley, landlord of the CONNER
cial house, was the next witness. He |
identified the prisoner, Mr.. Cunningham,
and testified that on February 10 he |
came to the hotel and said he and his |
wife had started from Nebraska to his
folks who lived sixty miles east of Chi
cago and that his wife was going to be
sick and they had to stop and asked for
room. He did not register. The baby
was born on the morning of the 81.
Eight days after they came witness
learned they were not who they pre-
tended to be. He then took the register !
to the room and asked them to register
Mr.. Cunningham then acknowledged he
had been lying and said he would regis
ter If he was required to, but was ex-
cused. He obtained money from else
where, paid his bill, and he and Miss
Hepp and the baby. departed on the |
early train to Audubon March 5. He de- !
scribed the baby as being plump little !
fellow weighing 81 lbs. and having a
hair lip. Being shown the photographs
of the childs body found here he said
they looked all right, he thought that !
was the one. He thought the photo
graphs as nearly showed that baby as
photographs can show anybody.
Mrs Wiley was then examined. She
described the baby more infinitely say
ing it had blue eyes, light hair and
good deal such face as the father. 1t
was hair Tipped, a boy and weighed 81
pounds. She described its clothes in
detail. She washed and dressed it fire.
quently.
Mrs. Morton, the lady physician who
attended Miss Hepp at the birth of the
child, was then called. She recognized
Miss Hepp as the lady giving birth to !
the child and Mr.. Cunningham being !
there in the room and appearing as her
husband. She minutely described the
child saying 1t was fat, long, fair skin,
light hair, hair Tipped. She first dressed
1t. She was shown the photographs and
said the pictures looked very familiar, one
OF which she particularly recognized as
the child was lying in that position when
she first saw it. IL was her opinion that
those photographs were of the child she
had described. She recognized the shape
OF the nose and face and the hair lip.
Mrs. Carey who was employed at the
hotel to help care for the child and
mother was then put on the stand. She
described the child which was similar to
what the other witnesses had said Che