The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1906-01-20
A STRANGE CASE.
Mother Shows No Emotion on Arrest
for Murder of Child.

boy awe ten mlleS west VI IAdheWoou
on the night of January 7th was CIV
en- a preliminary hearing this week
at Carlsbad before Justice of the
Peace N Cunningham. She was held
to await the action of the grand jury
of Eddy county on the charge of MUIR
der and was remanded to Jail bond
being refused. District Attorney Jas.
M. Hervey of Roswell, was present
and the defense was represented by
D. G. Grantham.
This is one of the most extraordi-
nary cases of murder that has ever
been brought in New Mexico and
what puzzles the officers is the appar-
ent absolute lack of motive The
story that the woman tells is a weird,
thin one.
She says it was about midnight
January 7th when she heard a knock
at the door and a strange voice de-
1
fused to admit him and he threatened
to tear down the house. She finally
opened the door and the man entered
He wore false face. He told her he
was a kidnapper travelling through
the country kidnapping babies and
that he once killed a whole family
because they made resistance to him
taking the child and he would kill her
if she made any resistance. The man
had a revolver and scared her badly.
He took the baby and left. The man
left her three year old girl. She was
SO badly frightened that she did not
leave the house until about ten o'clock
the next day when she went to the
home of the nearest neighbor the
home of E. Pennington, distance of
one-quarter of a mile. The woman
was crying when she approached the
house and told Mrs. Pennington, the
story as told above. The husband Of
Mrs. Aiken had worked for Mr.. Pen
nington and they were living on his
place. Mr. Pennington Immediately
went to the house to make investiga-
tion He found mound about three
hundred yards from the house, which
aroused his suspicion, and which he
supposed to cover the body of the
child He did not disturb the mound
and went to Lakewood and reported
the case to the authorities. Deputy
sheriff Tom Virgins and Roy Waller
went to the Aiken Tuesday and dug
up the mound and the body of the ba-
by boy was disclosed. The child was
placed in the grave face upward and
there were no evidence of struggle.
The only clothing on the corpse were
diaper and gown.
The woman was arrested by Deputy
Virgins and the prisoner and body
of the child were taken to Lakewood.
The verdict of the Coroner's Jury
there was that the child came to it's
death by violence at the hands of its
mother The woman was taken next
day to Carlsbad where she was placed
in Jail.
Her husband skipped out about 3
weeks before the alleged crime was
committed and his whereabouts are
unknown. Mr.. Pennington stated
that Aiken acted like crazy man.
Mrs Aiken said that her husband
had a fight with man in Kansas
last year during harvest time and
that this man had threatened the life
of her husband This man was dan
gerous and her husband thought he
would kill him and that was the rea-
son they moved to the Pecos Valley.
They changed their name to Roberts
as they wanted to conceal their iden-
tity. as they thought that the man
would follow them up They removed
TO Lakewood in October of last year
from Ednee, N. M. She stated that
her husband told her when he left
he was going to Oklahoma to collect
some money that was due him there
from his father. Mr.. Hervey stated
to Record reporter that 1t was the
most peculiar murder case that ever
came under his observation. The
woman did not vince when arrested
or show any signs OF excitement or
emotion when shown the corpse Of
her child or at the preliminary hear
ing. She seems perfectly sane and
does not In the least look Ike q cris
minal. she appeared unconcerned ut