Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1912-02-24
+ RE D. ]. PARCEL 4.
BOu No over
MAN ACCUSED OF AssAULTlNG
e e DAUGHTER WILL ANSWER a,
E TO THE GRAND JURY.
STARTLING EVIDENCE
Mrs. Parcel and Little Daughter, ser-
tha, Tell Of Alleged Crime In i
Police Court This Morning; Ss&
Charge Changed. '5" y

Startling statements were made BY
little twelve-year-old Bertha Parcel and
her mother, Anna Parcel, when placed
on the witness stand in police court
! this morning In the preliminary, hear
| ing of their father and husband, Fred
Parcel whom they accuse of attacking
the daughter Bertha. Two hours were
consumed in questioning the two, to
gether with the attending physician oi
the little girl, DR.. e. B. Howell Al
| noon, before all ths witnesses for the
prosecution were heard, the defense
, waived to the grand jury. ,sir&
The charge against Parcel was
changed. He is now accused Of 9
crime the maximum penalty of which
is life imprisonment. His bond was
fixed at $4,000, which he was unable
to give. He is now in the county jail.
Parcel was arrested Monday night
by Night Captain Mat Mier on charges
filed by Chief jof Police Beeman. His
wife is the prosecuting witness IN the
case. She was placed on the stand
first in the hearing today. Owing to
the nature OF the evidence that must
be given by the witnesses the public
was excluded from the court room and
the hearing held behind closed doors.
A great crowd filed the court room
before Judge Hendershott gave orders
for private hearing. 4.%..... s..a. T.. 49,, 1.
Mrs, Parcel TestifIes.
Preliminary to her questioning on
the charges, Mrs. Parcel stated that
street for three months past and pre-
- H>o< %fvysr a Gov NJ ~
Sugar Creek. A year ago they resided
In Garfield park addition In regard
to the charges Mrs. Parcel said that
she first became suspicious three
weeks ago. She questioned little
Bertha, she said, and the girl admitted
her father was the cause. The mother
asserted she then accused the father
of his relations with his daughter. He
denied the accusation. When Mrs.
Parcel declared that she was going to
take her daughter to physician, she
says that her husband declared that
it was probably just bad cold and
that she would be all right The
mother further asserted that the father
would always change the subject when
she questioned him about the accusa.s
ton made BY their little daughter. Mrs
Parcel stated that Bertha would not
tell anything, until she (the mother)
accused her Of what she thought was
the cause Of the girls condition. g
Asked Forgiveness.
Mrs Parcel declared that after she
had accused her husband Of being re-
sponsible for Bertha's condition sew
eral times. the father admitted his at
tack This was about two weeks
ago. The father, Mrs. Parcel said,
asked her forgiveness and also the for:
giveness Of their daughter Bertha, and
declared that he would never do it
again The mother asserted that her
daughter made the statement that the
father had been attacking her for the
past year, in all about twelve times.
ii DIR. Howell Testifies. a.vs i.
Dr.. Howell was then placed on the
stand He declared that as far as III
was possible for him to ascertain at
the girl had been in her pres
ent condition for about two months.
DR.. Howell also testified that the little
girl told him that her father had at
tackled her several times. He asserted
Bertha cried in telling him about the
~ VI. .'." Ht