Omaha daily bee., 1914-05-31
ARREST WINTERS And WIFE
Parents of Missing Girl Charged
with Conspiracy.
FORMER BOOMER ALSO JAILED
Police and Detectives Say They
Found DIoodstained Child's
Clothing Seated Behind
Cellar Wall.


NEW CASTLE, Ind. May 9O.-Dr and
Mrs a. Winters. father and stepmother
Of Catherine Winters, aged 10, who DIS
appeared from her home here more than
year ago. we're arrested on their ar
rival here from Tere Haute, Ind, today.
They were charged with conspiracy to
commit felony. This makes three ar
rests in the case, w. II. Cooper, former
roomer in the Winters home. having been
arrested late last night.
II was said a second search OF the
home Of DR.. w. A. Winters, father of the
girl, would be made late today. Private
detectives and local police officers who
searched the home last night asserted
they found sealed in the basement wall.
a red hair ribbon. a red urdershirt and
red sweater which had belonged to the
missing child.
The sweater. police officers declared,
had holes in it which looked as If they
had been burned there. and the undershirt
was stained as If by blood.
| Cooper was roomer at the Winters
home at the time * the disappearance
Of the girl, but left New Castle the day
after she disappeared and remained away
for ten days. He uld not seem much sur
prised when arrested and declared tint
he could prove an alibi. He also blamed
Mayor Watkins for his predcament
! DR.. and Mrs. Winters we're in Terre
Haute, where motion pictures are being
shown to raise funds to further the search
for Catherine.
| Large sums of money have been spent
in search for the child and she has been
reported found in various parts Of the
country, but each report has proved un-
true.
! 1t was stated that the charge Of con-
spiracy to commit felony had been
placed against the three persons under
arrest merely as a means of holding them
and that the charge might be changed,
| later.
| Catherine Winters, tile 1O-year-old
daughter of W. A. Winters, disappeared
! April 20, 1918. The child had been can
vsssing the neighborhood in which she
lived trying to sell needles for a church
society. She was last seen late in the
afternoon. The police we're not notified
until the next day. Catherine is the
! daughter OF DR.. Winters by his first
wife, who died several years ago. Cath
crime inherited 5000 on her mothers
death.
The warrants for the arrests OF DIR.
and Mrs. Winters and Cooper were issued
by Mayor Watkins, who has been a lead
ing figure in the investigation of the
DISAPPEARANCE of Catherine. Coopers bond
was placed at 5000. which he was unable
to furnish. The Winters bonds have not
been fixed.
w. r. Myers, county prosecutor, said
today he would file affidavits against the
three in the circuit court and that q
grand jury investigation would be begun
Immediately
Dig Up Floor of Cellar,
Police officers and the private detsc-
tive employed by the mayor began today
digging up the floor of the cellar in the
Winters home with the hope, as they ex-
pressed it, Of finding either the body IF
the girl or evidence of how the body
had been disposed Of 1t was said IL ~
traces were found in the cellar, other
parts of the premises would be dug up.
Mrs. Winters, following her arrest, was
questioned regarding the clothing worn
by Catherine on the day of her disap.
pearance, March 20, 1913 and the police
said that, among other effects, she de-
scribed the sweater which was found
last night
1t was said DR.. Winters probably would
be taken to the Jail in Muncie so that
he could not communicate with either
his wife or Cooper.
!