The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1914-05-02
WALTERS CONVICTED OF
KIDNAPPING BOBBIE DUNBAR.

The trial of the celebrated Wal
ters-Dunbar KIDNAPPING case, Which
began at Opelousas April IL, was
concluded last Monday afternoon,
when the jury returned into court al
ter five hours deliberation and re
ported a verdict of guilty without
capital punishment against the pris-
oner. The meaning Of this verdict
is that the jury believed that W. Z.
Walters, the itinerant mender OF
stoves and musical instruments, kid
mapped little Robert dunbar at
Swayze Lake, st. Landry parish, on
August %, 1912, and that the child
found in his possession at HUB,
Miss, in April, 1913, was really ROD
ert Dunbar and not Bruce Anderson,
illegitimate son of Julia Anderson,
South Carolina woman who gave her
boy to Walters. The effect of the
verdict, unless it be qualified or re-
versed, will be to condemn the prison.
er to life Imprisonment at hard Ia
bor
While the Identification of the boy
as Robert Dunbar by the testimony
of his parents, other relatives, neigh
bors and the family physician seemed
to be most absolute and convincing,
yet Walters, Julia Anderson and
number of residents of Mississippi
declared as positively that the child
was Bruce Anderson and was with
Walters in the latter state before
the date of the alleged kidnapping.
Furthermore, several residents of
Opelousas testified they could not
identify the boy taken from Walters
as the Dunbar child whom they had
known.
District Attorney R. LsGarland was
assisted in the prosecution by At
torneys Jno. w. Lewis and e. Z.
Veazie of Opelousas, and these three
talented lawyers, together with nine
ty-five per cent of the people OF their
community, are convinced of the
guilt of the prisoner, the justice Of
the verdict and that the recovered
child is the genuine Robert Dunbar.
The prisoner was very ably defend
ed by Attorneys Dale and RaWls OF
Poplarville, Miss, and Hon. e. B.
Dubuisson, leading member of the
Opelousas bar, who was appointed by
the court for the purpose. These
three talented lawyers, together With
number of seemingly honest and
sincere witnesses and small per-
centage Of the local community, ex-
press confidence that the prisoner is
not guilty, notwithstanding his con-
viction, and that the boy now at the
Dunbar home is Bruce Anderson.
| Walters continues to avow his limo
cence and denounces the result of the
trial as an outrage and denial OF
| justice. He and his counsel declare
the belief that new trial will be
given him and that he will be ulti-
mately acquitted.
The case is certainly one of the
most remarkable on record. and its
condolences are little short of mar
yelous. 1t seems Incredible that Mrs.
Dunbar should be mistaken as to the
identity of her own child. and the &C.
counts given of the recognition Of
persons, places and things by the
| child himself would seem to establish
his identification irrefutab1y. Yet
the questions arise, If this is Robert
Dunbar, where is Bruce Anderson? or,
# this is Bruce Anderson, where is
Robert Dunbar?
| It is to be hoped the near future
will bring such Qualification of the
mysteries surrounding this affair as
will leave no room 80 doubt the right
eousness Of the jury's finding and the
justice of the punishment to be
/ meted out to the prisoner