Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-07-29
SMOTHERs HER INFANT.
Miss Mary Lane of West Union in
Custody at Dubuque Con.
fesses She Ended The
Life of Her Child.

charge of having ended the life OF
her baby, born Friday night, July
Ith. She and her mother left West
Union for Dubuque Wednesday after
noon, going with the county attor-
ney, Mr.. Mcclure, and a deputy
sheriff from that county. Miss Lane
confessed before leaving here that
she had given birth to a child and
smothered it shortly after says the
West Union Gazette.
There are remarkable circum-
stances connected with the case. AL
though the birth did not occur until
Friday night, the young mother took
train at ) O'Clock the next morning
and after q 109-mile journey arriv-
| ed at West Union Saturday noon,
walking over a quarter of a mile to
her home and carrying the suit case
containing the infants dead body
When the Dubuque officers, in COM
pany with Deputy Sheriff c. C.
Wright, went to the Lane home yes
terday noon. Miss Lane parleyed on
ly a brief time, then admitted the
birth and death of her child, and
told them the corpse was still in her
suit case upstairs, where they at
once found it. The body was car
ried back to Dubuque yesterday in
the same suit case.
The officers think they have the
right trail on the man in the case
but have made no arrests.
Miss Lane has lived in West Union
from young girlhood, and the dread
full news shocks the community. All
extend deep sympathy to the unfor-
tunate girl and her stricken family
in this overpowering affliction.
The Dubuque Times-Journal con-
tains the following account of the
case:
Facing a charge of infanticide,
the conviction upon which is render
ed certain by her own confession
that she smothered her first born to
death with bed clothes on the night
of its birth, packed the body away
in suit case and fled the city, Mary
Lane, twenty years of age, was lodg-
ed in the city Jail in custody of the
police matron at a late hour last
night.
'The arrest followed a series of
suspicious happenings that marked
the few days that the Lane woman
has made this city her home. She
has resided in a lodging house at
44S Bluff street. coming here, ac-
cording to the best information OBJ
tainable, within the PAST week from
West Union.
The young woman was confined
to her room last Friday night and
finally admitted that she needed a
physician. One was at once called
by Mrs. Mcdonald in whose home the
girl had sought lodging. A child was
born and the physician left the mo-
Their and babe with the promise that
he would visit them in the morning.
In compliance, he appeared at the
Mcdonald home Saturday morning
to discover that his patient of the
night before had left the house with
out warning the landlady or with
out leaving any direct evidence as
to her Identification.
Aside from the amazement at the
inconvenience and suffering that
must have attended so abrupt jour
ney the doctor became alarmed at
the apparent mystery of the case.
The police were asked to investigate
and with the aid of vague hints that
the Lane woman had dropped dur
ing her short stay in the Macdonald
home. they were able to trace her to
the home of her mother in West I'm
ion, town about fifty miles distant.
AN officer was sent to that place
and easily located the Lane home,
where it was discovered the girl had
sought refuge. She at first denied
any knowledge of a Dubuque trip
but later confessed to the story as
related above. She declared that
she smothered the child in the bed
clothes after the doctors departure
and in the early hours of the morn
ing fled from the home carrying the
body of the infant concealed in a
suit case. The corpse was still in her
room there, she admitted. Upon in
vestigation this latter was found to
be true. The woman gave her name
as Mary Lane and said she was un-
married. She was brought back to
this city in custody of the officer to
be held for preliminary hearing to-
day."