Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1914-10-22
NEGRO MAID SAYS
Wife OF CARMAN
ADMIT TED KILLING
s'What Did | Kill That Woman
For?" Accused Woman Cried,
According to Celia Cole
man. Servant.
DEFENDANT WILL TESTIFY
Suspected Murderess Insists
That She Be Permitted to
Tell Her Side of Story
to the Jury.

Mineola, ~ v, Oct. CECILIA Cole
man, negro maid in the Carman house
hold, star witness for the state. tcsti-
fled today at the trial of Mrs. Florence
Comklin Carman. accused of the muir
der of Mrs. Louise Bailey. that Mrs.
Carman had appeared. revolver IN
hand, a moment after Mrs. Bailey had
been shot. and said:
u shot him"
Celia thought Mrs. Carman referred
to her husband. DIR. Carlnan.
The next morning at about daylight |
Mrs. Carman came to my room. Celia
continued. "She said oh. Celia, what
did | kin that woman foro hope God
If ANYTHING happens to You I'll take
care OF Your little boy
Nearo Maids Story.
Under the questioning of District At
tornes Smith, Celia told her story as
follows:
II went to work at DR.. carnlans s on
May is 1914 On the night of June 30
j served dinner at G45 O'Clock. After
dinner started to wash the dishes.
While j was washing the dishes.
Elizabeth Mrs Car,nans daughter
came into the kitchen. Soon afterward
Mrs. carman came in She was dressed
I'm kimono and had a shawl around
her neck. She told Elizabeth to go
back into the house Then Mrs. Car
man Went out the back door. A min
ute later heard a crash of glass an.
the report of u pistol. Mrs, Carmaa
game in the door again.
II was standing in the door between
the pantry and the kitchen. She said
to me i shot him Then she showed
me Il revolver Il black revolver that
was about nine inches long. ! grabbed
her by the arm and told her not to go
into the office she said she was NOT
going 10 do anything else Then went
into the office.
The body Of a dead white woman
was laying on the floor, Mrs. carman
followed nae into the office. She stayed
there about half a minute and Then
went ont TO the waiting room Dr. Car
man was there and so WAS another
man. Went into the Kitchen and re-
turned to the office in about a minute.
Mrs. Powell (Ars C:,rnan's sister) was
in there then. Then | went back into
the kitchen. finished washing the dishes
and went to my room and went 20
sleep.
The next morning about day lighi.
Mrs. carman came to my room She
was dressed In d nightgown. She said:
oh. Celia. what did l kill that woman
for" ! hope God viii forgive me Yolr
stick 10 nae and if anything happens
to You I'll take care of your little boy :
Told to FORGET It.
81 saw Mrs. CarElam later that morn
ing AT the breakfast table and She
burst into tears. After breakfast she
came into the kitchen and told me To
forget that ] had seen her the night
before. Later that day Mrs. Carnan
came III with her lawyer. Mr. Levy"
Mrs. Carman winked at me when he
asked me wl:.t knew. I told MIR. Levy
that didn't know anything
Mr. Levy came again tho next day.
Before he came Mrs. Carnlan told IN" tn
tell him ! was not down stairs after
and ] signed it without reading i,
He re;lsl it, however Tho statement
was nat true.
"'rhe day after the murder, Mrs Car
man ramlc into the kitchen and asked
me to make ;, wood fire in the stove.
which did. Later she came down
stairs with 2 bundle of letters and
burned them up in the fire. That same
day she told me to cali her father from
the barn because she wanted him To
get the revolver out of the house. MIR
conklin, her father. came in and went
TO her room and then came down stairs
again. He had a hammer with him
He returned to the barn. The next
day Wednesday. Mrs. Garnan came
into the kitchen and asked Inc to ster
into the offir" went in and the de-
tectives began to question me-
Did You tell the truth III the cor
oner's inquest, the district attorney
asked.
Il did not the witness answered.
The district attorney then turned the
witness over to John j. Graham Mrs
Garments counsel for cross exi.nina
ton.
A crowd that eclipscd the precious
days throngs sought to enter tine tin.
court room today in anticipation %
hearing Celia tell her story. Less thar
900. were allie to do so ana these w.'r,
nearly all women.
AS Celia testified Mrs carmar sa
well back in her chair anl never ono,
took hes. eyes from the witness
on cross examination Celia said slp
never had seen Mrs C5trman Wear he
ktmono downstairs before The nigh