Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-07-29
Details of Rearing Young
Asked Witness in Court
at Winters Trial
DEFENSE BEGINS IT'S
SIDE OF CASE TODAY
Sister of Baby's Father
Testifies; Heat Makes
Room Uncomfortable

Many hot, perspiring women and a
few coatless men crowded District
Judge Cornell's division of the vaca-
tion court this morning to hear the
case which is to decide whether little
3-year-old Constance Hope Winters Is
to stay with her dead mothers sister,
Ella Buchanan, or go into the family
of her father, Nicholas Winters.
The thermometer in the court room
cast longing eyes at the 100 degree
mark all morning and it was terribly
hot for everybody. The judge famed
and mopped his brow, the reporter
consumed glass after glass of ice wat
chairs as they dragged through the
long tiresome questions put to them by
the lawyers. Back in the public Sec
tion Of the room fans were going so
fast that it was hard to know anyone
was there except for the occasional
buzz of conversation which would
break loose after questions had been
put to the witnesses and they had an
swered in favor of one or the other Of
the parties in the suit who are endeav-
oring to secure the control Of the
child.
Through it all little Constance Hope
Winters, dainty and cute in her low
neck and short sleeves, plays about
the room entirely innocent of the
case which centers about her. Part
of the time she is in her seat beside
Miss Buchanan and watches every
movement of the lawyers and again
she is down playing around the tables
and walking up and down the aisles
smiling at the public spectators in the
trial.
For four days now Judge Cornell
has been hearing evidence in this ac-
ton which was brought under the cap
ton of a habeas corpus proceeding to
secure the release of the little girl
from any control or custody on the
part of her father. The plaintiff in
the suit, Miss Ella Buchanan, the
child's aunt, claims that Mrs. Winters
gave her the girl when she died three
days after Constance Hope was born.
She alleges in her petition that the
father has attempted to spirit her
away and keep her. 1t is maintained
by her side Of the case that he Is not
in proper physical condition to have
her in charge, that the little one was
slckly through her first three years
Of life and is not strong now, and re-
quires special attention such as Miss
Buchanan, who is practical nurse,
would be able to give her.
ChiId's Breakfast.
What the breakfast menu for a
three.year-old child should be and
how it compares with the food nine
4, &k oJA ,h
prised some Of the cross examination
testimony Of Miss Rose Winters, the
child's fathers sister, on the stand
today.
Miss Winters was the first witness
called when the defense was begun at
the opening Of court at 8 o'clock this
morning. She discussed her methods
for caring of children and spoke of the
different standards which should be
set for their government. . r B..
1t was when Miss Buchanan's law
yer asked her If she was capable Of
looking after the health and care Of
a child, not naturally strong, that the
question of breakfast menu came
came out Miss Winters said that
Constance Hope looked to her like a
normal child and she would give it
normal food.
She said that during the twenty
years of her brother Nicholas Winters
married life, with Constance Hopes
mother she had never tried to make
the acquaintance Of her sister-in-law.
She also said that she did not know
Helen Winters, Constance Hopes
eighteen-year-old sister, because Helen
had never given her a chance to be-
come acquainted.
AS she left the stand she was
again emphatic that she could take
Constance Hope and rear her as a
child of modern times should be rear
ed. Her knowledge of preparing spec.
ial food she said had been gained from
caring for her aged father.