The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-09-23
WINDER CASE UNDER WAY IN THE
SUPERIOR COURT HERE THIS WEEK
Hattie Puckett, 14-Year-Old Prosecuting Witness
Was Telling Revolving Story AS This
Newspaper Went to Press

OF OCTOBER, 1aCed jury ana
court room crowded with men i
Elizabeth City Thursday after
noon and told in all its filthy, dis
gusting detail of an alleged as
sault made on her last March b,
L. L. Winder, a prominent rea
estate man, in his Office in tn
Hinton building in, this city. Th'
child wept from time to time a
she told the story and answered
the questions of counsel. Direct
" in front of the witness stano
sat the child's widowed mother
Mrs. Will Pickett who dabbeC
her eyes with a mourning hand
kerclief as her child told the
story.
\ more revolving or nauseating case
was never aired in the courts of this
county L. L. Winder was arraigneG
Yesterday on two charges. In the case
of the Puckett girl he is charged with
having had carnal knowledge of a female
over II years of age and under IA. In
the second case, which will be tried
later in the week. he is accused of Grim
inal assault upon Irene Woodard, a
pretty little child of 10 summers.
The testimony of the Puckett child
had not been concluded as this newspa-
he
wants all the filthy details of the case
may wedge their way into the suffO-
eating court room and brave the stencil
of five or six hundred sweating. curious
males and get their fill of it.
Hattie Puckett on the witness stand
in the Superior Court does not tell ex-
actIy the same story she told in the Re
c0rder's Court in this city last April
when Winder was given Il preliminary
learing. She said then that she went
20 Winder's Office and he forced her
down into a chair and committed a crime
against her person. In the Superior
Court five months later she says she
was seated in a chair when Winder first
her. She says he got down
"a his knees, partially disrobed her and
accoupli she'd his purpose while she
made 10 cutlery. Her story differs in
several particulars from the story she
jold in the lower court last spring and
the defendants counsel will make the
most of it.
As this newspaper goes to press it is
100 early to forecast the outcome of the
case. but the defense has already indi-
Gated the course it will pursue in re-
yealing a list of its witnesses. The de-
fense will undertake to show that the
incident in Winder's Office did not take
place in a rocking chair with Winder
on his knees, but that the act was COM
mitted in another chair with the girl
sitting in his lap. This, if proven would
mitigate Winder's offense, but would not
go far toward mending the blasted rep
utation of a man accused of immoral re-
lations with children.
The names of the defendants wit
nesses indicate that almost any sort of
testimony may be expected. Numerous
jftney drivers, some of them notorious
for their traffic in immoral women, have
been summoned, indicating that the de-
fendant expects to break down the tes-
timOny of the Puckett girl and blacken
her character by these witnesses.
AS forecast by this newspaper last
week, all of the prosecuting witnesses
in the case are on hand. E. E. Clark,
the typewriter man and 3. G. Matthews,
the Richmond artist, who claim to have
seen what went on in Winder's Office
thru a hole in door, are both in town.
DIR. VIM. Parker, another occupant of
the Hinton building, who looked thru
the same hole in the door, was hurrying
irom Nags Head to Elizabeth City to
testify in the case when this newspaper
went to press.
The entire morning session was con-
sumed in the selection of jury. Ap-
prOximately three hours were exhaust
ed in this work. Challenging of jurors
by the State began at 9:45 a. m. and
the last man was passed by both sides
at l2:45. at which time the Court ad-
journed for a recess until 2:3O p. m.
The jury was placed in charge of spe-
cial officer during the recess and eau
toned not to talk with any one. The
Jurors are:
W. T. Brickhouse, Elisha Riddick, J.
A. Spence, J. B. Sanders, Geo. w.
Brown, V. NJ. Jenkins, J. NJ. Jackson,
i. L. Owens, H. F. Whitehurst, d. B.
W. R. Smith, A. D. Bray.
The Principals in Court
As the Court House bell tolled its
iIrst trike an automobile drove up in
front of the Main st. entrance of the
I"Irt Building. Immediately the pro-
scouting witness Irene Woodard alight-
I'd, accompanied by her mother, who |
vert straightway to their places at the !
'"nch Of the States witnesses. Little |
Miss Woodland wore white tamo' shan
Ter over her brown straight hair, cut !
III the popular boxed style. She wore |
4 purple slip over dress with white bo-
hce and black tie.
The other prosecuting witness, Hat
''e Pa"kett, took her seat behind the
solicitors chair at 9:30. She was ac-
'"mpanied by her family. She wore a
e'hpIe white dress, an unconcerned ex-
preston upon her face, and her boxed
10 @alr was not covered by any head gear.
/ ne fuckctt girl is a well developed
I'Fi' what might be called an over
ofDNn child Tho whitp socks TnOn her |