Imperial Valley press., 1927-12-23

crime but to officers only. Again
today, as yesterday. he was closely
guarded and only officials were per-
mitted to talk to him.
In the confession he described in
detail how he left his home in Kan
sas City and finally arrived in Los
Angeles where he had. lived pre-
viOusly.
at was on Thanksgiving Day
that I met C:ame- and q WOMAN
/ think her name was June Dun
ning,' be said. 81 had been living
by holdups and thought it would be
more profitable 10 wcrk with an
older man. Cramer was about ES
years old"
Then followed n tale of ioin;n"
with Cramer in plot to kidnap
some one, and deciding on Marion
Parker because 81 had worked in
the First National Bank of Los An
geles and knew how fond Parker
was Of Marion.'
Did Not Kill Girl
But Hickman stoutlv maintained
that he did not kill the child, that
he knew nothing of Cramer's ap'
parent intention to do so and that
he regretted it to the extent that 81
felt like killing myself
The confession related that Hick-
man went to the school and told
the teacher that Parker had been in
.iured and that he was calling for
Marion. Then he took Marion
away.
"She was a good little kid" he
said. 81 liked her and she didn't
want to 90 with Cramer but wished
to stay with me. But we. had to
carry out our plan, which was for
Cramer to hide the girl and for me
to collect the money which I wanted
to use in going through college.
"Cramer was more interested in
the idea of kidnapping q child than
in getting money. He only wanted
5000 or $500 of the $500 which we
asked for in letters signed 'Thc
Fox, which / wrote.'
But last Saturday the day when
Cramer was to bring Maricn to
Hickman apartment, according to
the confession he came with a suit
case only.
"Where is the girl?" Hickman
said he asked Cramer who grinned
and opened the suitcase, displaying
the mutilated body of the child, he
said.
81 screamed and asked why he
had gone ahead Cramer replied:
She started crying and l had to
stop her.
Gas long as he had 'gone ahead
we decided to do what we could to
get the money anyway. / thought
Parker would be glad to get his
daughter back regardless of her
condition.
An appointment was then made
with Parker and Hickman met him
last Saturday night and collected
the $500 in gold certificates.
Taking the money and driving on
for short distance, he tossed the
butchered body to the curb and sped
away.
Explains Money
"She looked rather natural,
Hickman said. "Cramer had put
on her dress and her eyes were
sewed to her eyebrows and she
looked all right at first glance.
'sShe had been cut through the
l don't know what became
Of the other pieces, which Cramer
did not give me. l guess he threw
them away where police say they
were found"
Asked to explain how it was that
officers found $1420 of the $500
in his possession, if he had an ac
complice, he explained that Cramer
failed to keep an appointment with
him at the Herald Hotel in San
Francisco.
81 stole the Hudson" he said,
"and drove to San Francisco. Cram
er wasn't there, so / headed north
because Southern California was so
wrought up"
His route from La Moine to Seat
tie and back to Portland and then
as reported by the United
Press prior to his capture, was men,
toned in the confession.
81 treated her as l would my
own sister, Hickman said today
when first visitors were allowed and
at this the calm deputy sheriffs
who were present scowled.
81 loved her and still do,' he
Hickman ate a hearty breakfast
of egg sandwiches and coffee but
later gave way to frayed nerves.