An 18-year-old Unionville woman was murdered in May 1896, and more than a century later, questions still surround her death.
Mamie A. Peterson was found dead outside her family home in Unionville on May 12, 1896. She had been shot in the head after attending an ice cream social and band concert at the home of Dr. John L. Sawyers.
Earlier that evening, Peterson had been walking home with 15-year-old George Shutts. According to testimony later reported in newspapers, Peterson had told Shutts that 20-year-old Edward “Ned” Hemphill had threatened to shoot her if he saw her with another young man.
Moments later, gunshots rang out. Shutts fled, and Peterson was found near the gate of her family home with a fatal gunshot wound.
Investigators quickly focused on Hemphill. Authorities found what they believed were shoe prints leading from the crime scene, learned that Hemphill had purchased ammunition on the day of the murder, and later discovered a .38-caliber revolver hidden in the attic of his uncle’s home.
Hemphill was arrested and eventually indicted for murder. His trial was moved from Appanoose County to Davis County because his attorney argued he could not receive a fair trial locally.
Despite substantial circumstantial evidence presented by prosecutors, the jury found Hemphill not guilty on November 20, 1896.
The acquittal did not end the controversy. Residents of Unionville were angry over the verdict, while Peterson’s family left the courthouse devastated. No one else was ever charged in connection with her death.
Peterson was buried in Unionville Cemetery two days after her murder.
The case remains one of Iowa’s historic unsolved murders. The original account also notes that Peterson was pregnant at the time of her death, raising additional questions about the possible motive.
Source: Iowa Unsolved Murders: Historic Cases
Author: Nancy Bowers
