State v. Holder

In the early morning of February 6, 1945, defendant shot and killed Helen Madison. Both were colored, as were the four men who were in the immediate vicinity at the time. The homicide occurred on defendant’s premises in Sioux City, Iowa. The witnesses, William Moore, George Bruce, and Ben Sanford all roomed there and witness Emanuel Underwood lived in the vicinity.

It is impossible to reconstruct the situation with accuracy of detail but enough may be culled from the testimony to give a general picture. The story begins the evening before when the various persons congregated in defendant’s…