Bob Hansen / C-T photo Lisa Martin holds a copy of her newest book “Haunted Henry County IV” in front of the Henry County Courthouse, near where much of the book is set.

DARREL RADFORD
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

For years inside Charlene Perry’s home, photos of her daughter and grandchildren shared “shelf of honor” status with a little girl that they never met, yet seemed to know so very well.

So when an advance copy of the new book Haunted Henry County IV: Searching for Catherine, Memories of A House That Spoke arrived last week, Lisa Perry Martin couldn’t hide the tears. Tears shed not only for her mom but Catherine Winters, the nine-year-old whose mysterious disappearance 100 years ago captivated a community, made headlines nationwide and still fascinates people today.

“I knew what the box was, left home, went to a place where nobody could see me and cried and cried,” Martin said in an interview with The Courier-Times. “I wish mom were here to see it.”

Charlene Zornes Perry devoted more than three decades searching for clues about what happened to Catherine on March 20, 1913, when the little girl vanished from the busiest street in town. The mystery turned a retired psychiatric nurse and massage therapist into a detective of sorts.

But Perry died on April 30, so it was up to her daughter to finish what she had started.

“I’ve known since Mom discussed her findings with me in the early 1990s that this was a book that needed to be written,” Martin said. “When mom died, there was not a doubt or a second thought in my mind that I had to finish it. It wasn’t a choice.”

The 104-page book – soon to be available at locally at the Book Nook and online retailers like Amazon along with Barnes and Noble – will offer an evidence-backed conclusion on what really happened to the daughter of a well-known dentist 100 years ago.

The book includes:

— The name of a fourth person authorities sought to arrest in the case but never carried out.

— The name of the Winters relative whose nearby home was never searched.

— Research that indicates potential relevant case evidence may exist today.

— Interviews between Charlene Perry and two of the last people ever to see Catherine on the morning she disappeared.

— Interviews with Catherine’s school friends and neighborhood playmates.

— Interviews with descendants of people directly involved in the case, including the daughter of John Wallace, who identified a body found in an Urbana, Ill. Cemetery as Catherine.

— The fact that New Castle authorities treated Charlene Perry’s research as presented to them earlier this year legitimate enough to interview certain people and investigate a little further.

“There are a couple of chapters that will be controversial,” Martin conceded.

Research includes reports from not only local newspapers at that time, but national publications at that time which Martin says “present a wider perspective” on the facts and events, including four Chicago publications, three Indianapolis newspapers and regional newspapers that lay outside the reach of potential political repercussion.”

Three theories are popular when the Catherine Winters’ mystery is discussed. Some believe gypsies who were in town that day kidnapped her. Others think Catherine’s step-mom and alleged lover did something to her. A few believe she was lost in the great flood of 1913, which started the same day Catherine disappeared.

After 100 years, Martin said it is surprising that there are still people around today who refuse to have their names mentioned in connection with the case.

“Isn’t 100 years long enough to wait for a resolution?” she said. “It is time, and I believe that from the bottom of my heart. In the book, I have respected those people’s right to privacy, but I still wish they would be more forthright with what they discussed with Mom.”

Local fascination with the Catherine Winters story continued this year. In March, a program sponsored by The Henry County Historical Society drew more than 160 people – in spite of snowy conditions and the fact that IU was playing in the NCAA tournament on television.

Anticipation for this book has been high. Martin said The Book Nook had to put a sign on the store window after being besieged with the question “When’s the new Catherine Winters book coming in?”

Martin hopes her book exonerates the gypsies. She said Catherine was fascinated by them and may have gone home a different route so she could see them on that fateful March day. But evidence Martin and her mom have collected indicates the gypsies did nothing to harm Catherine.

“I can’t let us go on blaming the gypsies,” Martin said. “I think it’s racist. The gypsies didn’t do anything to Catherine.”

In a way, Martin grew up with Catherine, watching her mom’s relentless search for the truth. At times, she said the intrigue and fascination has been mixed with threats made to the family.

But in spite of it all, Charlene Perry persevered. And now, her daughter has written what she thinks could be the final chapter of a sad, sad story.

“This little girl deserves for somebody to realize what happened to her,” Martin said. “She deserves justice.”

Darrel Radford is a staff writer for The Courier-Times and a board member for The Henry County Historical Society.