Baxter Hildebrand Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter; Carroll Eckard Case Still Pending, Feb. 16, 1921

Morganton, Feb. 16—Baxter Hildebrand entered a plea of guilty to manslaughter in Burke superior court today and took the witness stand and related for the benefit of the court the confession he made to Solicitor Huffman a few days after his arrest in connection with the Glenn Lippard murder west of Hickory on the night of November 20 last. There were no sensational details in his testimony. Jos. L. Murphy appeared for Hildebrand.

Other witnesses today were Dock Hefner and Lone Young, already under sentence, who appeared for the state, and Lou Lynn, who took the stand this time in behalf of Hildebrand.

The case of Carroll Eckard, charged with robbing the body of the dead man with Dock and Cecil Hefner, was expected to be called some time this afternoon or tomorrow. There are a great many witnesses here for this case, and the state will attempt to show that Eckard had a good deal of money soon after the murder. He is represented by |R.H. Shuford of Hickory.

Lou Lynn, the state’s star witness in the trial of Lone Young and Dock and Cecil Hefner, was the defendant’s witness when she went on the stand this morning, and she finally admitted she was at the scene too. She was the only witness at the morning session who stated positively that Cecil Hefner, who has been sentenced to 15 years, was at the scene of the murder. By inference other witnesses put him there. The other witnesses were not asked the direct question as to Cecil Hefner.

Doc Hefner and Lone Young told of Hildebrand’s connection with the murder, Young sticking to his confession rather closely.

The court house was crowded today and interest was keen in the proceedings.

From the front page of the Hickory Daily Record, Feb. 16, 1921