The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1874-01-15
TIE Chris mas Tragedy.


in the lower pan Il Of the building testi
Z fed: IL lived at IS Main street wa
in the building from a quarter pas
three O'Clock until tic fire occurred
which was an hour or two afterward
McNu.t and Winner occupied tn,
/, rooms overhead: heard conversation
up stairs after got home. but coult
not distinguish what was said: Mis-
IIaHley WAS with me. ana we talked
few moments before retiring: after
hadbecn asleep some time | awoke ant
heard footsteps upstairs in the baci
room, again awokc with start heart
moaning and something | took for ;
hail storm, but which proved to be The
cracking of fire. then called for help
AT the same moment some one back
cried '-get out of the house. it is on
fire." don't know who il was. Tho
footsteps which heard sounded more
like bare feet than like shoes or boots
As near a, could judge the fire broke
out in the from, room. ! am acqualnt-
ed with the gentlemen who roomed
above: saw Mr.. Winner after the fire
street on bed; talked with him about
the fire; he expressed great sorrow
and much feeling. lie was in q wound
ed condition al the time Of this CONVEX
sation: did not state who wounded
! him. He said he lost all he had in the
world. but would not have cared If
Mac. had been saved. He did not know
how he should break the news TO Macs
wife. lie gave no reason why McNutt
with McNutt personally before he came
! here, only by reputation III Leaven-
worth. McNutt and Winner were fast
friends and slept in the front room up
stairs" Kitty Hanlcy, who was with
Miss Fardy in the mlliner business,
testified to the same state of facts, with
this exception: "Thc footsteps seemed
TO pace from one room 10 the other in
quiet way for some time. The con-
versa,on heard up strirs believe to
have been between McNutt and Win
ncr.''
Thos. johnson (colorcd) lives on
Main streets a laborer: IL frs: no.
ticcd that the whole upstairs was on
fire. Know who lives upstairs by rep
utation only, and by the sign. Live
just north, but few steps from the
scene of the fire. lie heard grooming:
thought il was black smith who was
boarding with him. but from light in
the window he saw there was fire. He
cried fire, which reused his wife and
family, and looking out he dis covered
where the fire was Kicking open the
back door of the millincr shop he found
a man and woman carrying out goods.
Being in his night clothes, he started
back to dress. when right at the foot
OF the back stairs he found person
living upon the ground. Tic person
asked him, "for Gods sake carry me
away from here" In answer to ques-
ton of what the matter was. he said
the PROSTATE man said. "Oh, I'm cut
all to pieces. Don't know who did il.
They did it," lie picked him up and
set him down beside a pump, and told
him he would get somebody TO take
care of him. When lie (Johusou) re-
turned the man had been carried away.
recognized the wounded man as be-
ing one of the painters. know moth
ing Of these parties having any money.
The wounded man was without cloth
ing, except his shirt, and noticed n
wound over his eye. but no cut. He
thought that the groans that awakened
him were made by the man that he
found wounded at the bottom Of the
stairs His feet were laying up on the
stairs, his head on the ground"
Mike Meagher, city marshal, testified
that he knew the building burned and
its occupants when he saw them He
saw one of them on TIE morning of the
before testified Of He asked Winner
if he was hurt much. The answer was,
mot very bad He put guard over
him and went out He found a colorcd
man whom he arrested and turned over
10 the sheriff, from the fact that Win
ner had told him (thc marshaD that he
(Winncr) had met the colorcd man
(Johnson) about halt way up tic stairs,
going up, as he (Winncr) was coming
down. Winner had stated to Meaghcr
that morning that he (Winncr) had
been struck in his own room by some
one whom he did not know He no.
iiced that he was wounded in the head
and side.
s. L. Post testified that, he lived in
Wichita was machine agent: was
slightly acquainted with McNutt and
Winner. He saw both at the South
crn Hotel the evening before the fire
at about half past eight O'Clock. Mr..
Scott, the proprietor. gave McNutt an
envelope containg money +; he did not
know how much. They remained prob
ably five minutes after. when McNutt
left, leaving Winner at the hotel. lie
knew it was money because he saw the
bills sticking out. Mr.. Winner asked
for some OF the money. and McNutt re-
fused to give it to him. lie asked for
the money in kind of joking way.
l.. W. Shultz lived in Wichita. was a
butcher by trade. He knew neither of
the parties. Being a; the fire he found
a body burnt up. which was taken in
a blanket and he helped TO carry i, |
across the street.
John Ferris, clerk at the Southern |
Hotel. was acquainted with J. W. Nc |
Mutt and Arthur Winner, from Kan
sas City. No. They had been stopping
at the hotel about one month. except /
Winner. who for a week back. or since !
he returned from Kansas City. had not |
been stopping there. They were in
the hotel the day before Christmas. in /
the afternoon. Winner came in in the |
afternoon and. in a joking way, shook
his finger at the clerk, and said, Il can
now whip any man in town" When
asked what he meant by his threat. he
answered that he felt good, for he had