The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-29
Speculations and Theories TO the Motive
for the Crime-NO Certain Clew to
the Perpetrator.
Attempted Lynching of the Vim
cennes Murderer.
The Orthodox Friends Yearly Meeting-The
Express Package Case Settled-Glean
IDgs from Two States.
INDIAN A.

The Testimony at the Inquest in the Benton
| County Murder Case.
| Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
LAFAYETTE, Sept. 28.-The Atkinson horror is
no nearer a solution than it was three days ago.
NO arrests have heen made, and the detectives
are evidently in the dark. The following is a
report of the inquest, and will show what the
testimony thus far given in this most remark
able case is: Jacob Nelling was the first witness.
He is farm laborer; fifty years old, and has
been employed by Cephas Atkinson about
six months; was employed during the
afternoon Of the 24th about three or
four hundred yards from the house. Could not
see house on highway; heard no unusual sounds;
went westward about O'Clock aud built pig
| pen in the barn lot had Just commenced to chop
wood at the wood-pile when Buck Moore and
Annie rode mp and inquired for Ada: 1 replied
Somewhere about the house." and Annie dis
mounted and entered the house. Heard her be-
low, then ascend the stairs, and Immediately che
came running down stairs crying out Ada was
| dead. We entered the house and found her dead
The clothes wear are the same have been
wearing all day. except have a coat on instead
OF my jacket (the jacket was procured and ex-
amined0 also a large knife about ten inches long
when open. No show of blood was found any
where. Neling's evidence was given in a very
| open and frank manner.
George Hart was called, and testified: Am
married, and live about three hundred yards
| south of the house. Was gathering seed corn
| southwest of the house. Saw heard nothing
| unusual during the afternoon, About o'clock
| in the afternoon a stranger inquired if Cephas
Atkinson was at home. Between and 3 took
the corn to Oxford in wagon, and passed the
| house, but saw nobody about.
Thomas Ford testified that he inquired of the
hands husking corn if Mr.. Atkinson was at
home. He went up to the house, rode into the
| barn-lot and up to the north yard gate
and called half a dozen times. but
could get no response. This about 3 O'Clock
| Cephas Atkinson, the father of the deceased
\ testified that there was $3.50 worth of jewelry
and silk and dress-patterns in the house, and
nothing was disturbed. Have had no difficulty
with any one. Ada has had no difficulty with
either boys or girls that know of. George Adstt
came last Sunday and wanted to work for me- I
refused him work. he turned to Ada and said
he was going TO leave the country. He left, but
returned again soon. No one kept company
with Ada. She often went into company, and
was with Frank Gasscock at the reunion at
| Fowler on last Friday, and at church on Sunday
evening. She went ont riding a time or two with
William Dodson. We objected to her going, but
said nothing to Dodson.
| Rachel Atkinson was called: I am the wife of
| Cephas Atkin son and the mother of Ada. 1
know of no difficulty that Ada had with any
one. Last Sunday afternoon about O'CLOCK she
went into Annie's room, but was in there only
a short time, and went to church During the
| time she up stairs she got scared at a noise
made by some one of whose presence she was
| not aware. Her heart was in her throat, but it
was only "Jake." She had seen his feet under
the bed. "Jake" said he had dropped dime
| and was under the bed looking for it. Jacob
Nolling came down stairs directly. Ada said
nothing more about it to me. The handkerchief
which was found round Ada's neck and was
shown was recognized as hers.
| Lucy Adsitt testified that she had been quite
intimate with Ada during the past two years.;
did not recognize the handkerchief. Ada
| generally wore q red or brown one. I
went with her to church on Sunday.
| Saw her last with Arthur Whitney. Know of
/ no ill-will existing against her the part of
any one. Ada said that she saw Jacob Nellng
under the bed on Sunday. Could not imagine
what he wanted, and it frightened her. She
said she called him twice, and he did not come
out until she ran to the head of the stairs and
called her father Jake told her not to be afraid,
that he had lost ten-cent piece and was under
| the bed looking for it,
| James Adsitt was sworn. Blood was found on
his shirt-seeve, which he said came from a sore
lip. Was engaged in pressing hay on the after
noon of the murder. Other witnesses were
called, but nothing further was elected. The
| court adjourned until Monday morning. The
| coroner has returned verdict. The detec-
tives have made no arrests at this writing.
and the mystery is about as deep and as unsolv-
able as the day ON which the awful deed was
| committed.
| sPECULATIoNs AND THEORIES
| Lafayette Special, 9th
Another man suspected is Tom Conking, one
of the Atkinson farm laborers. Both he and Adj
slit were soictous of the society of the murdered
| girl, but she preferred Bill Glasscocll to all
others. Glasscock was not favoraoly looked up-
on by her parents, and had to meet her clandes-
| timely He took her to church last Sunday night
from the house of friend, young Miss Adstt,
sister of one of the lovers. Adsitt had blood on
his clothes on Monday afternoon. after the mur
der, and SO diG Conkling. The latter explained
by saying that the blood on his clothes was that
of pigs which he had been holding that morning
| for Mr.. Atkinson to mark. Mr. Atkinson corrob-
oFa5es crates this tbo one one peculiar circnm
! found yesterday, written by Miss Atkinson to
| Miss AdsitU in which she says that "Tomcat is
mad at me and will give me the devil" She
asks her friend not to say who she went to
church with. No one knew who was meant by
''romcat," and the Times correspondent visited
| Miss Adsitt this evening to get it from her. The
| young lady, pretty girl of about fifteen, said
| that the letter must have been written five or
| six weeks ago as the circumstances snoken of in
| it were told to her by Miss Atkinson some time
ago. Tomeat was another name for Tom Conk-
| ling, Miss Adsitt said. though she had not heard
| Miss Atkinson use it before. Another suspected
man is Jake Nelling, a laborer on the Atkinson
| farm. He is fifty years of age, and the only
motive which could prompt him would he TO
commit an outrage on the girl. This is the stmo
J man who, on the day previous, was found under