The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-10-04
rHE RECENT INDIANA TRAGEDY.
Fhe Mysterious Murder Of Ada Atkinson at
Oxford-A Strongly Suspected Party Be-
ing Swallowed.

fhe Mysterious Murder Of Ada Atkinson at
Oxford-A Strongly Suspected Party Be.
ing Swallowed.
LAFAYETTE, IND, Sept. q.
The Oxford horror, the bloody murder OF
the beautiful young woman, Ada Atkinson,
Is still a mystery. The mangled remains
Of the once handsome girl, who was a gen.
eral favorite and the pet of the neighbor.
mood, were followed to the grave by the
largest funeral ever known in the county.
Friends of the family, detectives and others
are straining every nerve in their efforts to
discover the fiend of the most brutal muir
der ever committed in Western Indiana.
A dozen theories have been advanced, but
all seemed to have lacked proof enough to
point out the murderer. Several persons
have been suspected, and in the absence of
direct evidence are Swallowed. Col. Jack
fempleton late last night discovered a
bloody handkerchief bearing the trade
mark "G- s-10," hid away in bolt Of
muslin in a room adjoining the one
In which the body was found. An.
other important discovery was q let.
ter written by the dead girl to her
bosom friend, a little girl living near Ok
information respecting it other than the
following: This letter was found among
the dead girls papers. The sister, Lucy,
was brought into the room and questioned
by Col. Templeton and Harris, the detec-
tive. She was evidently embarrassed, and
her answers were to some extent unsatis-
factory. Neither Col. Templeton nor the
detective think her the guilty party. They
are confident they can lay their hands on
the right man when he was wanted. He
has been suspected all along, and has been
under surveillance. He is evidently man of
nerve, andhas displayed the greatest cool.
ness and sangfroid, although fully aware
that he was suspected; but his manner is
almost too cool and deliberate for natual.
ness, and he is evidently on his guard
continually and has his mind fixed on some
purpose which he never for a moment
allows himself to lose sight of.
The letter contains the vital clew. In il
she speaks of a quarrel with a low fellow,
whom she nlcknameS with singing term
lhat exactly fits the suspected man. She
expresses her fear of him, and speaks of
his hatred for her, the result of her scorn.
This mans clothes were bloody, and he
had long, deep cut diagonally across the
forefinger of the left hand near the knuckle
He said he did this with his hedge-cutter
and had failed to bandage the wound,
which had bled freely. 1t is thought by the
detective that this may have been but
trick to account for the blood upon his
clothes. He claims that he was at work
trimming hedge south of the scene of the
murder at the time of the tragedy, and has
been among the foremost of those who have
Joined in the search for the criminal. To-
day the Commissioners of Benton County
met to offer $1,000 for the discovery of the
murderer, TO which Mr.. Atkinson was to
have added $1,000 more, but Col. Temple.
ton advised them to defer their action, as
he said he thought 1t would not be neces.
sary. He was confident they were on the
right trail, and the money might as well be
saved. Acting on this advice the Commits.
Sioners adjourned without offering the re.
ward, but will again meet for that purpose
should it be found necessary.