Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-07-29
WHO DID 1T?
HE HYDRAULIC AVENUE MURDER
STILL A MYSTERY.
( ull Account of the COr0ner'S In
quest in this Most Re-
markable Case.
WHO DID 1T?


| 30
| 4 woman, Mrs. W. A. Miller, living
| alone in "A place somewhat isolated from
he pnblic thoroughfare was eyi lently
attacked while asleep, by an unknown
| assassin, and after a desperate struggle
was killed.
The discovery of the body was made by
Mrs. Eliza Minich, a neighbor to Mrs.
Miller, who gong to the house on an
| errand and receiving no answer to her
knock peeped in through the window to
see lying there the murdered woman. She
lay on her face and about her head
fell her hair baJhed in blood.
Licking her hand was little dog which
had evidently stood guard for some time
over the dead body Of its mistress. Her
son, Charles Minich. she Immediately
notified and he in turn gave the frighttul
news to the police. They together with
Otl e. persons went to the house to make
an investigation and soon afterward a cor
oner's jury was summoned, Justice Ham
mond acting in the absence Of Coroner
Percy. The following gentlemen compos-
ed the jury: II. Bruce, Tom Lily, John
Alexander, E. G. Dixon, Jake Wingard
and J. NJ. Houston. Upon the arrival
from Valley Center of Coroner Percy in
the afternoon the inquest was commenced
with the examination of DR. McBurnic.
He said /, w. 5. McBnrnie a physician
of four years standing in the city of Wich
ita do state that | was called to see a
woman on South Hydraulic avenue July
%, about 9:l5 a. M, and found her lying
upon her face with her left arm under her
body and her right arm extended out
wards from said body | found this
woman devoid of life and the entire body
quite rigid. ! then made an examination
of the posterior part OF the body but found
no evidence of violence on that portion Of
the body. | then turned the body over
upon its back and examined the front part
and found SEINE diScoloration of the face
neck and shoulders. The face was very
much disfigured aud swollen from
the congestion of the tissues of the
face. 1 then requested the officers
to call some reputable physician
to make a more thorough examination.
When DR.. Rentz and myself made more
thorougl examination at Mr.. kendle's I'M
Gertaking establishment at about 1:45
p. M, [ found upon this examination
marked evidence of finger marks upon the
woman's neck and in the region of the
shoulders Death was caused, in my opin
ion, by violence and she evidently died
from strangulation, and am of the opin-
ion that this woman had been dead from
at least tea to fourteen hours previous to
my first seeing the body. | should judge
from the appearance of the body that SIC
was a woman of good health at the time
I
weigh about rs or $50 pounds and had the
appearance of robust person in good
health.
Dr. f. B. Rentz, the next physician,
said: Saw the body at the undertaker's,
where it had been moved from the house.
The cause of death | attribute to strangu-
lation by violence. l would think she had
been dead twenty-four hours or less
Mrs. Eliza Minich, the next witness, said:
| reside at No III Orme street and visited
frequently the deceased. In conversation
with her one day at Mrs. kennedy's she
said her health was good, but complained
of her lungs. Saw her the night before at
$50; at a. m. went to see her and could
not Get in at back door; the door was opei
but the screen was shut. The children
went over then and we saw the deceased
lying on the floor upon her
stomach and face. She had on
her night clothes and was barefooted.
Mrs. Minnie Crosse, another neiShbor,
said that about 2 O'clock in the night she
heard a noise and a dog bark, but saw no
light. Could See no one
Officer G. Bearhes, one of the first on the
scene of the ira gedv, said that he never
To nt haf
but went there with several men the morn
ing of tragedy and tried to enter the front
door 1t was locked. Then a window
glass was broken and through this he en-
tered. The screen was torn from the bot
tom of the door about two feet, the win
dow was raised and curtain was raised
The dog was on the inside barking.
1t was a four room house, and she was
lying in the front room or parlor. There
was no bed in this room but one in an
other room; it was mussed up and lying in
the bed was small pistol loaded with the
exception OF two cartridges; it was rusty
and had not been fired lately. \ letter
was found about six feet from the body;
it was addressed to Emanuel Page, 1924 \.
Mead and Cos \. Market street, Wichita,
Kansas.
The letter referred 10 was as follows:
KINGMAN. Kan, July :, 1SSS.
OLD FRIEND: My luck has run high
ever since / lett Wichita. | have on hand !
about $3.50 in cash, and on night before
last succeeded in getting two very fine
gold watches. | hear you had left your
family. / am glad of that. Let me know
if YOU are still at lumber yard, for ! will
be down in few days and want you to
help me do up Wichita Let me know if
Tom went to Kansas CITY. Keep things
as still as mouse and look every way for
Write Immediately.
am yours, etc, q. x t.
1t was in an envelope addressed in
good round hand as stated. 1t, too. pur-
ported to have been stamped at kingman
and received at Wichita, but both marks |
were only miserable limitations. This |
letter, however, caused the arrest of not
only Page himself, but also of his son, W. |
II. Page. Both We're confined in the county
jail and in the afternoon were brought |
down TO the inquest TO give testimony
Page, it may not be out of the way to !
state, was the man arrested some time |
ago by Frank Wilson upon the charge Of |
with the latter's wife. Even |
though the letter may be other than what |
it purports TO be, yet it Will 10 doubt |
prove TO be an important link in the chain |
of evidence.
When Beahrs had completed his evil |
dence W. a. Miller, the husband of the /
deceased. was put on the stand. lie said, /
Il am an engineer on Davidsous line | /
board at Mr. Davis and sleep in the motor .
barn. Deceased was my wife. l did not /
live with her and have not since June LIST,