The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-19
A DEAD MANS SHOES
Fur;her Particulars concerning the Arrest Of
YIN Yolk.iiburg for Al,cg
C:imin Il Assault,

IN Noak'H lOf Alscs q
Crimin Il Assault
| Charlie Van Voikenburg ~ho was charg-
! ed by his father with criminal assault on
| Bertha May Van Vokenburg was arrested
/ yesterday morning without protest by
! Constable Sam Jones Of Justice keenan's
court. He was taken direct to the county
Jail where reporter for the EAGLE met
| him early in the afternoon. He is 10
! years DID, was born in this county and the
| fact that his looks betrayed no evidences
of being criminal such as he was charg-
ed TO be raised sufficient doubt in the re-
porter's mind to thoroughly investigate
the case. He protested his innocence and
stated that the prosecution melted By his
father was malicious. According to his
story his grandfather, q man named
Ritter, died some four or five days
ago near Goddard and the widow made
Charlie present of the shoes and some
other effects OF the deceased. This made
the father of Charlie mad, according TO
the story, because he didn't come in for
any share in the effects of the deceased.
The father wanted him to divide up with
him, or at least give him portion of the
lC-duSg, oLO IipCI ~ w ~. Cll0
old man, as the story goes, went and
trumped up this charge against him. He
states that at the time the alleged crime
was com mitted that he was working with
threshing machine near Goddard and
can prove it. He told his story in SEEM
ingiy straight forward manner. The
sympathy of the jail folks was with him
or more properly speaking, perhaps, their
prejudice was against the father, and
the general opinion prevailing there
was that there was jobbery in the affair
The next visit made WAS at the GOmicile
of Charles father on South Laura, IN the
third block from Douglas. The old man
opened the door and volunteered to tell the
story to the reporter. He seemed TO be
very much prejudiced against the son and
insisted on making the reporter believe
that he was right in having him arrested
Bertha is turning now" said he, land
she is denying that Charlie is guilty. She
says the guilty party is another man who
stole horses here some time ago and
skipped out" That was about the sub
ject of the senior Van Nalkinburg's story.
The third visit was at the homo OF
Charles wife at 9 O'Clock last night, where
the reporter found the young wife in
misery and tears. They are very poor and
enjoy only the luxury of one chair in the
house. When the EAGLE man asked
her for an explanation OF the affair
from her standpoint she went into
the other room and returned
with an armful of sh oes, overshoes and
slippers and throwing them down on the
bare floor indicated that they were the
cause OF all the trouble. She explained
about the death of the grandfather and
how the grandmother widow gave the
shoes to Charlie and how Charles father
wanted to get the shoes. At this juncture
the father and mother of Charlie came in
and when the old man saw the shoes
scene followed that admirably demon
strates that there are two sides to hui
man life Each side wanted TO tell the
story to the EAGLE reporter and the result
was a Babel of voices. The old mans
story was told in the loudest key and his
language was not quite suited to the par
lor or drawngroom, whichever 1t was.
Anyhow tie main facts gathered from it
was that Bertha May went with
Mistress Charlie to the county
attorney yesterday and told him that
Charlie was innocent in one breath and
that he was not entirely innocent in an
other breath. She also indicated to the
county attorney that her father induced
her to make the charges against Charlie.
She also told the county attorney facts
duplicating others.
The scene at Charles house was an ex-
citing one, and were it not for the serious
ness of the crime involved, it would be
somewhat amusing to DISTINGUISHED wit
ness. The wife of the elder Van Volking-
burg took sides with Charities wife and
mother.in-law and the old man had to de-
fend himself against all their charges.
1t is one of the most cOuglomerated
cases that has ever occurred in thir city,
and the county attorney should, and no
doubt will, go to the bottom OF IL. II
Charlie is guilty of the crime he should
be punished, and if the old man Is guilty
of trumping up the charges against his
son his crime is an unnatural one and he
should also be punished. No matter which
end of the horn one takes the crime is an
unnatural one and outrageous in every
particular.
The preliminary hearing will come up
Thursday morning in Justice keenan's
Office and it promises to be sensational
one Those who do not believe that hui
man nature has two extremes should be
present and uudeceive themselves.