The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-10

! Willard Starks is dead He died last
night at 1890 without regaiping concious-
! ness.
The murderer has not been apprehended
and probably will never be brought to jus
/ tice.
/ The police have only very slight clue
from which they do not hope for any good
results.
At late hour night before last Officer
Sutton saw two suspicious men near the
union depot. He ordered them to
strike out for Eighteenth street aud never
set foot in the city again. They walked
up the track.
1t is suspicioned that the murder was
commltttd by one or both of these men,
but they cannot be found.
stark was IS years old and unmarried.
he lived with and supported his mother
on Eagle street.
About o'clock yesterday morning
Frisco section hama named NIFTY, passed
the old depot going TO his work Looking
| IN at the window be was Mortified at see
ing man lying stretched out upon The
telegrapher'S desk with his head bruised
and gashed IN a horrible manner. covered
with blood and with every indication of a
! terrible struggle for life: He came on
! down to Oak, the next street south, and
raised the alarm. Upon returning
! with assistance IL was found
that Willard Stark. the night watchnien
at the building was the unfortunate. He
was at first thought TO be dead, but soon
| showed slight signs of life. He was found
to have upon his head three wounds; Il
scalp wound about 2I5 inches in leugth
over the right temple, IA puuctured wound
in the forehead over the right eye aud one
on the back part of the skull. He was
moved TO his home, SIG Eagle street near
by and DIR. Purdue, the Santa Fe COM
pany's physician was summoned, who
soon had done everything for the wounded
man that could be done. Stark remained
unconscious. with breathing regular, but
stertorous At times, pulse slow but strong.
W hen he was moved he showed the only
signs or consciousness by q feeble attempt
20 help himself. DIR. Purdue pronounced the
difficulty conclusion of the brain Mean
time he officers of the law had made an
examlnatlon Of the premises. They found
that those first upon the scene had found
Stark in the condition mentioned, lying on
the desk by the window. A book which
he had been reading lay at his left hand
and an old coat which had long been
hanging on the wall of the office was
folded up under his head. His lamp had
been found burning. The doors and
windows were all closed and fastened, so
that entrance WAS effected by q. \ Hal
comb, who as custodian of the building,
was prepared to unlock the doors. There
was a trail of blood from the door in the
southeast corner OF the building To the
office thirty feet away. A heavy coupling
pin covered with blood lay by his side;
also billy, which belonged to him He
WAS found to have been robbed or some
money, how much is not known, but it is
thought not 10 exceed $40. His revolver, IA
33-calibre, Smith 81 Wesson, was also
missing.
The theory is that he was taken by sur
prise while sitting with his back to the
window, as was his habit while reading;
that his ASSISTANTS fed after going through
him; that some time after he managed 20
close and fasten all the doors and win
dOws; that he then folded up the old coat
for pillow and lay down, To become uu-
conscious, perhaps forever. This theory is
borne oui by knowledge of his customary
position AZ the window, bv the fact that all
the wounds We're on the right side, and
that 1t was his custom to leave all the
doors aud windows open during the entire
night
During the day Stark had cashed si5
pay check. but had spent $50 to $50 of it
with various tradesmen i'll the city. He
did not go on duty till about O'Clock, his
place meanwhile having been filled by
Frank Coats, another employe of the
santa Fe.